STATEMENT: England confirm squad for France clash with back-rower ruled out

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Chandler Cunningham-South has been ruled out, which has resulted in a call-up for uncapped Newcastle back-rower Guy Pepper.

“Chandler looks like he has injured his calf." said Borthwick following the win against Ireland.

“I don’t know how bad. He certainly didn’t look like someone who is going to turn around in a week, but I have no idea how bad that is.

“Henry Slade took a bang in Scotland, worked real hard to recover from it, and took a knock today. I don’t know if it’s related so that’s why he came off. Ollie (Chessum) is okay. He made that tackle in the first half, his arm took a bit of a stinger but I don’t think it is anything worse.”

England squad (vs France, Saturday)
Forwards (19):
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers)
Alex Coles (Northampton Saints)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks)
Theo Dan (Saracens)
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins)
Ben Earl (Saracens)
Charlie Ewels (Bath Rugby)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears)
Jamie George (Saracens)
Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers)
Maro Itoje (Saracens)
Joe Marler (Harlequins)
George Martin (Leicester Tigers)
Beno Obano (Bath Rugby)
Guy Pepper (Newcastle Falcons)
Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby)
Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby)

Backs (17):
Danny Care (Harlequins)
Elliot Daly (Saracens)
Fraser Dingwall (Northampton Saints)
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Exeter Chiefs)
George Ford (Sale Sharks)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints)
George Furbank (Northampton Saints)
Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints)
Will Muir (Bath Rugby)
Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks)
Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins)
Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby)
Freddie Steward (Leicester Tigers)
Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks)

Despite Ireland holding the advantage, thanks to their bonus points, the competition is far from decided, leaving room for various outcomes among the trio.

Next Saturday, all eyes will be on Dublin as Ireland hosts Scotland at 4:45 pm, while England faces off against France in a high-stakes clash kicking off at 8:00 pm.

For a comprehensive preview of the upcoming matches and insights into the pivotal England vs. Ireland showdown, Stephen Ferris provides an expert analysis.

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Even if Ireland falls to Scotland, there's still a path to the Championship. If they manage to secure a losing bonus point along with a try bonus point, they'll reach 18 points, making it impossible for any other team to surpass them.

Alternatively, if Ireland loses to Scotland but England fails to secure a win against France, Ireland would be on at least 16 points, with England only able to reach 14 points with a draw.

Even with just one bonus point from their match against Scotland and England winning in France without a bonus point, Ireland would still edge ahead with 17 points, leaving England on 16. This scenario would mark a historic first for a team not winning the most games in the Six Nations yet clinching the championship.

Should England triumph over France in Lyon with a try bonus point, and Ireland loses to Scotland without securing a bonus point, England would claim the Six Nations Championship. An additional point from a bonus win would bring England to 17 points, while Ireland's loss without a bonus point would leave them on 16.

Even Scotland has a slim chance at the Six Nations Championship. They would need a bonus point win against Ireland, a victory margin of at least 39 points, prevent Ireland from securing any bonus points, and hope England fails to win or, if they do, does so without a bonus point and with a winning margin of less than 45 points.