The France captain, Antoine Dupont, has revealed he is surprised by the Rugby Football Union’s policy that bans Steve Borthwick from picking players based abroad and admitted he is glad he will not lock horns with his Toulouse teammate Jack Willis on Saturday.
England host Dupont and co at Twickenham as they seek to improve a run of seven defeats in nine matches and do so without a raft of players who are based in France’s Top 14 and therefore considered unavailable.
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Indeed, while Tom Willis makes his first England start at No 8, his brother Jack is one of 11 players from England’s 2023 World Cup squad based in France and unavailable to Borthwick. That group includes the former captain Owen Farrell as well as a clutch of players enjoying fine seasons in the Top 14 such as David Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant. Henry Arundell, meanwhile, who has endured a difficult season at Racing 92, has signed for Bath next season.
Borthwick lamented a lack of experience after his side’s defeat by Ireland last weekend left their Six Nations hopes in the balance and though his captain, Maro Itoje, insisted “we want all the best players to available”, he stopped short of explicitly urging the Rugby Football Union to change its policy. Dupont, for his part, expressed his relief that Jack Willis – with whom he has won the Champions Cup and two Top 14 titles at Toulouse – will be absent.
“Yeah, I’m a bit surprised, but I’m quite happy not to be playing against Jack,” said Dupont. “We know the nightmare he is in the ruck area. Their rules are different from ours, and it’s like that for the moment. I don’t think they will change it soon.”
Allianz Stadium, 4.45pm GMT, Saturday 8 February
England M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, Earl, Willis.
Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Randall, Daly.
France Ramos; Penaud, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio, Roumat, Meafou, Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt.
Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Colombe, Auradou, Guillard, Jegou, Le Garrec, Gailleton.
Itoje, meanwhile, has revealed he turned down a lucrative move to France because he could not make peace with ending his international career. Itoje signed a new Saracens contract last year – becoming one of the flagship recipients of an offer of an enhanced England deal – amid interest from Toulouse, Lyon and Racing 92. When Saracens spent a season in the Championship following their relegation, it is understood Itoje explored a loan move to France in the hope he would still be considered eligible for England but rival Premiership clubs blocked such a proposal.
During the autumn campaign, amid speculation over a global breakaway league that would involve the formation an eight-team franchise competition that would tour the world, Itoje insisted that playing for England was “the mecca” amid fears Borthwick’s players would join the rebel organisation and render themselves unavailable for international duty.
And on the eve of Le Crunch, Itoje has admitted that the lure of playing for England remains strong enough to turn down approaches from abroad. “The reason I didn’t pursue that is because I wanted to play for England,” he said. “I felt like my time in an England shirt was not quite done yet.
“In my heart of hearts I would have been looking at England playing from across the Channel and I wouldn’t have been at peace with the decision. There are a whole load of different factors one can use to determine whether you stay here or go there but, for me, I felt if I went it would have been a bit premature if I went at that time.
“We want all the best players to be available for selection for England. We want all the guys who are playing well playing for England, or at least being available for selection. But everyone has their own individual careers and you have to make decisions which benefit you. I have a lot of respect for all the guys out there. I have played quite a lot of rugby and spent quite a lot of time with a lot of them. I wish them all the best.”
If England are to claim a first win over France in four years, the defence coach Joe El-Abd is only too aware they will have to shut down Dupont. El-Abd – who is still also employed with Oyonnax – worked with Dupont in the scrum-half’s early days at Castres.
“We saw the talent he had at that point and now we are seeing the fruits of all the work he has been putting in all the way through,” El-Abd said. “It is the work, he puts in the work and we are seeing that now.
“I always remember him kicking with both feet, trying to kick with his left foot. And now, obviously, he’s got that in his locker as well. Is there a weakness? I’m not sure if we talk about weaknesses. It’s just about being ready at all moments and not switching off at any point. And if we can do that for 80 minutes, we’ll see what that gives us.
“We knew where he was going to go. It was spoken about in the dressing room, even in France, that there was a player coming through that there was going to be something a bit different. We need to put him under as much pressure as possible so we don’t see those moments.”
