England v France 6Nations 2013 - Pre Match Thoughts

England take on the French this weekend at Twickenham in what looks set to be a epic match.  Good Luck England

RBS Six Nations 

England v France

Twickenham Saturday 23/2/13 - Kick Off 1700

Referee: Craig Joubert (SARU, 9th RBS 6 Nations game) Assistants: John Lacey (IRFU), Leighton Hodges (WRU)  TMO: Jim Yuille (SRU)

England take on France this weekend in the next BIG match of their Six Nations campaign!  Let's face it from now on really every match for England will be a BIG match and every team wants to beat England.  So bring it on I say.

However, you never know which French team will turn up on the day, of course we have the team in black and white on paper but that does not count when it comes to the mercurial Frenchmen.

But let's not be in any doubt this is a HUGE match for England and I just feel in my bones that the French will be out to upset the tournament.  They will be hurting from the last two defeats and well let's pick a fight with the English eh!   

So look out England and tread carefully for if those pesky French do turn up and demonstrate their skills......... well anyone for a French horsemeat burger ;)  Seriously England will have to take care and play to their very best, defend again like demons and hopefully they will get the win.  But why do I feel nervy about this match?  Maybe I fear this could be the real test of this Six Nations.

Mr England Mascot (Peter Cross) & Jean Claude Massard French Mascot the only other World Rugby Mascot

Some pre match stats for you.....

• England have the lowest lineout success rate (77%) in the tournament so far, however they are the only team to win 100% of the line outs they have thrown to the front (six from six).

• England have stolen a competition high of five opposition lineout throws so far, France have stolen just one, the fewest in the tournament.

• France have won 86% of their line outs in this tournament including all 14 that they have thrown to the middle of the line.

So the line outs look to be the place where we should be watching keenly.  Anyway teams are up.... so here we go.

England have made three changes, back are Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley. Tuilagi comes into the centres in place of Billy Twelvetrees, who drops to the bench, with Brad Barritt reverting to the inside centre.   Lawes replaces James Haskell, who has had flu, at blind-side flanker and Hartley ousts Tom Youngs at hooker.  Haskell and Youngs will both be on the bench..

France Seven and one positional change! Francois Trinh-Duc returns at fly-half . Trinh-Duc replaces Frederic Michalak with Morgan Parra back at scrum-half.  Fit-again Vincent Clerc starts at right wing, Wesley Fofana moving to centre. Prop Thomas Domingo, hooker Benjamin Kayser, lock Christophe Samson and flanker Yannick Nyanga all come into the pack, and South Africa-born flanker Antonie Claassen is on the bench.

England: 15. Alex Goode (Saracens, 8 caps); 14. Chris Ashton (Saracens, 31 caps), 13. Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers, 18 caps), 12. Brad Barritt (Saracens, 13 caps), 11. Mike Brown (Harlequins, 13 caps); 10. Owen Farrell (Saracens, 14 caps), 9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 30 caps); 1. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 7 caps), 2. Dylan Hartley (Northampton Saints, 44 caps), 3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 37 caps), 4. Joe Launchbury (London Wasps, 6 caps), 5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers, 14 caps), 6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, 17 caps), 7. Chris Robshaw (Harlequins, Captain 14 caps), 8. Tom Wood (Northampton Saints, 15 caps).

Replacements: 16. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers, 6 caps), 17. David Wilson (Bath Rugby, 24 caps), 18. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, 6 caps), 19. James Haskell (London Wasps, 47 caps), 20. Thomas Waldrom (Leicester Tigers, 5 caps), 21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 38 caps), 22. Toby Flood (Leicester Tigers, 54 caps), 23. Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester, 2 caps).

France: Yoann Huget; Vincent Clerc, Mathieu Bastareaud, Wesley Fofana, Benjamin Fall; Francois Trinh-Duc, Morgan Parra; Thomas Domingo, Benjamin Kayser, Nicolas Mas, Christophe Samson, Yoann Maestri, Yannick Nyanga, Thierry Dusautoir (Captain), Louis Picamoles.

Replacements: Dimitri Szarzewski, Vincent Debaty, Luc Ducalcon, Jocelino Suta, Antonie Claassen, Maxime Machenaud, Frederic Michalak, Florian Fritz.