Rugby Union Mar 12, 2026

Six Nations: England make one change for final match against France with Ollie Chessum set to start

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Six Nations: England make one change for final match against France with Ollie Chessum set to start

England have made just one change to their starting line-up to face France in their final Six Nations match on Saturday as Ollie Chessum comes in for Sam Underhill.

Underhill is set to make his 50th England appearance from the bench, as is Marcus Smith.

Underhill made his debut against Argentina in 2017, while Smith first represented England in 2021 against the United States.

Coach Steve Borthwick had made major alterations for his side's, with nine personnel changes in light of back-to-back defeats to Scotland and Ireland.

It marked the most changes ever made by England in the Six Nations era.

However, Borthwick is sticking to his guns this time around and the one switch sees Chessum in at blindside flanker. Tom Curry was a late withdrawal in that same position last week which saw Underhill move from the bench to starting and Chandler Cunningham-South come in as a replacement.

After starting with a win over Wales, England will be looking to avoid a fourth successive Six Nations defeat against title-hopefuls France who will be bidding to bounce back from their 50-40 loss to Scotland.

"It's a huge challenge under the lights in Paris against a very strong France side," said Borthwick.

"England vs France is one of the great rivalries in international rugby and we're looking forward to the occasion."

On Underhill and Smith's milestones, Borthwick commented: "Reaching 50 caps is a special achievement and a reflection of the consistency both Sam and Marcus have shown in an England shirt.

"They have both worked extremely hard for this milestone and it's a credit to them and the people who have supported them along the way."

Borthwick is confident that his almost unchanged squad is the best combination of players to field against the title fighting French, despite their recent woes.

"Ollie came on and did a lot of good work in the set piece and his carry when he came off the bench against Italy," Borthwick said.

"At the same time, Alex Coles has really developed over this last year and he's played well each time he's been on the pitch in this tournament.

"Maro Itoje's performance stepped up on Saturday so this is a way of having all three of those players on the pitch.

"I met with the senior player group today, which I typically do, and this is one of those games where the senior players really step forward. That's what I expect them to do this weekend."

Starting XV: 15. Elliot Daly (Saracens, 75 caps), 14. Tom Roebuck (Sale Sharks, 11 caps), 13. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints, 26 caps), 12. Seb Atkinson (Gloucester Rugby, 3 caps), 11. Cadan Murley (Harlequins, 5 caps), 10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints, 15 caps), 9. Ben Spencer (Bath Rugby, 17 caps), 1. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears, 79 caps) - vice-captain, 2. Jamie George (Saracens, 109 caps) - vice-captain, 3. Joe Heyes (Leicester Tigers, 21 caps), 4. Maro Itoje (Saracens, 101 caps) - captain, 5. Alex Coles (Northampton Saints, 18 caps), 6. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers, 34 caps), 7. Guy Pepper (Bath Rugby, 11 caps), 8. Ben Earl (Saracens, 50 caps)

Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks, 57 caps), 17. Bevan Rodd (Sale Sharks, 14 caps), 18. Trevor Davison (Northampton Saints, 7 caps), 19. Chandler Cunningham-South (Harlequins, 21 caps), 20. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby, 49 caps), 21. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints, 9 caps), 22. Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers, 23 caps), 23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, 49 caps)

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