RBS Six Nations - Match Preview

France v England 

Kick Off 8pm (GMT) - 23rd February 2008

England are off to France again on their bi-annual jaunt, not to buy Duty Frees but hopefully to pick up a win and two more points toward the Six Nations Championship title.   

Yawn!  Is anyone else finding this year's tournament a bit of a bore?  We have the same old stuff churned out from the 'Management' the same blind faith in favourite players, the same shock on the face when we lost to Wales and almost lost to Italy.   The fact that England players can no longer cut the mustard for 80mins on the pitch demonstrates what a farce the various coaching and conditioning is going on in the camp. 

England go to France on the back of a loss and a win of sorts against Italy, both of those games they played really well in the first 40mins and in the second half fell apart big style.     I cannot see England winning this game unless something remarkable happens in the next few days.   I am sure they are all still training to Kenny Rogers and going through the motions but their belief system both in themselves and as a team, to my mind is shattered. 

It is now a Psychological Battle of the second half and it won't matter which team is on the pitch facing them.  

'Les Bleus' must be licking their lips in anticipation for Saturday.

Head Coach Brian Ashton has made three changes for this game, back from injuries are props Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery  and new kid on the block scrum half Richard Wigglesworth who will make his debut start.

  photo by empics

Ashton said: "We hope Richard Wigglesworth will increase the tempo of our game and pick the right variations. He's a very good all-round player."

Pressure will be on Jonny Wilkinson again to deliver and silence his critics, if all goes well and England in the second half manage to control the French, I would hope to see Danny Cipriani coming on to replace Wilkinson.   England need to win first and win well, then they must start bringing on new blood!  I would like to see much more of  Lesley Vainikolo also, his massive presence might just frighten the ~French a little along with the hair - oh la la? 

France are also running out new players in this match Louis Picamoles, whose first cap was as a substitute against Ireland, will start at No. 8, and Morgan Parra replaces Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, who is ruled out with calf injury.  Parra was preferred to the experienced Dimitri Yachvili, who was called up after Elissalde dropped out on Monday.  Francois Trinh-Duc, who has two caps , will be the run-on  fly-half.  

France's New coach Marc Lievremont said:  "We aren't worried. "These players already have a little more experience than at the beginning of the tournament and we are counting on their enthusiasm."

FRANCE:Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie, David Marty, Damien Traille, Vincent Clerc, Francois Trinh-Duc, Morgan Parra; Lionel Faure, Dimitri Szarzewski, Nicolas Mas, Lionel Nallet (Captain), Pascal Pape, Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir, Louis Picamoles.

Replacements: William Servat, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Jerome Thion, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Dimitri Yachvili, David Skrela, Anthony Floch.

ENGLAND:Iain Balshaw, Paul Sackey, Jamie Noon, Toby Flood, Lesley Vainikolo, Jonny Wilkinson, Richard Wigglesworth; Andrew Sheridan, Mark Regan, Phil Vickery (Captain), Simon Shaw, Steve Borthwick, James Haskell, Michael Lipman, Nick Easter.

Replacements: Lee Mears, Matt Stevens, Ben Kay, Tom Croft, Paul Hodgson, Danny Cipriani, Mathew Tait.

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• Six Nations Table 2008

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