Former England hooker and Daily Telegraph columnist Brian Moore previews England's Six Nations showdown with France.
"Although the French scrum is powerful, it did not repeat its demolition of the Scottish pack when faced with an only average Irish scrum. The English tight five can ensure parity in this phase of the game, provided they concentrate.
"If France select Sébastien Chabal to add yet more muscle, the French line-out options are thereby lessened and in this crucial area England have been close to fault-free. This could see Martin Johnson’s team gain a significant edge and would go long way to deciding the match.
Although James Haskell cannot be faulted for his performances in the absence of Lewis Moody, the captain’s reintroduction would be wise because a match-up of brute force is not in England’s interests, given the way they are playing.
"Support for strike runners and getting to the resultant breakdowns first is more important than straight bashing contest."
RSS feed
