'Come get us' - England ready for Six Nations decider

Breaking news from the world of sport: 'Come get us' - England ready for Six Nations deciderImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sadia Kabeya is back from the return-top-play protocol to start at open-side flanker for EnglandByMike Henson Sport rugby union news reporterPublished7 hours agoTime to pack away the sequinned Stetsons and don the hard hats. After four straight wins, weighing in at an average of nine tries and a 41-point winning margin, England will run into physicality and very real jeopardy against France in Bordeaux on Sunday. The Red Roses' 37-match winning run - a streak that stretches back to November 2022 and a World Cup final defeat by New Zealand - has rarely been as vulnerable.

Part of that peril is down to England. France v EnglandWomen's Six NationsSunday 17 May, 16:45 BSTStade Atlantique, Bordeaux Watch on iPlayerLive on One, 5 Sports Extra and the Sport website and appDespite the timely return of Maddie Feaunati, Sadia Kabeya and Lilli Ives Campion, England are still a patched-up work in progress. Delaney Burns was several leagues deep in the second-row depth charts before the pregnancies of Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward and Rosie Galligan and injury to Morwenna Talling brought her back to the surface to win her first caps since 2023.

Match Details

Helena Rowland's play-making skills at inside centre give England plenty, but not the direct route to the line that the injured Tatyana Heard offered. Prop Liz Crake - who was on a central contract, but well off the selection radar in 2025 - is making a cameo on the bench, filling in for Kelsey Clifford, who has a leg complaint. Demelza Short is alongside her, with the Bristol Bears teenager having impressed in her maiden Test campaign, but having played at the under-18s Six Nations last year and watched the autumn's World Cup as a fan, her elevation is ahead of scheduleNatasha Hunt, Emily Scarratt, Alex Matthews, Abby Dow, Hannah Botterman, Lark Atkin-Davies, and May Campbell were all part of that title-lifting Red Rose squad, and all are elsewhere.

The constantly changing cast has undermined the defence. England have seeped points, looking vulnerable to sniping runs around the edge of the breakdown and to driven mauls. Having managed just five and 12 points respectively against England in last year's tournament, both Italy and Wales have picked up try-scoring bonuses in defeat this time around.

Coach John Mitchell has sold the scorelines as evidence of a new, swashbuckling style and a willingness to slug it out toe to toe with the world. "We'll just keep scoring more," he said on Thursday. "It's our new identity, it's the way that we're evolving our game.

Reactions and Expectations

"Defence, he promised, was "one of the easiest things to fix". France have a crew of wreckers itching to bash holes before the rebuild however. Teani Feleu played at number eight when the two teams met in the World Cup quarter-finals in September.

She has now switched into the midfield role she fills for Grenoble and will be running hard and straight at Rowland.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.