French captain Antoine DuPont is wary of the potential threats that Finn and Marcus Smith will possibly pose in the British attack on Saturday.
England rolled the dice of the round two fixtures by giving Finn Smith his full debut in the fly half and moving Marcus Smith to the full back.
The traditional teen playmaker finished last Saturday’s 27-22 defeat by Ireland in these positions, with DuPont fearing Marcus Smith becoming a major threat to run from the deep.
“At the end of the match against Ireland, Marcus Smith did pretty well at fullback. Last year, when he came early, it worked against us,” DuPont said.
“We know his quality, we know that the ball is in his hands and he can create overlaps in almost every situation. Whether he’s 10 or 15 people It’s a threat.
“There’s another number 10 on the pitch to drive the game. They’ll certainly want to keep the ball. It’s up to us to adapt.”
DuPont was relieved he wouldn’t face Toulouse teammate Willis
DuPont is trying to kill the hosts’ title aspirations by leading France to a Six Nations showdown at Allianz Stadium, earning their fourth consecutive victory in fixtures.
The best players in the world think their goals have been made easier by England’s rules that simply select a player from the premiership and denies access to Joe Merchant, Henry Arundel, Willis and more.
Willis’s move to Toulouse in 2022 was an unqualified success, signing double winners of the Top 14 and Champions Cup until 2029.
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Sky Sports’ James Cole speaks with England coach Richard Wigglesworth ahead of concerns about fitness and consistency in the late game as the massive Six Nations clashes with France
When asked about England overlooking their stars as they compete in France, DuPont said: “I’m a little surprised, but I’m very happy not to play Jack.
“Their rules are different from ours and for now they’re like that. I don’t think they’ll change that anytime soon.”
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Sky Sports News’ Gellan Hughes outlines new rules that will change this year’s Six Nations tournament
England team playing France
Starting XV: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Henry Slade, 11 Ollie Slateholm, 10 Finn Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell. 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Maro Itoje (C), 5 George Martin, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Ben Earl, 8 Tom Willis.
Alternatives: 16 Jamie George, 17 Finn Baxter, 18 Joe Hayes, 19 Ollie Chesham, 20 Chandler Cunningham South, 21 Ben Curry, 22 Harry Randall, 23 Elliot Daly.
French team playing England
Starting XV: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont(c); 1 Jumba Petite Gross, 2 Pete Mauvaca, 3 Uniatonio, 4 Alexandre Rumat 5 Emmanuel Mahu, 6 François Cross, 7 Paul Boudent, 8 Gregory Aldritt.
Alternatives: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickel Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilien G ailleton.
Equipment in 6 countries: Round 2
Saturday, February 8th
Italy vs Wales (2:15pm)
England vs France (4:45pm)
Sunday, February 9th
Scotland vs Ireland (3pm)
Australia’s UK & Ireland Lions Tour with Sky Sports
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Sky Sports’ Jack Wilkinson will look at the top five players who have wagered claims for the UK and Ireland’s Lions Tour in the summer after a performance in the first round of the 2025 Six Nations.
Sky Sports We will only showcase the 2025 British and Ireland Lions Tour, with all three tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches showing live only.
