By Kath
September 4 2003

Clive Woodward England Head Coach announced the team to take on France at Twickenham this Saturday. As we expected, the 'Top Guns' are back in!

Clive Woodward England's Head Coach has announced his team to play France this Saturday at Twickenham.  As expected the majority of the 'Elite' squad will take the field, many of whom are desperate for a game of rugby.  Chances to show again for Abbott and Luger also Bracken in as scrum half and Jonny back in his familiar role.

France's Head Coach Bernard Laporte is confident of another win over England however, the team that played England in Marseilles would seem to be a second string France.

Laporte said...."There is no such thing as a first team or a second team. They are both balanced with players who have different qualities but their potential is the same. As a consequence we are expecting the same performance on Saturday at Twickenham that we had last week. We want this team to be a success on the mental, collective and motivational sides like the one in Marseille. There is an interesting mixture of experienced players and of youth in it. We are confident we can beat England again.'' 
 
"If in the worst case we get beat, we will learn from it,'' Laporte said. ``But this is an outcome that we are definitely not contemplating.''   

Updated 4/9/03 - 1330 hrs (Luger Injured - Balshaw In - Lewsey on Bench).

ENGLAND: J. Robinson (Sale);  Iain Balshaw (Bath), S Abbott (Wasps), W Greenwood (Harlequins), B Cohen (Northampton); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), K Bracken (Saracens); T Woodman (Gloucester), S Thompson (Northampton), J White (Leicester), M Johnson (Leicester, Captain), B Kay (Leicester), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester), M Corry (Leicester).

Replacements: D West (Leicester), J Leonard (Harlequins), S Shaw (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester), M Dawson (Northampton), P Grayson (Northampton), .Josh Lewsey (Wasps)

 

FRANCE:   C Poitrenaud; X Garbajosa, Y Jauzion, B Liebenberg, C Dominici, G Merceron, D Yachvili; O Milloud, R Ibanez (Captain), J-B Poux, D Auradou, O Brouzet, S Chabal, P Tabacco, C Labit.  
 
Replacements: Y Bru, S Marconnet, J Thion, I Harinordoquy, O Magne, F Michalak, A Rougerie

 

Just leaves me to sound my familiar cry:-

The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit; and, upon this charge
Cry "God for Harry! England and Saint George!"

Shakespeare, Henry V (1599) act 3, sc. 1, l. 31

http://www.innotts.co.uk/asperges/george.html