The 2023 Six Nations is back in action this weekend, and Twickenham is the stage for a rematch of the 2022 decider as England and France engage in Le Crunch. The final match of 2022's championship saw Les Bleus storm to victory at the Stade de France, defeating a resilient England 25-13 and securing their first Grand Slam title since 2010 in the process.
However, France have not been the dominant side they were in 2022 this time around. Coming off the back of 10 straight wins leading into the tournament, an indisciplined France were very lucky to sneak past Italy in Rome, before being outclassed in Dublin the following week. Damian Penaud's 70-metre score was their only highlight, in a 32-19 defeat which saw Grand Slam-chasing Ireland put Les Bleus to the sword, establishing themselves as clear favourites for the 2023 title.
England, under the leadership of new head coach Steve Borthwick, are in a transitional process of their own, having shown glimpses of both the good and the bad in their three games so far. After losing at the death to Scotland in Borthwick's first game in charge, they've racked up comfortable victories over bottom sides Italy and Wales, although their play with ball-in-hand has been underwhelming in all three matches.
Unable to win a Grand Slam following that Dublin defeat, France reacted to edge Scotland 32-21 in Sant-Denis last time out.
Not since @DimitriYachvili's 18-point haul in 2005 have @FranceRugby won a Championship match at Twickenham.
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 7, 2023
Can they end their 18-year wait on Saturday? #AwakenAnticipation | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/1LB8a8VJr0
England headed to Cardiff in their corresponding fixture, and outscored the underperforming hosts three tries to one. Dominating Wales in every aspect but the scoreline, Borthwick's men were hampered by some clunky attack, before Ollie Lawrence scored late on to seal a 20-10 victory.
England versus France, known better as Le Crunch, is a game not to be missed regardless of the occasion, and with both sides knowing that victory will keep their hopes of a title alive, whilst simultaneously ending their opponents' chances, the stakes are sky-high at Twickenham on the penultimate weekend of Six Nations 2023.
MORE: England breeze past Wales to record second win under Borthwick.
England vs. France kick-off time
England host France in the Six Nations at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. The game kicks off at 4.45 pm. GMT on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
Here are the kick-off times for this game around the world:
| Location | Date | Time |
| UK | Sat, Mar. 11 | 16:45 GMT |
| Australia | Sun, Mar. 12 | 03:45 AEDT |
| Canada | Sat, Mar. 11 | 11:45 ET |
| New Zealand | Sun, Mar. 12 | 05:45 NZDT |
| USA | Sat, Mar. 11 | 11:45 ET |
| India | Sat, Mar. 11 | 22:15 IST |
| Singapore | Sun, Mar. 12 | 00:45 SGT |
| Malaysia | Sun, Mar. 12 | 00:45 MYT |
England vs. France live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the major territories:
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | fuboTV, Peacock, CNBC |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | ITV 1 | ITV X |
| Australia | — | Stan Sport |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
| India | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Hong Kong | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Malaysia | — | Premier Sports Asia |
| Singapore | — | Premier Sports Asia |
USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours.
Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.
UK: The tournament will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales. This match will be shown on ITV 1.
Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.
India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.
MORE: How France stormed to a Grand Slam in the 2022 Six Nations Championship.
England vs. France confirmed lineups
England make just one change from their victory against Wales — and boy, it's a big one. In one hell of a selection statement from Steve Borthwick, captain Owen Farrell drops to the bench, with the 103-capped fly-half replaced in the number 10 shirt by Marcus Smith. Borthwick has brought Smith off the bench in England's last two games after playing him and Farrell at 10 and 12 respectively against Scotland, but the Harlequins playmaker is given the starting shirt for this must-win match.
The rest of the XV remains unchanged, and with Farrell on the bench, Ellis Genge will captain his country for the first time. His front-row partner in crime Kyle Sinckler crashed over for a try against Wales, while fellow scorers Anthony Watson and Ollie Lawrence make up a backline which could cause France some real problems if England's attack can finally click into top gear.
A significant moment for the Bristolian 🏴#AwakenAnticipation | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/4PfdgOJgJ9
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2023
England starting XV: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinekler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt.
England replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, David Ribbans, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Henry Arundell.
.@EnglandRugby's team for Le Crunch 🌹#AwakenAnticipation | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/BCJMDuVpq9
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2023
France's tighthead prop stocks are starting to wear thin, after Mohamed Haouas joined Uini Atonio on the naughty step following his red card against Scotland. With both props suspended for the remainder of the tournament, Dorian Aldegheri packs down in the front row, with Francois Cros his blindside flanker. Cros replaces Anthony Jelonch, who was the victim of another red card-worthy tackle in the same game.
France's backline sees one change, as Jonathan Danty makes his return from a long injury layoff to reclaim his number 12 jersey. The inside centre pushes Yoram Moefana to the bench, which for the first time in the tournament features five forwards and three backs after France used a 6-2 split in their first three games.
💪 @DantyJonathan is back this Saturday 💥#AwakenAnticipation | #ENGvFRA pic.twitter.com/Z1UrMk46Nv
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2023
France starting XV: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri, Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt.
France replacements: Pesto Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Sekou Macalou, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet.
🏴🆚🇫🇷 Ce week-end c’est 𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒉 à Twickenham 💪
— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 9, 2023
Rendez-vous samedi à 17h45 ! #NefaisonsXV #XVdeFrance #ANGFRA pic.twitter.com/BJd6f8Mp2L
MORE: Who is Steve Borthwick, England Rugby's new head coach?
England vs. France odds
France are slight favourites with the bookies, with England not far behind in terms of the match result odds! Both Sky Bet and BetMGM have Les Bleus at 8/11 to record victory, but their respective odds of 6/5 and 11/10 for England to win suggests this game could be a ludicrously tight one.
Sports Interaction and Neds are also backing a France victory at Twickenham, with their odds of $1.75 and $1.73 respectively not much shorter than those of an English win, both sites having Steve Borthwick's side at just over $2.
| UK (Sky Bet) | USA (BetMGM) | Canada (Sports Interaction) | Australia (Neds) | |
| England win | 6/5 | +110 | 2.06 | 2.10 |
| Draw | 22/1 | +1600 | 19.00 | 21.00 |
| France win | 8/11 | -138 | 1.75 | 1.73 |
