England travel to Paris this weekend looking to salvage their Six Nations campaign after last weekend’s historic defeat to Italy.
Join RUCK’s Instagram broadcast channel and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.
According to The Telegraph, Steve Borthwick will make minimal changes for the trip to the Stade de France, prioritising cohesion. The only alteration to the starting XV is expected to come in the back row, where Ollie Chessum starts at blindside flanker in place of Sam Underhill.
Guy Pepper is set to continue on the flank alongside Chessum, while Underhill drops to the bench after starting against Italy when Tom Curry withdrew during the warm-up.
The rest of the side is expected to remain unchanged, with Ben Spencer and Fin Smith continuing their half-back partnership and the same backline retained.
⭐ Save us to your Google Favourites for nonstop RUCK content!
Previous meetings (since 2021)
- 2025 Six Nations: England 21–27 France
- 2024 Six Nations: France 33–31 England
- 2023 Six Nations: England 10–53 France
- 2022 Six Nations: France 25–13 England
- 2021 Six Nations: England 23–20 France
Prediction
France’s form, home advantage and attacking firepower make them heavy favourites. England may show some improvement after last weekend but could struggle to contain France’s tempo and creativity.
Prediction: France 38–17 England
France to win with a bonus point.
England XV (now confirmed)
15. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 75 caps)
14. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 11 caps)
13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 26 caps)
12. Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 3 caps)
11. Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 5 caps)
10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 15 caps)
9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 17 caps)
1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 79 caps) – vice-captain
2. Jamie George (Saracens, 109 caps) – vice-captain
3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 21 caps)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 101 caps) – captain
5. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 18 caps)
6. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 34 caps)
7. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 11 caps)
8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 50 caps)
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 57 caps)
17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 14 caps)
18. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)
19. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 21 caps)
20. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 49 caps)
21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 9 caps)
22. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps)
EDITORS PICKS:
- Owen Farrell back in the England squad, four suggested call-ups
- 11-man shortlist to replace England boss Steve Borthwick emerges
- England flanker stood down from rugby with immediate effect
- Statement: RFU Break Silence on Steve Borthwick’s Future
2026 Six Nations Permutations
The final round of the Six Nations promises a dramatic finish after a championship packed with twists and surprises.
Three teams still have a chance of lifting the title, with two of them set to face each other in a decisive clash in Dublin.
France
The outcome is in France’s control. Since their match against England in Paris is the last game of Super Saturday, they will know exactly what result they need. In most scenarios, a bonus-point victory should be enough, unless Scotland win by 59 more points than France on the final day, which is extremely unlikely.
If Ireland beat Scotland, or if Scotland win without a bonus point, then a simple win would also secure the title for France, as Scotland would still need a huge points difference swing. If Scotland and Ireland draw, even a draw would be enough for France. Their late bonus point at Murrayfield over the weekend ensured the title race remains firmly in their hands.
Scotland
Scotland travel to Dublin to face Ireland and must win if they want to claim their first ever Six Nations title. If they achieve a better result than France, the championship will be theirs. However, because their game takes place earlier in the day, they will still need England to do them a favour in Paris regardless of the outcome.
Scotland are currently level with France on 16 points but trail significantly on points difference. Although winning in Dublin is a tough challenge, their big victory at the weekend will give them confidence.
Ireland
Ireland sit on 14 points, two behind both Scotland and France, and host Scotland in Dublin. A win would move them above both teams temporarily, but only by two points, or three with a bonus point, with France still to play England in the final match.
Like Scotland, Ireland must win and then hope France slip up. Their shortage of bonus points compared with their rivals leaves Andy Farrell’s side slightly disadvantaged, though they remain firmly in contention. If Italy beat Wales with a bonus point and overturn a 40-point difference, Ireland could slip to fourth, so the simplest way to remove any risk is to earn at least one point against Scotland, but they’ll be looking up rather than down.
