Forget the Smiths, the French pack could cause panic on the pitch in London

If England are blown away up front, Will Smith might as well be playing fly-half for all the difference it will make. Once upon a time France headed to London with a certain amount of trepidation. For 18 years they could not buy a Six Nations win at Twickenham, to the point where people muttered about mental blocks and psychological hang-ups. Until a couple of years ago, that is, when Steve Borthwick’s England were torn apart 53-10 in the heaviest home defeat the old cabbage patch has ever known.

At a stroke all that historical baggage was gloriously jettisoned. Which is precisely what England would now love to replicate on a chilly February day in their retitled concrete citadel. There is no sweeter feeling in sport than unexpected success, particularly when a home victory is widely viewed as up there, in terms of probability, with Donald Trump’s vision for a “Gaza Riviera”. It remains one of the Six Nations’ most appealing qualities: hope springs eternal even when le coq sportif is in town. There are also precedents for those who insist the latest version of “Le Crunch” – the 112th Test between the two nations – is not a totally foregone conclusion. Take 2007 when, as now, England had just lost in Dublin and changed their fly-half for the visit of France. The home coach, Brian Ashton, was also trying to transform his side’s approach and Toby Flood and Shane Geraghty ended up starring in the absence of the injured Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Farrell.

On that bright sunny afternoon England prevailed 26-18 and, against expectations, went on to reach that year’s World Cup final. This time Fin Smith and Marcus Smith are in harness, picked to start together in a gift to indie music-loving headline writers. Hopefully the stadium DJ will take the hint and stick on What Difference Does it Make? – preferably accompanied by an image of Dewi Morris-sey on the big screen holding a bunch of gladioli.

Once the serious business starts, though, England must try to dance to their own tune. If they cannot step up physically and prevent France from dictating the game’s shape and tempo they could pick Will Smith at fly-half and it wouldn’t matter. England are seeking to broaden their game but one of the underlying truths is that their pack has not blown anyone away for a while. What Borthwick would give for an Emmanuel Meafou, a Peato Mauvaka or a Grégory Alldritt, let alone an Antoine Dupont riding shotgun.

Allianz Stadium, 4.45pm GMT, Saturday 8 February. England M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, Earl, Willis. Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Randall, Daly. France Ramos; Penaud, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio, Roumat, Meafou, Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt.

Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Colombe, Auradou, Guillard, Jegou, Le Garrec, Gailleton. Watching Dupont play, regardless of your nationality, is currently a privilege, less so if your job is to shut him down. England’s clubs have had no joy on that front in the Champions Cup and the return of Damian Penaud makes life harder still. Because, as Wales found in round one, there is no easy escape if France start playing the kind of rugby in which they specialise.

Borthwick, for one, is wary of the intricate patterns and offloading chaos they can create. “They are probably the best side in the world at being able to attack tight and create momentum,” says the head coach. “Their offloading game is very good, which has the ability to [suck in] defenders. Then they are very strong at getting the ball to width very fast. And the fastest way they do that is Antoine Dupont pulling out those cross-kicks off both feet.”.

It perfectly sums up the twin challenges facing England: dealing with France’s physical threat through the middle and coping with their pace and dexterity further out. And then sustaining that effort for the full 80 minutes. Against Ireland their composure went awol when it mattered and some missed first-up tackles were equally costly. Make those mistakes again and it will be bonne nuit. This pivotal stage of the tournament also makes it essential that England rebound hard and fast from last week’s disappointing second half. A second successive loss will effectively end any chance of claiming this season’s title and a lopsided scoreline will definitely ramp up the pressure on the management with Scotland next up later this month.

No wonder many England followers have been looking wistfully across the Channel, not only at the booming Top 14 but at the battalion of expats unavailable to Borthwick. Imagine if Jack Willis, Owen Farrell, Courtney Lawes, David Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Will Collier, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundell, among others, were currently still able to wear the red rose? Now ask yourself whether France’s task this weekend would be harder.