England: George Furbank a shock inclusion at full-back for Six Nations showdown with France

Adam Kyriacou

England have named their side to face France in their Six Nations clash in Paris, with George Furbank a shock selection at full-back.

The Northampton Saints player comes in for the dropped Max Malins which means Freddie Steward shifts from number 15 to the wing on Saturday.

Eddie Jones has made one further alteration to his backline as Ben Youngs returns in place of Harry Randall for the trip to the Grand Slam chasers.

Three new faces in the pack

There are three new faces in the pack with tighthead prop Kyle Sinckler recovering from the concussion sustained against Ireland yet being limited to a bench role as support for the starting Will Stuart.

Charlie Ewels’ red card in the 32-15 defeat in round four means Nick Isiekwe makes his third start of the Six Nations in the second-row while Sam Underhill replaces hamstring-injury victim Tom Curry at openside.

Joe Launchbury has failed to secure a spot among the replacements despite making his comeback from knee surgery against Ireland. Instead, Jones has opted for Ollie Chessum as lock cover.

England are playing for third place only after falling to Scotland and Andy Farrell’s men, but could finish as low as fifth if France prevail and other results go against them.

“This is our strongest 23 for the game against France. We are disappointed not to be in contention for the trophy but last week’s effort against Ireland was full of pride, energy and tactical discipline,” Jones said.

“We have focused on refreshing the team this week and we are ready to empty the tank on Saturday.”

Head coach Jones gave concise answers on his reasoning for the changes.

“Will Stuart has impressed us during the Six Nations and Kyle (Sinckler) has had a difficult last two weeks,” he said.

“He had no training last week because of his back injury and this week he has been doing the return to play protocol for concussion.

“The line-out contest is obviously going to be important and Nick (Isiekwe) is our second best line-out exponent. He played very well early in the Six Nations.

“I feel like he can give us that energy around the ruck, particularly when we are playing against a French side that is going to take you on around there.

“Sam’s (Simmonds) fit and he hasn’t been fit since the autumn. We know that at his best he’s a world-class flanker. He’s got a real sparkle in his eye. He’s come back refreshed.

“Again, he has had a tough time through injury, illness and concussion, but he has got a real spring in his step.”

France are gunning for their first title since 2010, when they also beat England in the final round, but Jones insists the motivation for the climax to the penultimate Six Nations before the World Cup is not about gate-crashing their victory festivities.

“It’s more about having our own party. We get to play in a game where France have had a Six Nations and we want to finish the Six Nations strongly, so it’s about creating our own party rather than spoiling France’s,” he added.

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Freddie Steward, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Elliot Daly

Date: Saturday, March 19
Venue: Stade de France
Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

READ MORE: Fabien Galthie brings back Damian Penaud as Les Bleus go for Six Nations Grand Slam

 

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Expert Witness on the final Six Nations weekend

Former England hooker George Chuter, ex-France centre Brian Liebenberg and Times journalist Alex Lowe join Planet Rugby's James While this week.