Slade and Roots in Matchday 23 for England Against France

Henry Slade and Ethan Roots have both been named in England's matchday 23 to take on France this weekend.

England men’s head coach Steve Borthwick has named his team to play France at Groupama Stadium in Lyon on Saturday 16th March (kick-off 8pm GMT live on ITV1).

There is just one change to the starting XV that defeated Ireland 23-22 at Twickenham last weekend with Elliot Daly coming into the team.

The final-round game of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations sees England captain Jamie George pack down at hooker alongside vice-captain Ellis Genge on the loosehead and Dan Cole at tighthead.

At lock, vice-captain Maro Itoje is partnered with George Martin. The back row sees Ollie Chessum continue at blindside flanker, with Sam Underhill on the openside and Ben Earl at No.8 to round off an unchanged scrum.

Scrum-half Alex Mitchell links up again with vice-captain George Ford at 10. The midfield partnership of Ollie Lawrence at inside centre and Henry Slade at 13 remains.

In the back three, Daly is named on the left wing with Tommy Freeman switching to the right and George Furbank is selected at full-back.

Amongst the replacements, Manu Tuilagi is included in an England match day 23 for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup Bronze Final in Paris. The centre joins Theo Dan, Joe Marler, Will Stuart, Ethan Roots, Alex Dombrandt, Danny Care and Marcus Smith to make up a strong and experienced bench.

“After such a hard-fought win against Ireland last week, we realise how important it is to back that performance up with another similar display in Lyon on Saturday,” said Borthwick.

“France remain one of the very top sides in the world, and will pose a great challenge for us.

“We've had a great preparation so far this week and there is a genuine sense of anticipation and determination around the camp as we head to what will be an exciting final weekend.”

England:

15. George Furbank (Northampton Saints, 8 caps)

14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 7 caps)

13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs, 61 caps)

12. Ollie Lawrence (Bath Rugby, 23 caps)

11. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 68 caps)

10. George Ford (Sale Sharks, 95 caps) – vice captain

9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints, 14 caps)

1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 61 caps) – vice captain

2. Jamie George (Saracens, 89 caps) – captain

3. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers, 111 caps)

4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 80 caps) – vice captain

5. George Martin (Leicester Tigers, 11 caps)

6. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 22 caps)

7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 34 caps)

8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 29 caps)

Replacements:

16. Theo Dan (Saracens, 11 caps)

17. Joe Marler (Harlequins, 92 caps)

18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby, 37 caps)

19. Ethan Roots (Exeter Chiefs, 3 caps)

20. Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins, 16 caps)

21. Danny Care (Harlequins, 100 caps)

22. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 31 caps)

23. Manu Tuilagi (Sale Sharks, 59 caps)