Chessum starts on flank in only change for England against France
LONDON, March 10 : Ollie Chessum will start at blindside flanker for England in their final Six Nations game against France in Paris on Saturday in the only change to the team beaten by Italy last weekend, as coach Steve Borthwick resisted another major overhaul.
Chessum brings bulk and a lineout option, with Sam Underhill, who was a last-minute call-up against Italy when Tom Curry injured a calf in the warmup, dropping to the bench. Guy Pepper moves across to openside flanker in the only other change in the team named on Tuesday from England's training base in Verona, Italy.
Chessum started the first three games of the Championship at lock and came off the bench into the back row after 66 minutes against Italy.
A week ago, following the record home thrashing by Ireland, Borthwick made nine changes for Italy, which became 10 after the withdrawal of Curry, who is not available this week.
England showed improvement but indiscipline and a series of errors allowed Italy to overturn an 18-10 deficit around the hour mark to claim a 23-18 victory for their first win in 33 meetings with England.
England were widely criticised for their one-dimensional, kick-first approach and another failure to turn territory into points but Borthwick has given his new-look backline another opportunity to prove their worth.
Underhill and fellow replacement Marcus Smith are in line to win their 50th caps.
"Reaching 50 caps is a special achievement and a reflection of the consistency both Sam and Marcus have shown in an England shirt," Borthwick said in a statement. "They have both worked extremely hard for this milestone and it’s a credit to them and the people who have supported them along the way."
A bonus-point French victory would win them the title for the second year in a row while any win or a draw might be enough depending on the result of the Ireland v Scotland game earlier in the day.
England are in fifth place on six points and the highest they can finish is fourth. Should they lose, making it four defeats in five games, it would represent their worst-ever performance in the Six Nations.
"It’s a huge challenge under the lights in Paris against a very strong France side," Borthwick said.
"England v France is one of the great rivalries in international rugby and we’re looking forward to the occasion."
England team to play France:
15–Elliot Daly, 14–Tom Roebuck, 13–Tommy Freeman, 12–Seb Atkinson, 11–Cadan Murley, 10–Fin Smith, 9–Ben Spencer, 8–Ben Earl, 7–Guy Pepper, 6–Ollie Chessum, 5–Alex Coles, 4–Maro Itoje, 3–Joe Heyes, 2–Jamie George, 1–Ellis Genge.
Replacements: 16–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17–Bevan Rodd, 18–Trevor Davison, 19–Chandler Cunningham-South, 20–Sam Underhill, 21–Henry Pollock, 22–Jack van Poortvliet, 23–Marcus Smith.
