The former England captain Jamie George has been declared fit for the daunting Six Nations clash with France on Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury, handing Steve Borthwick a welcome boost as his side seek to “break the dam” after another disheartening defeat.
George missed England’s 27-22 loss against Ireland after picking up the injury in Saracens’ Champions Cup defeat by Castres, capping a miserable week after he had been stripped of the England captaincy six days earlier.
Borthwick is unlikely to make wholesale changes to his side, who built a 10-5 half-time lead against Ireland only to concede 22 unanswered points, but he will be tempted to experiment with Marcus Smith at full-back and Fin Smith at fly-half from the start given the counterattacking opportunities France offer.
Borthwick had anticipated George would miss England’s first two games but he returns to the squad preparing to host Les Bleus and is considered fit to train.
His return will be a fillip given Borthwick bemoaned England’s inexperience after another capitulation in Dublin, extending their unwanted run to seven defeats in nine matches.
