England are still harbouring outside hopes of a Six Nations title when they travel to Lyon on Saturday, and must get past an inconsistent France side on home turf to stand any chance of overhauling Ireland.
- France vs England
- 8pm, Saturday, March 16th
- Groupama Stadium, Lyon
At the start of the Six Nations, it would have been France that you would expect to be heading into the last round of the tournament as Ireland’s most likely challengers.
That it is England after the penultimate round of fixtures says a lot about both teams, both the obvious signs of improvement for England under Steve Borthwick but also France’s underwhelming performances so far.
That said, both sides are still technically in with a shout of lifting the title with England four points behind Ireland and France five, and in need of something pretty special to turn it around.
It is unfortunate that the game could almost become a dead rubber by the time we even get to kick-off, with Ireland vs Scotland the 4.45pm game before they kick off in France at 8pm, but it still offers both sides to lay down markers for next season.
France will be keen to show that their wobbles against Italy and, briefly, Wales, were minor blips and that they can compete seriously without Antoine Dupont but know another poor performance could see questions asked of their leadership team.
For England meanwhile it provides another perfect opportunity to show the progress made and this time deliver away from home in a big match, and potentially even put themselves in the frame as potential winners next year.
Their dramatic win over Ireland on Saturday got everyone talking and it could the a final hurrah for some of the more experienced players in the squad. They have shown over the past five years that they can perform on the big occasion - so could this week provide the likes of Dan Cole and Danny Care one more famous win?
Six Nations Free Bets & Betting Offers
Check out the best Six Nations free bets and betting offers below.
France vs England Betting Tips
Here are our picks for the meeting at Groupama Stadium, looking at one bet builder and another winning margin.
France to win by 6-10 points
Given the performances of the two sides so far in this year’s Six Nations, this isn’t a particularly easy one to call.
France have the star quality and match-winning ability in their side, but have been underwhelming in this year’s tournament whereas unfancied England have punched above their weight.
Even with that in mind, we think France will have just enough to get over the line but England will be in it until late on, but it would not be a surprise if the tables are turned and there is great value to be found in backing England this weekend.
Penaud to score and France to score the first try
Damien Penaud is up there with the top carries and most metres made by any player in this year’s Six Nations, and he should get plenty of chances to keep that form going against England.
James Lowe and Duhan van der Merwe are two wingers who have had a lot of success against England’s at-times misfiring blitz defence and if France pull the strings correctly, they should find plenty of space out wide for the likes of Penaud to wreak havoc.
Team Lineups
We take a closer look at both teams for Saturday’s concluding game in Lyon.
France
- Baille
- Marchand
- Atonio
- Flament
- Meafou
- Cros
- Ollivon
- Alldritt (capt)
- Le Garrec
- Ramos
- Bielle-Biarrey
- Depoortere
- Fickou
- Penaud
- Barre
England
- Genge
- George (capt)
- Cole
- Itoje
- Martin
- Chessum
- Underhill
- Earl
- Mitchell
- Ford
- Freeman
- Lawrence
- Slade
- Daly
- Furbank
Previous Results
Check out the last five results between France and England in the Six Nations below.
| Year | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | England 10-53 France | London |
| 2022 | France 25-13 England | Paris |
| 2021 | England 23-20 France | London |
| 2020 | France 24-17 England | Paris |
| 2019 | England 44-8 France | London |
Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/xlmedia/4d3bea29-4aec-4561-86c3-7911c1bd849b.png)
