What better way to fire up the tournament than a good old fashioned crunch match right off the bat? For fans, there is none. For Luther Burrell and Jack Nowell, each making their international debut, it’s the stuff dreams are made of. Or nightmares. There can be no in-between.
England will field the same pack that faced the All Blacks eleven weeks ago, but have freshened up the backs, with Jonny May taking over from injury victim Ben Foden and in-form Danny Care ousting Lee Dickson at scrumhalf. On the bench Mako Vunipola is fit to resume service, and Dave Attwood takes the place of surgically repaired Geoff Parling. The axing of Leicester pair Ben Youngs and Toby Flood is not a great surprise, with their spots taken by Dickson and fit-again Brad Barritt respectively.
Philippe Saint-André meanwhile has selected a vastly changed side from the team that lost to the Springboks, and named Pascal Papé, winning his 50th cap, as captain in place of recent casualty Thierry Dusautoir. The rampaging garden gnome Thomas Domingo is restored at loosehead, and the towering Alexandre Flanquart has usurped Yoann Maestri in the second row. Yannick Nyanga, Bernard Le Roux, and powerhouse Louis Picamoles form an all-changed back row.
Morgan Parra’s knee injury means that Jean-Marc Doussain takes up the kicking role, partnering new cap Jules Plisson in a terrifyingly inexperienced halfback combination. Maxime Médard is recalled to fill in the gap left by crocked Sofiane Guitoune, and the belly-busting Mathieu Bastareaud brings his ballast to the midfield in place of Florian Fritz. Stade Français flanker Antoine Burban, a surprise exclusion from the starting lineup given his domestic form, should make his debut as a reserve.
England has not started its tournament against France since 2003, and in Paris since 1996. On both occasions they were victorious in both the match and the tournament. Coincidentally France won in Saint Denis in 1998, also going on to take the title, so to the winner go the spoils and a massive boost in confidence.
This is easily the toughest match of the weekend to predict, and one that could go either way. France will be desperate to perform in front of their home crowd, and England acutely aware that a loss so early on will all but rule them out of the running in what promises to be a tight race to the title. Expect an almighty battle up front, but the more experienced English halfbacks will have the edge as the visitors crawl away with a 3 point win.
FRANCE vs ENGLAND
Saturday, February 1, 17:00 GMT, Paris
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
Assistants: Alain Rolland (IRFU) & Stuart Barry (SARU)
TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)
