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England looking to salvage some pride

England rugby captain Mike Catt trains with teammates at the University of Bath in England on Wednesday. England face France today. PHOTO: AFP

England will try and salvage something from the wreckage of their Six Nations season by stopping bitter rivals France's hopes of the Grand Slam here at Twickenham today.

However, bookmakers would be swooping on any punter thinking of backing the world champions, whose hold on the trophy looks more tenuous as each match passes, following their record 43-13 record hammering by Ireland last time out.

France, by contrast, have been effective and at times impressive in their three wins from three -- no more so than when they crushed Irish hopes of a first Grand Slam since 1948 with a try in the last minute.

England have made sweeping changes from the Irish match -- some enforced through injuries to World Cup winning flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson and captain Phil Vickery.

France have also made changes but only in the spirit of coach Bernard Laporte's philosophy of giving every player a chance in what is effectively a dress rehearsal for the World Cup later this year.

One of the last names England would have wished to see in the starting line-up would have been that of Dimitri Yachvili, who has been their destroyer-in-chief in the Six Nations on more than one occasion in the past few years.

The Biarritz scrumhalf refuses to accept that he is a talisman against the English.

"I don't consider myself to be an England specialist," said Yachvili, who will win his 32nd cap today.

England coach Brian Ashton has seen his plans decimated by injury and loss of form.

His dilemma has been summed up by making 35-year-old center Mike Catt captain and selecting 21-year-old Toby Flood at flyhalf.

Catt has no worries about Flood's inexperience.

"For such a young player, the arc of his game is very impressive," the South African-born Catt said.

Ashton is in no doubt what it will require to overcome the team he considers to be the best in the northern hemisphere.

"First of all we have to get the foundations right," said Ashton, a former Ireland coach.

"If we don't get the set piece or the tackling right then it doesn't matter who you are playing. It can be done but it comes from a mindset of wanting to do it," he said.
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