How England Can Overcome French Threats In Grand Slam Decider

Guinness Women's Six Nations: England v France

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 26 April Kick-off: 16:45 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and online, perceive connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, unrecorded matter and video highlights connected nan BBC Sport website and app

York, Cardiff, Cork, Leicester. It doesn't matter wherever England play successful nan Women's Six Nations, comfortable bonus-point wins follow.

The 59-7 hammering of Scotland past play intends nan Red Roses person secured nan maximum imaginable 20 points from their 4 matches to group up a Grand Slam decider against France astatine Allianz Stadium, Twickenham connected Saturday.

John Mitchell's broadside person breezed past nan title truthful acold but he has challenged his broadside to nutrient nan "complete performance" to unafraid a seventh successive title.

Les Bleues are besides undefeated this run and are nan past squad to hit nan Red Roses successful nan Six Nations backmost successful 2018.

"It's thing we've had a chat astir and it's thing we're keen on. We cognize it's there. We're continually searching for that complete performance," Mitchell said.

What areas do England request to get correct to erstwhile again assistance nan Six Nations? And what threat do nan French pose?

France almost stunned England erstwhile they past travelled to Twickenham successful 2023, erstwhile they scored 33 points successful an unthinkable second-half fightback.

The crippled vanished 38-33 arsenic France trim loose successful onslaught successful nan 2nd period, scoring tries from each complete nan pitch, showing what tin hap if you footwear inaccurately to their vulnerable backs.

Having scored 141 points successful this year's title and 21 points successful past year's defeat by Mitchell's broadside successful Bordeaux, Les Bleues stay vulnerable successful onslaught done their old-school French flair, meaning accuracy from nan footwear is needed to triumph nan territorial conflict and unopen down opportunities.

Scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus remains a people enactment - proven successful her standout show successful a dominant second-half capacity against Scotland - and has nan expertise to nutrient a magic infinitesimal from anyplace and astatine immoderate time.

Fly-half Carla Arbez is joint-second for kicks successful play (52) this championship, a maneuver France person avoided utilizing successful their erstwhile 2 encounters pinch Mitchell's side.

"France now onslaught otherwise and person a world people 9 [Pauline Bourdon Sansus], who is simply a threat," Mitchell told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"They attraction connected footwear metres, nan 10 [Carla Arbez] is location to move them forward.

"In Bordeaux, they didn't kick, possibly seeing really our backmost 3 played astatine Twickenham against Ireland [the week prior], and successful our WXV1 warm-up crippled successful September they didn't footwear astatine all.

"In this tournament, they person been reliant connected kicks from 10, truthful I'll beryllium amazed if they don't travel pinch that."

Rapid helping Joanna Grisez is different subordinate England request to support an oculus connected aft nan 28-year-old showed disconnected her crisp finishing expertise for nan opening people arsenic France fought backmost to triumph 34-21 successful Italy past Saturday.

Mitchell has moved distant from Holly Aitchison's moving crippled astatine 10 successful favour of nan tactical kicking of Saracens fly-half Zoe Harrison, who impressed successful wins complete Wales and Ireland, for nan decider.

Harrison, connected a wide Allianz Stadium pitch, is suited to uncovering abstraction down France's backmost three, and pinch a beardown capacity could seal a starting spot earlier a location Rugby World Cup that starts successful August.

"A big, agelong kicking crippled wherever you tin unit France is going to beryllium huge," erstwhile England fly-half Katy Daley-Mclean told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"France are not going to want to get into a territory battle, they are going to want to person their territory successful nan 22 erstwhile they tin predominate pinch their large carries."

Scotland flanker Evie Gallagher was a changeless threat astatine nan breakdown successful Leicester to grounds 3 turnovers, uncovering peculiar occurrence successful nan 2nd half to slow down England's ball.

"We could person been much ruthless astatine nan breakdown successful nan 2nd half [against Scotland]," flanker Marlie Packer told BBC.

"It's not astir nan scoreboard it's astir our individual targets."

Prior to nan triumph complete Scotland, England struggled successful nan first half against Ireland, starring only 7-5 astatine half-time, pinch nan hosts besides producing captious turnovers to nullify nan Red Roses.

France number 8 Teani Feleu is joint-second for turnovers successful this year's Six Nations pinch four, while fastener Manae Feleu is besides useful complete nan shot and has made 3 steals astatine nan breakdown.

Les Bleues are apt to return statement from Gallagher, who tops nan wide stats pinch 8 turnovers, and target England's breakdown to forestall speedy shot reaching their objective extracurricular backs.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft is apical for attacking ruck arrivals (101) successful nan competition, and will request much support from nan remainder of her battalion successful bid to clasp nan ball.

England's battalion person been ascendant up beforehand successful each 4 of their wins during this year's Six Nations.

Scrum power complete Ireland resulted successful nan second-half sin-binning of prop Niamh O'Dowd, which helped England people 2 tries and plaything nan crippled successful their favour.

Scotland scored their first effort against England since 2023 from a powerful maul thrust connected Saturday, pinch Mitchell besides unhappy astir his side's set-piece.

"We were a small spot untidy. Our maul could person been amended and we fto them disconnected nan hook astatine times," he told BBC.

France 2nd statement Manae Feleu has stolen 2 line-outs this run - topped only by England locks Abbie Ward and Rosie Galligan - and will beryllium keen to disrupt nan Red Roses' line-out and maul, which was truthful cardinal successful their tally to nan World Cup final successful 2022.

But it is besides successful nan loose wherever France's battalion will want to spell toe-to-toe pinch nan champions, pinch number 8 Teani Feleu and locks Madoussou Fall and Manae Feleu each standout carriers.

In their past 3 wins Les Bleues person opted for a 6-2 chair spilt to support powerfulness from their battalion for nan afloat 80 minutes, which they person turned to again for nan crippled connected Saturday.

"France are 1 of nan fewer packs successful nan Six Nations that I deliberation tin rival what England do," Daley-Mclean added.

With 10 offloads betwixt fastener pairing of Fall and Feleu, Mitchell's broadside will request to target wrapping up nan shot arsenic good arsenic nan tackler.

England: Sing; Dow, Jones, Heard, MacDonald; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Feaunati, Matthews.

Replacements: Cokayne, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Burton, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland.

France: Bourgeois; Grisez, M Menager, Vernier, Arbwy; Arbez, Bourdon; Brosseau, Bigot, Khalfaoui, M Feleu (capt), Fall-Raclot, Escudero, Champon, T Feleu.

Replacements: Riffonneau, Mwayembe, Bernadou, Zago, Berthoumieu, Maka, Chambon, Queyroi.

Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZ)

TMO: Quinton Immelman (SA)