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Here they come England braced for French backlash
Posted: Friday March 19, 1999 11:23 AM
LONDON (Reuters) -- England is anticipating a fierce French backlash when they meet in a probable Five Nations decider at Twickenham on Saturday. While Scotland and Ireland battle it out at Murrayfield, the destination of the last-ever Five Nations title will, as always seemed likely, depend on what happens in London. What was not always likely, however, was that France would be travelling to Twickenham on the back of a home defeat by Wales that has thrown the championship wide open. Saturday's fourth round of matches shows the enduring appeal of rugby union's oldest competition which next year becomes the Six Nations with the addition of Italy. A year ago it was being written off as a pointless anachronism from the amateur era. The Celtic nations were being told by all and sundry that they did not deserve to play in the same division as England and France and that the "big two" would be better off trying to join the Southern Hemisphere's Tri Nations. Now, after three rounds of sometimes exhilarating and always intriguing rugby, the tournament sees four teams level on two points with only England managing two wins. England stuttered past Scotland in their opening clash but, despite failing to turn domination into points, were in control when beating Ireland 27-15 in Dublin. France were hugely lucky to beat Ireland in their first game and then saw their hopes of a third successive grand slam disappear with a 34-33 home defeat by Wales. But England are well aware that France will not be so accommodating again and are planning for the usual testing encounter. "That Wales defeat will make for a colossal game," said England coach Clive Woodward. "They've got everything to gain and we've got everything to lose." Woodward has kept the same team for the France match, except for the return of Mike Catt for the injured Paul Grayson at fly-half. France reacted to their poor defensive display against Wales by making five changes, including a new-look back row who have never played together before and a debutante center in the shape of Pascal Giordani. Team manager Jo Maso said: "We must recover our mental and physical strength. "The players are conscious of having failed. It is urgent that we find a physical presence and defensive rigor which have been our strong points these last two years." England have lost the last four games between the two countries, a run starting with the third-place play-off at the 1995 World Cup. But that pales into insignificance alongside Ireland's streak against Scotland which has seen them lose 10 of their last 11 games with the other drawn. Ireland have not won at Murrayfield for 14 years but will travel with some confidence for their final fixture after an encouraging campaign. After narrow defeat against France and then victory over Wales, hopes were high against England. And although the Irish were outclassed by Woodward's men, the fact that they were within a try of winning the game in the dying minutes was an example of their progress under coach Warren Gatland. The New Zealander is obviously reasonably happy with the team as it is largely unchanged for Murrayfield. First choice center Jonathan Bell returns from injury in place of Rob Henderson while Eric Miller is recalled instead of Victor Costello to add some mobility to the back row. Scotland were on a high after beating Wales and pushing England but were disappointed with their showing in the 30-12 victory over Italy two weeks ago. They are boosted by the return from injury of scrum-half and captain Gary Armstrong but otherwise unchanged. Despite Scotland's 11 game unbeaten run against the Irish, Scotland coach Jim Telfer said he expected a very even contest. "We will underestimate Ireland at our peril," he said. Wales will hope to keep the pot boiling with victory over Italy Treviso. The return of fit-again Gareth Thomas for Matthew Robinson is the only change from the team who beat France and coach Graham Henry says he wants his team to get into the winning habit. Italy, after a terrific 1998, has struggled to find its form this year and have lost four games in a row. They are again hard-hit by injuries but will have captain Massimo Giovannelli available after his eight week ban for stamping against Scotland was overturned by the International Board.
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