France vs England: Red Roses throw down gauntlet for Six Nations decider

Despite the timely return of Maddie Feaunati, Sadia Kabeya and Lilli Ives Campion, England are still a patched-up work in progress.

Delaney Burns was several leagues deep in the second-row depth charts before the pregnancies of Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward and Rosie Galligan and injury to Morwenna Talling brought her back to the surface to win her first caps since 2023.

Helena Rowland’s play-making skills at inside centre give England plenty, but not the direct route to the line that the injured Tatyana Head offered.

Prop Liz Crake – who was on a central contract, but well off the selection radar in 2025 – is making a cameo on the bench, filling in for Kelsey Clifford, who has a leg complaint.

Demelza Short is alongside her, with the Bristol Bears teenager having impressed in her maiden Test campaign, but having played at the under-18s Six Nations last year and watched the autumn’s World Cup as a fan, her elevation is ahead of schedule

Natasha Hunt, Emily Scarratt, Alex Matthews, Abby Dow, Hannah Botterman, Lark Atkin-Davies, and May Campbell were all part of that title-lifting Red Rose squad, and all are elsewhere.

The constantly changing cast has undermined the defence.

England have seeped points, looking vulnerable to sniping runs around the edge of the breakdown and to driven mauls. Having managed just five and 12 points respectively against England in last year’s tournament, both Italy and Wales have picked up try-scoring bonuses in defeat this time around.

Coach John Mitchell has sold the scorelines as evidence of a new, swashbuckling style and a willingness to slug it out toe to toe with the world.

“We’ll just keep scoring more,” he said on Thursday.

“It’s our new identity, it’s the way that we’re evolving our game.”

Defence, he promised, was “one of the easiest things to fix”.

France have a crew of wreckers itching to bash holes before the rebuild however.