Martin Johnson says England can beat France

Whatever criteria you apply to England, whether you regard them as a side making progress or standing still - or worse, in retreat - there is no room for manoeuvre tomorrow. France must be beaten at Twickenham and Scotland next weekend, the final round of the RBS Six Nations Championship, if Martin Johnson and his cohorts are to emerge with any credit, any kind of foundation laid down during the team manager's first season in office.
Johnson denies that this imposes any more pressure than is normal in international sport. “You always want to win,” he said with a shrug. Particularly in front of supporters who have seen little to cheer them up in the past five matches at Twickenham.
But even if Johnson's reputation, for which he gives scant regard, does not hinge on success in these next two games, his players need it to convince themselves that the graph is pointing upwards. There have been clear signs of that during the away games in Cardiff and Dublin, both lost but any kind of neutral analysis of the set-pieces, the defence, the ability to force turnover ball suggests potential. Unfortunately, the record book is unforgiving in that respect: it tells only who has won or lost, not how the game was played, and when the whole is masked by the cloak of darkness that is England's disciplinary record, it is easy to be pessimistic.
But the record also shows that England need not fear France, even if they overcame Wales a fortnight ago in Paris in particularly difficult circumstances. In this fixture two years ago, England bounced back from a record defeat in Dublin and played one of their most compelling games of 2007; seven months later they overcame France on their own soil in the World Cup semi-finals and, four months further on, did the same again in the championship.
That there are only five survivors from 2007 in the starting XV tomorrow is a reminder of the problems Johnson has been trying to fix. Throw in the two World Cup warm-up games and 46 players have appeared for England against France in the past two years. Even allowing for injuries and retirement, there is still wheat to be sorted from the chaff.
The query is how England will try to win this game. Steve Borthwick, the captain, says the intention has been to attack from the outset, home or away, and that will be the case again. England will have to slug it out at scrum and lineout against one of the biggest France sides to appear at Twickenham. The visiting pack averages 17st 5lb a man and Mathieu Bastareaud, the new centre, is 6lb heavier than that.
England do not want, or need, to become involved in an arm wrestle, even if Johnson has taken the precaution of throwing Simon Shaw into the fray. Now is the time for Brian Smith to earn his corn as attack coach. “France have only lost one game, they have a shot at the championship still, but watching our guys train this week, they have worked the best I've seen from them,” Johnson said. “It doesn't necessarily transfer to the pitch, but our understanding is getting better and better, we have made strides, the spirit in the team is stronger.”
Just as they did against the Wales No8, Andy Powell, England must throw a chain around Imanol Harinordoquy, who has been such an important ball-carrier for France. He has been a sublime presence at the lineout, too, hence the return of Tom Croft, who is the most athletic leaper England have. It will be Joe Worsley's role to act as stopper around the field, backed up by Borthwick, who helped so much to neutralise Powell.
Johnson admits that the use of Croft this season, as an auxiliary lock, is preparation for the possibility that the IRB will confirm this year the experimental law variations (or "English law variations", as the former Wales prop, Graham Price, told his former Lions colleague, Bill Beaumont, this week with graphic detail on why England were being penalised so much). If the free-kick offence overtakes the direct penalty, as in the southern hemisphere, then mobile forwards such as Croft will be at a premium.
But the Leicester man offers something special in the back row and England must not neglect it. They are only beginning to maximise their resources and France are concerned that this may be the day they discover themselves. “I've looked at all their games and looked at all their penalties and I think they've been unlucky,” Dave Ellis, the France defence coach, said. “Those yellow cards could easily have gone the other way. I don't think they're a bad team. If they can be patient, it will be difficult for us.” Soft soap, some might say, but Ellis is right: maybe tomorrow the sceptics will have to change their minds.
England
15 D Armitage 14 M Cueto 13 M Tindall 12 R Flutey 11 U Monye 10 T Flood 9 H Ellis 1 A Sheridan 2 L Mears 3 P Vickery 4 S Borthwick (capt) 5 S Shaw 6 T Croft 7 J Worsley 8 N Easter Replacements D Hartley, J White, NKennedy, J Haskell, D Care, A Goode, MTait
France
15 M Médard 14 J Malzieu 13 M Bastareaud 12 Y Jauzion 11 C Heymans 10 F Trinh-Duc 9 M Parra 1 L Faure 2 D Szarzewski 3 S Marconnet 4 L Nallet (capt) 5 J Thion 6 T Dusautoir 7 S Chabal 8 I Harinordoquy Replacements B Kayser, T Domingo, L Picamoles, J Bonnaire, S Tillous-Borde, FFritz, D Traille
Source:the times