Rugby Union Mar 12, 2026

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

👤
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)

Tags:

rugby-union news

Share this article

Related Posts

RFU backs head coach Steve Borthwick despite 'hugely disappointing run'

RFU backs head coach Steve Borthwick despite 'hugely disappointing run'

England RFU CEO, Bill Sweeney remains confident in Steve Borthwick's side despite suffering a damaging defeat to Italy in Rome.In what had been dubbed...

Six Nations - Ireland vs Wales: Reaction, analysis, news, as Andy Farrell's side claim bonus-point win in Dublin

Six Nations - Ireland vs Wales: Reaction, analysis, news, as Andy Farrell's side claim bonus-point win in Dublin

Reiten joins Gotham FC from ChelseaChelsea have confirmed Guro Reiten has joined Gotham FC.The Norwegian was out of contract at th...

Six Nations 2027: Ireland vs England starts men's tournament with England vs Scotland on final weekend

Six Nations 2027: Ireland vs England starts men's tournament with England vs Scotland on final weekend

The 2027 Men's Six Nations will begin with a clash between Ireland and England in Dublin.That heavyweight contest will take place on Friday February 5...

Stuart Hogg: Former Scotland captain stripped of MBE after pleading guilty to domestic abuse charges

Stuart Hogg: Former Scotland captain stripped of MBE after pleading guilty to domestic abuse charges

Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg has been stripped of his MBE by King Charles, after pleading guilty to domestic abuse against his then-estra...

Six Nations 2026: Men's fixtures, schedule, dates, Calcutta Cup and more as France defend championship title

Six Nations 2026: Men's fixtures, schedule, dates, Calcutta Cup and more as France defend championship title

All the fixtures and schedule for the 2026 Men's Six Nations as France look to defend their title against England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy....

Six Nations trophy damaged by fire in vehicle incident and will be replaced for 2027 edition of tournament

Six Nations trophy damaged by fire in vehicle incident and will be replaced for 2027 edition of tournament

The Six Nations championship trophy has sustained fire damage and will be replaced for 2027.After the latest round of the tournament, the vehicle tran...