Experienced England to survive opening France test

Colin Newboult

England's Courtney Lawes during the Guinness Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium, London

It is youth against experience in Le Crunch as a new-look France outfit takes on World Cup finalists England in their Six Nations opener in Saint-Denis on Sunday.

After years in the doldrums, which culminated in a quarter-final defeat to Wales in Japan last year, there has been a mass overhaul in Les Bleus’ ranks. Both playing and coaching staff has been completely altered and, as a result, hopes are high for a change in fortunes over the next few years.

Gone are the old guard and in has come fresh blood in the shape of 19 uncapped players. Of those, only four are in the 23-man squad to face their arch-rivals, but the team has a youthful look to it throughout.

Centres Gael Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa provide some proven international quality while Damian Penaud and Teddy Thomas, despite surprisingly only having 16 caps apiece, should thrive in the current set-up.

They also have in-form Toulouse duo Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack forming their half-back combination, but it will be a big ask for head coach Fabien Galthie to find that continuity immediately, particularly against the Red Rose.

Questions are being asked as to how Eddie Jones’ men will react to their final defeat to South Africa and whether the Saracens saga will affect their performances, but similarly that may well serve to inspire them.

Instead, what could hamper the Englishmen is selection. No doubt the hosts will target rookie full-back George Furbank, who will be put under pressure in the cauldron of the Stade de France, while there are some interesting calls up front.

Many, and for good reason, can’t understand the decision to move Tom Curry to number eight, forcing lock Courtney Lawes to play at blindside – a position he hasn’t excelled in at Test level in the past – and that could leave the visitors vulnerable.

They have also brought in Charlie Ewels at second-row alongside Maro Itoje, someone who Jones likes but a player that has never dominated at club level, let alone on the biggest stage.

With those alterations, France will sense an opportunity, but England will still fancy themselves to control the encounter on Sunday. There is plenty of experience, especially in the playmaking positions with George Ford and Owen Farrell, and that should be enough to see off the French.

It is a big step up to the international arena for any player and, despite the undeniable talent within their squad, it is probably a little bit too early for Galthie’s charges to defeat one of the world’s best teams. Should they do so, however, then it sets them up nicely for the rest of the tournament and the following few years.

Players to watch:

For France: Despite the inexperience in their squad, the line-up is almost as expected and bodes well for the next few weeks. There are just two uncapped individuals in the starting XV but one of those, Montpellier’s Anthony Bouthier, is certainly a player to watch. It is a remarkable story for the 27-year-old, who has not taken your usual route to the top. Bouthier has spent most of his career further down the French rugby pyramid but, after impressing in Pro D2 for Vannes, he was snapped up by Vern Cotter’s men ahead of the 2019/20 campaign and has enjoyed a superb season. Comfortable at either fly-half or full-back, he has pace, good footwork and an excellent passing game, which will help Les Bleus spread the ball to their talented outside runners.

For England: Unsurprisingly, a lot of the focus will be on talented 21-year-old Tom Curry, who shifts to the back of the scrum for this clash. With Billy Vunipola out of the Six Nations, England named a 34-man squad without a recognised number eight, leaving Ben Earl, Lewis Ludlam and Curry to potentially fill that spot. Of those options, both Earl and Ludlam do have experience at the base, so of course Eddie Jones has decided to select the Sale Sharks man in that position, who has yet to play there during his professional career. We can’t fathom the logic, despite the skills that Curry possesses, and it will be a huge test for him in the Stade de France. He was one of the stars of the World Cup and rarely has a bad game, but this will be a significant challenge for the World Rugby Player of the Year nominee.

Head-to-head: The duel between the two outside centres will be box office. France’s Virimi Vakatawa has been in stunning for Racing 92 this season and is certainly someone England will have to be wary of, while Manu Tuilagi approached his best in the World Cup after years ravaged by injury. It will also be an interesting clash of styles with Vakatawa the slightly quicker and more elusive in comparison to the powerhouse Tuilagi, whose mere presence attracts defenders. As a result, the respective teams may look to utilise them in different ways. For Les Bleus, the task is to get the ball into their outside centre’s hands as much as possible, whereas the Red Rose will look to vary the 28-year-old’s involvements. With George Ford, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly and George Furbank, England have a plethora of playmakers and using Tuilagi as a decoy is something they’ve done with plenty of success over the past year.

Previous results:

2019: England won 44-8 in London
2018: France won 22-16 in Saint-Denis
2017: England won 19-16 in London
2016: England won 31-21 in Saint-Denis
2015: France won 25-20 in Saint-Denis
2015: England won 19-14 in London
2015: England won 55-35 in London
2014: France won 26-24 in Saint-Denis

Prediction: The Red Rose should have too much experience and quality at this stage of the respective teams’ development, but we are struggling with some of their selections, so it may well be tighter. England by 5.

The teams:

France: 15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Damian Penaud, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 François Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jefferson Poirot, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Boris Palu, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Matthieu Jalibert, 23 Vincent Rattez

England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Jonny May, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Tom Curry, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 George Kruis, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Ollie Devoto, 23 Jonathan Joseph

Date: Sunday, February 2
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 16:00 local (15:00 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

 

England