England complete a chastening Six Nations when they clash with title favourites France in the final act of the 2026 tournament.
Here, we look at five talking points heading into the encounter in Paris.
Borthwick fights for his future
Unless they defy expectations at the Stade de France, England face the grim reality of crashing to their worst ever Six Nations by finishing with a solitary victory, against Wales in round one. For now, head coach Steve Borthwick is being backed by the Rugby Football Union but chief executive Bill Sweeney has indicated he has a brutal summer tour that features fixtures in South Africa, England and Argentina to reverse the decline. Borthwick is convinced he has the necessary fixes, but evidence of a revival is needed against France with another heavy defeat likely to test Sweeney’s patience ahead of the post-Championship investigation into what has gone wrong.
England under fire from former stars
Numerous former internationals have turned on Borthwick’s England but it is the criticism of recent retirees Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs and Jonathan Joseph that will have stung the most. Lawes has said the younger players are “quite sheltered”, questioning their appetite for the fight, while Youngs and Joseph have been unsparing in their criticism of the stats-based, kick-heavy gameplan favoured by Borthwick. England have talked about tuning out the background “noise”, but the volume is currently at an all-time high.
Borthwick refuses to blink
Faced with the knowledge that a mauling in Paris could hasten his departure, Borthwick has doubled down on selection and tactics. Nine changes were made for the 23-18 defeat by Italy but Ollie Chessum’s promotion to blindside flanker with Sam Underhill dropping to the bench is the only adjustment to the side to face France. Chessum will strengthen the line-out and provide more muscle for the forward battle. Tactically, England have made it clear they will continue with the same approach seen in previous rounds having kicked more times and for more metres than any other team in the Championship. Instead, their aim is to do it better while capitalising on the chances they create and stamping out the disciplinary issues that have proved so costly.
Six Nations risk title farce
Bonus points have the potential to create an embarrassing first that means France could win the title even while registering fewer wins than Ireland. Should Ireland beat Scotland in Dublin without securing a bonus point, then the defending champions will need only two bonus points against England to retain their crown. While unlikely to happen, it is a scenario that would undermine the credibility of the the tournament and make a mockery of the bonus-point system.
Stage is set for Les Bleus
France’s staggering humbling at Murrayfield last Saturday could be bad news for England as Fabien Galthie’s men look to prove the end of their Grand Slam quest was just an aberration by inflicting maximum damage in ‘Le Crunch’. It is hard to look beyond a successful Les Bleus title defence given the destiny of the championship is in their hands and they will know their target when they step on to the field. A strong finish would reward the dominant force in the northern hemisphere.