Key events
Preamble
Pressure is a privilege, so they say, and there is pressure on England at Twickenham today no matter how dominant they seem. The Red Roses may have won 24 matches in a row, and 33 consecutively in the Women’s Six Nations, but France have won four out of four in this campaign and Les Bleues now stand in the way of a seventh straight title, plus a grand slam, for John Mitchell’s side.
England ran in nine tries last weekend as they brushed Scotland aside – the wing Claudia MacDonald had a particularly impressive day with two tries and collectively everything fell into place for this richly talented squad. But Mitchell has heavily rotated his lineup through the tournament and not everything has come easily in England’s four wins. Italy and Ireland presented problems and France will be expected to provide the toughest examination yet.
It is World Cup year too, so there is an opportunity for individuals to cement their place in Mitchell’s tournament plans – or play their way out of contention if things don’t go as smoothly as the home fans hope. Team news coming up.
Kick-off at 4.45pm UK time.