One-time
golden boy Jonny Wilkinson has been unceremoniously dumped
by England as manager Martin Johnson has rung the changes
for Saturday's Paris showdown with France.
Wilkinson, 30, has paid the price for a mounting media
campaign which has primarily blamed the former World Cup
hero for England's stale and static rugby.
It
appears the Toulon fly-half has been made the scapegoat for
a team which has continually under-performed, with Leicester
Tigers' Toby Flood named in his place for the weekend match
against Grand Slam chasing France.
Paris
when it sizzles can be a daunting venue at the best of
times, but Saturday night is bound to be a highly charged
affair as Marc Lièvremont's team go in search of revenge
(for last year's 34-10 defeat) and a first Grand Slam since
2004.
'Les
Bleus' have been in imperious form so far this Championship,
but Johnson has opted for several personnel changes as he
tries desperately to salvage something from England's
disappointing campaign.
Stade
Francais flanker James Haskell has also been dropped - just
three games after being lauded for his Man-of-the-Match
performance against Wales - while club colleague Tom Palmer
has been drafted in as cover for captain Steve Borthwick,
who remains uncertain after aggravating an old knee injury.
Rugby
league convert Chris Ashton comes in for injured winger Ugo
Monye, while Ben Foden finally gets a start in preference to
the dropped full-back Delon Armitage.
There is also a recall for veteran centre
Mike Tindall - alongside Brive's Riki Flutey - as he's given
the nod in place of Sale's Mathew Tait, while 36-year-old
Simon Shaw returns at the expense of Louis Deacon.
It is
all a far cry from the stability and confidence currently
oozing from the French camp, with Lièvremont making just one
change from the side that thrashed Italy after naming
Mathieu Bastareaud in place of David Marty.
That
decision may have prompted Johnson to turn to Tindall to try
and counter Bastareaud's physical threat, while the naming
of Foden, Ashton and Flood looks like a sop to the mounting
criticism that is being directed at Johnson from the
impatient English press.
Is it a
gamble or a calculated tactical switch? Only time will tell,
but this correspondent - for one - can only see one winner
in Paris at Saturday night. England may have a good track
record in recent years against the French but the 2010
vintage from across 'Le Channel' are a formidable outfit,
and the Red Rose may be ripe for a severe Spring pruning.
France starting XV:
Clément Poitrenaud (Stade Toulousain), Marc Andreu
(Castres), Mathieu Bastareaud (Stade Francais), Yannick
Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Alexis Palisson (Brive),
Francois Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), Morgan Parra (Clermont
Auvergne), Thomas Domingo (Clermont Auvergne), William
Servat (Stade Toulousain), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Lionel
Nallet (Racing-Métro 92), Julien Pierre (Clermont Auvergne),
Thierry Dusautoir (Stade Toulousain, Captain), Julien
Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz)
Substitutes: Dimitri Szarzewski (Stade Francais),
Jean-Baptiste Poux (Stade Toulousain), Sébastien Chabal
(Racing Métro 92), Alexandre Lapandry (Clermont Auvergne),
Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), David Marty (Perpignan), Julien
Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne)
England starting XV: Ben Foden (Northampton), Mark Cueto
(Sale), Mike Tindall (Gloucester), Riki Flutey (Brive),
Chris Ashton (Northampton), Toby Flood (Leicester), Danny
Care (Harlequins), Tim Payne (Wasps), Dylan Hartley
(Northampton), Dan Cole (Leicester), Simon Shaw (Wasps),
Steve Borthwick (Saracens, Captain), Joe Worsley (Wasps),
Lewis Moody (Leicester), Nick Easter (Harlequins)
Substitutes: Steve Thompson (Brive), David Wilson
(Bath), Louis Deacon (Leicester), James Haskell (Stade
Francais), Ben Youngs (Leicester), Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon),
Mathew Tait (Sale)
