England head coach Steve Borthwick has resisted the urge to make further widespread changes to his wider 23-man squad, with just one new face included.<\/p>\n
Within his starting XV, only Ollie Chessum comes in on the blindside flank as Borthwick opts to maintain cohesion despite his side falling to a first defeat to Italy.<\/p>\n
Borthwick\u2019s side head to Paris with nothing but pride on the line after three successive defeats to Scotland, Ireland and the Azzurri, but another defeat would ensure a worst-ever Six Nations finish with just one win from five.<\/p>\n
England resist widespread changes as Borthwick opts for cohesion<\/p>\n
With the head coach keeping changes to a minimum, Elliot Daly, Tom Roebuck and Cadan Murley will continue as the back-three combination at the Stade de France, with Tommy Freeman and Seb Atkinson again partnering in midfield.<\/p>\n
Fin Smith and Ben Spencer are also retained as the half-back pairing, with Jack van Poortvliet and Marcus Smith the back options on the bench.<\/p>\n
England legend suggests that RFU are now in Ardie Savea territory with Steve Borthwick but former teammate insists \u2018he can turn this around\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n The aforementioned Chessum will slot into the back-row in place of the injured Tom Curry, with Guy Pepper moving over to openside flanker as a result. Ben Earl will continue at number eight.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Chessum\u2019s introduction into the back-row means Alex Coles and skipper Maro Itoje will continue at lock, with Joe Heyes, Jamie George and Ellis Genge completing England\u2019s<\/a> starting group as the front-row.<\/p>\n England will once again deploy six forwards from the bench, with Luke Cowan-Dickie, Bevan Rodd, Trevor Davison, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill and Henry Pollock included among the replacements list.<\/p>\n Commenting on his selection, Borthwick said: \u201cIt\u2019s a huge challenge under the lights in Paris against a very strong France side.<\/p>\n \u201cEngland versus France is one of the great rivalries in international rugby and we\u2019re looking forward to the occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n The inclusion of Underhill and Smith on the bench will also see them win their respective 50th caps, and the head coach hailed their Test careers to date.<\/p>\n \u201cReaching 50 caps is a special achievement and a reflection of the consistency both Sam and Marcus have shown in an England shirt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have both worked extremely hard for this milestone and it\u2019s a credit to them and the people who have supported them along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n