Our writers attempt to solve the Smith-Farrell conundrum with their England 23s v France
After England's 20-10 victory over Wales in Cardiff on Feb 25 before the Six Nations' fortnight break, Steve Borthwick's side host France at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon, looking to extend an unbeaten home record against Les Bleus in the Championship that stretches all the way back to 2005.
The dilemma facing the new head coach is simply whether to stick with his winning starting XV or twist to bring in Courtney Lawes, Henry Arundell and, the biggest decision of all, Marcus Smith at fly-half for the captain Owen Farrell.
With that in mind, we have asked our pack of rugby writers to pick who they would like to see take on France in TW1. And you can pick your preferred starters and finishers, too ...
Charlie Morgan
I still think England’s performance in Cardiff has been generally underrated and, with that in mind, I am keeping an unchanged 23. Alex Mitchell and Henry Arundell were the closest to breaking into the starting side. Both can play significant roles from the bench.
Courtney Lawes and Ben Curry were particularly prominent as impact replacements against Wales. The unknown quantity is the match sharpness of George Ford. Steve Borthwick will have to be sure that the fly-half is ready.
Ben Coles
Well it won't be boring, that's for sure. The whole Marcus Smith saga has seemed odd since the moment he was released last week, and while he was very good for Harlequins, he can play better.
But, there's clearly an itch here to see what England look like with Smith-Lawrence-Slade and when better then against a French side who need to be moved around. If it's a disaster by half-time, make a change.
Also, Courtney Lawes returns with Jack Willis having been in action on Sunday night in France for Toulouse.
Charles Richardson
Even if the prevailing thought was that Owen Farrell needed to be dropped, is now the right time to omit your captain and leader? No matter what anyone thinks about Farrell’s general play, the fact remains that he is the beating heart of this side.
His goal-kicking will surely improve from its Cardiffian disaster and, in what will be a tight game against fellow title hopefuls France, his control and organisation will be crucial. Then, if the game remains in the balance late on, the cavalier zip of Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell can feast on tiring French legs.
The team remains unchanged from the Wales win, with the exception of Henry Arundell switching with Max Malins. The London Irish wing deserves a start and England also could use an extra attacking threat.
Fiona Tomas
Owen Farrell’s substandard performances are an issue England can no longer afford to ignore. It will be a matter of time before he rediscovers his kicking boots but against a well-drilled France backline, common sense must prevail.
After silencing his critics with a man-of-the-match display for Harlequins last week, Marcus Smith is oven-ready for the heat of the French battle. With his intricate footwork and deft kicking he can lean on Ollie Lawrence’s powerful strike running and orchestrate the guillotining of France’s defence.
Max Malins assumes his role on the wing and Henry Arundell starts in place of Anthony Watson, with the pack unchanged.
Have your say...
Our writers have named their 23s, now it's your turn. Picking from Steve Borthwick's latest 36-man squad, use our team builder below to select a starting XV that you would like to see take on Les Bleus.
