France vs England Preview & Prediction | 2022 Six Nations Championship
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THE FACTS
When is France vs England on and what time does it start? France vs England will take place on Saturday 19th March, 2022 – 20:00 (UK)
Where is France vs England taking place? France vs England will take place at Stade de France in Paris, France
Where can I get tickets for France vs England? Visit this link for the latest ticket information for France vs England
What channel is France vs England on in the UK? France vs England will be televised live on ITV
Where can I stream France vs England in the UK? France vs England can be streamed live on the ITV Hub
THE TEAM NEWS
FRANCE
- France have earned the chance to play for a Grand Slam at the Stade de France in the last match of the Six Nations Championship on Saturday night after a tight and tetchy 9-13 victory at Wales last Friday made it four wins from four.
- Head coach Fabien Galthie makes one enforced change with the impressive Yoram Moefana missing out due to injury but bringing back star winger Damian Penaud from a bout of covid-19 is no disappointment.
France: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Anthony Jelonch, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiiste Gros, 18 Mohamed Haouas, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Thibaud Flament, 21 Dylan Cretin, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Thomas Ramos
ENGLAND
- England were let down by Charlie Ewels’ as his high tackle saw the earliest red card in Six Nations history last Saturday but they were valiant in frustrating Ireland, with a 15-32 result flattering the victors.
- Head coach Eddie Jones makes a surprise change with George Furbank coming in for Max Malins, which sends Freddie Steward to the wing, whilst Ben Youngs comes in for Harry Randall. Will Stuart, Nick Isiekwe and Sam Underhill also come into the side.
England: 15 George Furbank, 14 Freddie Steward, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Jack Nowell, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Courtney Lawes, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Nic Dolly, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Harry Randall, 22 George Ford, 23 Elliot Daly
THE PREDICTION
France have lost the Six Nations Championship at the final hurdle in the last two editions of the tournament at the Stade de France, making this final match on Saturday all the more exciting. Les Bleus needed to beat Ireland by 28 points in Paris back in the delayed October edition in 2020, with England doing enough against Italy earlier that day to come through the winners as France beat Ireland, who were also in the running, by eight points. Five months later France had back-to-back home games to get the job done as they beat Wales 32-30 in the fifth round but then played a postponed match against Scotland the weekend after. There, Scotland provided one of the most exhilarating matches in recent Six Nations history with a last-minute Duhan Van der Merwe try winning the contest 23-27 that in turn handed the 2021 title to Wales.
Fabien Galthie’s side have never looked as impressive as they have this time around but Eddie Jones and England will be desperate to make up for a disappointing campaign by breaking French hearts in Paris for a third successive year. So much is riding on this match that handicaps seem an unnecessary extravagance. All France need to do is win the match, with no bonus point required even if Ireland achieve one earlier in the day, so backing the hosts to win outright is the sensible move here.
