France v England - Preview

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England have made two changes to the side that beat Wales with scrum-half Danny Care and prop Mako Vunipola coming into the side.

They take the places of Ben Youngs and Joe Marler, who both move to the bench.

France coach Guy Noves has also made two changes - both in the back row.

Loann Goujon replaces Yacouba Camara at number eight, while Bernard Le Roux makes his first appearance of this Six Nations in place of Wenceslas Lauret.

France head coach Guy Noves: "We need to bring the freshness in the team for Saturday's game.

"I believe in our team. I am sure that our team can take on great challenges.

"I believe our team can compete with the power of the English. This team is young, but we give them our confidence."

England head coach Eddie Jones: "While we are pleased to have already won the championship we don't want to let our foot off the gas.

"The objective has always been to win every game, to be the most dominant team in Europe, so it's been very important for us to approach this week with the same level of intensity we have shown in previous weeks.

"I'm pleased with how we have prepared and with the focus the squad have shown.

"You can't underestimate any team in Test match rugby. France are a dangerous side but we go to Paris full of confidence and a hunger to get the win."

England's only victory at the Stade de France since 2008 was 24-22 in 2012.

The last five Test matches between France and England have all been won by the home side.

France have stopped an opponent from claiming a Grand Slam on four previous occasions, beating England, Wales and Ireland in Paris in 1954, 1965 and 1982 respectively, and Wales in Cardiff in 1988.

They have finished in the bottom half of the table in the last four Six Nations (4th, 6th, 4th, 4th).

They are attempting to win a Grand Slam for the 13th time and for the first time since 2003.

England are bidding to become only the third side to win a Six Nations Grand Slam after playing three of their games away from home - following Wales in 2005 and Ireland in 2009.

They have a poor recent record in matches in which they could have won a Grand Slam, winning only one of their last six opportunities.

France

5-Scott Spedding, 14-Wesley Fofana, 13-Gael Fickou, 12-Maxime Mermoz, 11-Virimi Vakatawa, 10-Francois Trinh-Duc, 9-Maxime Machenaud; 1-Jefferson Poirot, 2-Guilhem Guirado (captain), 3-Rabah Slimani, 4-Alexandre Flanquart, 5-Yoann Maestri, 6-Damien Chouly, 7-Bernard Le Roux, 8-Loann Goujon

Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Uini Atonio, 18-Xavier Chiocci, 19-Paul Jedrasiak, 20-Wenceslas Lauret, 21-Sebastien Bezy, 22-Jules Plisson, 23-Maxime Medard

England

15-Mike Brown, 14-Anthony Watson, 13-Jonathan Joseph, 12-Owen Farrell, 11-Jack Nowell,10-George Ford, 9-Danny Care; 1-Mako Vunipola, 2-Dylan Hartley (captain), 3-Dan Cole, 4-Maro Itoje, 5-George Kruis, 6-Chris Robshaw, 7-James Haskell, 8-Billy Vunipola

Replacements: 16-Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17-Joe Marler, 18-Kieran Brookes, 19-Joe Launchbury, 20-Jack Clifford, 21-Ben Youngs, 22-Manu Tuilagi, 23-Elliot Daly.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

Assistant referees: John Lacey (IRFU) & Leighton Hodges (WRU)

TMO: Ben Skeen (NZR)

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Ireland v Scotland - Preview

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Tommy O'Donnell replaces Josh van der Flier in Ireland's only change from the side which beat Italy. Captain Rory Best will play after recovering from a minor calf problem.

Duncan Weir starts at fly-half for Scotland, deputising for Finn Russell, who was forced off early against France with concussion.

Peter Horne, who impressed after coming on for Russell, is again named as a replacement, while Ryan Wilson starts at number eight ahead of Josh Strauss.

Scotland's third change sees Tim Swinson come in for lock Jonny Gray, who is sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle.

Alastair Eykyn: "These two need a big finish. The Irish started as back-to-back champions, but they could end the campaign as low as fifth.

"Even allowing for extensive injuries, and some carnival rugby against Italy, that would be a stinker of a campaign - and no way to finish off the Paddy's Day celebrations!

"After a slow start, Scotland are flying, and they have a golden chance to nail down three Championship wins for the first time in 20 years.

"The extra spice is added by two old friends going head-to-head. Kiwis Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter, coaching pals from Clermont days, are now trying to outwit each other on the international stage." 

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt: "If we can get that top-half finish I'd be very happy that we've worked our way through a pretty challenging time.

"Hopefully that could give us a little bit of a platform into what is an incredibly tough second half of the year.

"We're going to play the top three teams in the world in six Test matches - three of those away in Africa, where we've never, ever won a Test match before."

Scotland head coach Vern Cotter: "I am probably more focused on the game itself than giving a review on the whole [tournament].

"We want to put in a good performance this weekend and we're focusing on that.

"We're not thinking about the [IRB] rankings either - just about the game. We're just concentrating on being good on the day, because being good on the day is what counts.

Ireland have beaten Scotland 13 times in 16 Six Nations fixtures.

Ireland's 40-10 victory at Murrayfield last year equalled their biggest winning margin against the Scots (they won 36-6 at Murrayfield in 2003).

The Scots have lost eight of nine Tests away to Ireland since the turn of the century. Their sole victory was a 23-20 win at Croke Park in 2010.

Their last win at Lansdowne Road/Aviva Stadium was a 17-16 win in 1998.

Ireland are unbeaten in their last eight Six Nations home games (W6, D2) - their best home run in the history of the Championship.

Robbie Henshaw has carried the ball more than any other back in this year's Six Nations. His 55 carries have earned Ireland 258m.

Ireland's tackle success rate of 92% is the best in this year's Championship.

They also boast the best scrum record, with 27 won and just one lost.

Victory would see the Scots win three successive Six Nations games for the first time.

The last time they were victorious in three consecutive Five Nations games was in 1996, when they won their opening three against Ireland, France and then Wales.

The only previous Six Nations campaign in which they won three games in total was in 2006.

Greig Laidlaw will captain his country for the 26th time on Saturday - surpassing David Sole's record for most caps won as Scotland's skipper.

Scotland are the least penalised team in this year's Six Nations, conceding just 35 penalties in their four matches.

Ireland

15-Simon Zebo, 14-Andrew Trimble, 13-Jared Payne, 12-Robbie Henshaw, 11-Keith Earls, 10-Jonathan Sexton, 9-Conor Murray; 1-Jack McGrath, 2-Rory Best (c), 3-Mike Ross, 4-Donnacha Ryan, 5-Devin Toner, 6-CJ Stander, 7-Tommy O'Donnell, 8-Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: 16-Richardt Strauss, 17-Cian Healy, 18-Nathan White, 19-Ultan Dillane, 20-Rhys Ruddock, 21-Eoin Reddan, 22-Ian Madigan, 23-Fergus McFadden.

Scotland

15-Stuart Hogg, 14-Tommy Seymour, 13-Duncan Taylor, 12-Alex Dunbar, 11-Tim Visser, 10-Duncan Weir, 9-Greig Laidlaw (c); 1-Alasdair Dickinson, 2-Ross Ford, 3-Willem Nel, 4-Richie Gray, 5-Tim Swinson, 6-John Barclay, 7-John Hardie, 8-Ryan Wilson.

Replacements: 16-Stuart McInally, 17-Rory Sutherland, 18- Moray Low, 19-Rob Harley, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Henry Pyrgos, 22-Peter Horne, 23-Sean Lamont.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)

Assistant referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)

TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

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Australia Take Lyon Lead in Wellington

Nathan Lyon grabbed four wickets as Australia beat New Zealand by an innings and 52 runs after lunch on the fourth day of the first Test on Monday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

Lyon took two wickets on Monday to finish with 4-91 for Australia, who can take the top Test ranking from India with a series victory. The second game starts in Christchurch on 20 February.

Mark Craig, who top scored in New Zealand’s first innings with 41 not out, was left 33 not out when Trent Boult was bowled by Mitchell Marsh for 12 to wrap up their second innings for 327. 

New Zealand were dismissed for 183 in their first innings and faced a deficit of 379 runs after Adam Voges’ second Test double century drove Australia to a mammoth 562.

The visitors captured the last six wickets on Monday without the experienced Peter Siddle, who bowled just eight overs on Sunday before succumbing to a back spasm.

Marsh, Lyon and Jackson Bird all grabbed wickets before lunch to set up the victory push in the middle session.

Hazlewood trapped Doug Bracewell in front for 14 just three deliveries after they returned from the break.

While Tim Southee provided some typical rearguard fireworks with 48 from 23 balls, the result was only a matter of time with him in the mood to swing for the fences.

Southee holed out at long on trying to hit a fourth six off Lyon before Boult was bowled by Marsh just under an hour into the final session.

The only bright spot for New Zealand was debutant Henry Nicholls scoring his first Test half century before he was bowled by Bird for 59.

Hazlewood’s ability to get the older ball to reverse swing should be of concern for New Zealand, whose top-four batsmen made solid starts but failed to push on in what were considered good batting conditions.

The hosts had resumed on Thursday on 178-4, with Nicholls on 31. Anderson joined him after captain Brendon McCullum was trapped lbw in the final over of the third day.

Australia, however, simply chipped away and waited for the batsmen to make errors with Anderson trapped in front by Marsh for a 22-ball duck before wicketkeeper BJ Watling got an inside edge to a Lyon delivery and played on for 10.

Nicholls also played on a delivery from Bird, which gave the tall pace bowler his first wicket of the match.

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South Africa Win Consolation Test

England capitulated on the fifth morning at Centurion as Kagiso Rabada inspired South Africa to a commanding consolation victory in the fourth Test.

The hosts took seven wickets for just 49 runs in little more than an hour’s play, sealing a 280-run success as the series ended 2-1 to the tourists. Twenty-year-old Rabada was again the star, taking six for 32 to finish with 13 wickets in the match – the second best match figures in South Africa’s history – but England were at least partial authors of their own downfall.

The tourists had already secured the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy at the Wanderers, but the ease with which they were brushed aside will serve as a timely reminder of their fragility.

Toppling the world’s No1 side on their home turf is a considerable feather in England’s cap, but they will leave South Africa on a familiar end-of-series blowout and with plenty of questions to answer.

None of Alex Hales, Nick Compton or James Taylor can consider their place in the batting order secure, while Jonny Bairstow’s wicket-keeping and Chris Woakes’s status in the pace-bowling hierarchy must also be reviewed.

Going into the final day, England would surely have looked to their great escape on this ground in 2010 for inspiration, when No11 Graham Onions batting out for an unlikely draw alongside Paul Collingwood. However, the script went awry almost immediately.

Taylor departed to the last ball of the third over, perhaps expecting low bounce but instead seeing a Morné Morkel lifter buck off a length and graze a glove. Like Hales and Compton in the top three, Taylor has hardly provided solid evidence that he should retain his spot in the summer.

Joe Root has no such concerns, and can reflect on another fine series for his country, but he was a walking wicket here. He was dropped off his first ball of the morning, nicking Dane Piedt into Quinton de Kock’s thigh, and beaten twice more before heading to the pavilion. All at sea against the sharply turning ball, he lunged at Piedt and sent a thick edge straight to Dean Elgar at slip.

That brought together Ben Stokes and Bairstow, the men whose 399-run stand in Cape Town will go down as one of the abiding memories of the trip. They attempted a brief reprise, scoring 25 runs in 24 balls together but it was never likely to last. Having crashed Rabada for a pair of boundaries Bairstow went hard at the seamer again and sent a high catch into the hands of AB de Villiers at slip.

Rabada celebrated his 10th of the match only for replays to show he had overstepped. Entirely unconcerned he returned to his mark, kept his foot behind the line and found the edge again with his very next ball.

Stokes’s tour ended on a bum note, lazily chipping a pull to deep midwicket to give Morkel a cheap triumph, and Rabada wrapped up England’s lower order. Woakes wafted away from his body and was held by De Kock, Broad drove loosely to slip and last man James Anderson bagged a golden duck as a swinging yorker rapped him on the boot.

England’s carefree surrender was an ignominious way to close what the series, but that is to take nothing away from Rabada. A young, athletic seamer with the world at his feet, he will already take some beating as cricket’s breakout name of 2016. He is already the youngest South African to claim 10 wickets in a match and his return over three Tests – 22 wickets at 21.90 made him the most effective bowler from either side.

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De Villiers Confirms Retirement Thoughts

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New South African captain AB de Villiers said Wednesday he was fully committed to leading the team in the next two Tests against England, but confirmed there was “a bit of truth” in rumours he was considering retirement.

“For two or three years I’ve been searching for the right answers to play a little less cricket in one way or another, to keep myself fresh and enjoying the game,” he said.

De Villiers, 31, admitted: “Every now and then I find I am not enjoying myself as much as I should be. I’ve been talking to a few people and obviously that’s leaked.”

De Villiers was speaking ahead of the third Test against England which starts at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday — the first time he has spoken directly to journalists since an article appeared in a local newspaper claiming he was thinking of quitting.

“I’m still very committed to the job,” he said. “The two Test matches now is all that I am focusing on. There’s a nice big break of six months before we play Test cricket again. Lots of things can happen before then. But for now I am as committed as I can be and very hungry to make a success of these two Test matches.”

De Villiers acknowledged that big-money Twenty20 tournaments around the world were tempting for players.

“I think it’s a going concern for the ICC (International Cricket Council) to find the right sort of structure to keep all the guys fresh. International cricket is the main cricket you want to play, especially Test cricket.

“There are big tournaments going on around the world and some of them you can’t ignore because financially they make a huge difference in our lives.

“But international cricket comes first and one or two things will have to happen in the future in order for that to happen.”

De Villiers said although he hoped to instil his own brand of energy into the team, the atmosphere in the camp remained “normal” following the resignation of Hashim Amla as captain after the second Test last week.

“I’m very excited but we’ve got a very stable team culture so not much has changed in the team set-up.”

He said being 1-0 down in the four-match series added to the pressure “to make a play” but said he looked forward to the challenge and said that extra responsibility made him feel more motivated.

“The nice thing about captaincy is you are completely focused on the team. Your personal performance is put aside and that is a good thing, more often than not,” he said.

De Villiers said he felt there had been a momentum shift when South Africa fought back for a draw in the second Test in Cape Town.

“I’ve played enough series to know that a little momentum shift like that doesn’t just happen. It’s a big thing in a big series so it’s up to us to make sure that we maintain that kind of momentum.”

He said he had looked at the Wanderers pitch and although it seemed drier than usual following a drought, he expected a fair contest between bat and ball.

“That excites me because we haven’t had much of that in the past few months.”

De Villiers said going in with four seam bowlers and no specialist spinner was an option because there were part-time spinners in the squad.

In addition, he hinted that hometown fast bowler, the strongly-built Hardus Viljoen, 26, might win his first Test cap.

“He excites me quite a lot. He bowls at very good pace, has got good control and has taken 10 wickets in two matches in a row for his franchise team.”

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Australia Close to Windies Whitewash

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Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja scored half-centuries to crush a defiant West Indies fightback, pushing Australia’s lead to an imposing 459 runs at the close of day three of the second Test on Monday.

The pair’s composed 79-run stand tempered the West Indies’ cheer after their bowlers took early wickets in the wake of some doughty tail-end batting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

After Khawaja’s dismissal for 56, Smith and Mitchell Marsh guided Australia to 179 for three at stumps in glorious sunshine. Skipper Smith was unbeaten on 70 with all-rounder Marsh on 18.

Replying to Australia’s mammoth first innings declaration at 551-3, West Indies were bowled out for 271 on the stroke of tea, but not without frustrating the Australian bowlers for the first two sessions.

After resuming the day on 91-6, debutant fast bowler Carlos Brathwaite rode his luck to make a rousing 59 on debut, with Darren Bravo anchoring the tail with a patient 81.

Although trailing by 280 runs, the West Indies bowlers took heart from the defiant rearguard action and captain Jason Holder had opener Joe Burns caught in the slips for four.

After engaging in some heated exchanges with opener David Warner, Holder caught the pint-sized vice captain for 17 in the gully to give Brathwaite his first Test wicket and reduce the Australians to 46-2.

Brathwaite’s celebrations bowled his captain over but Khawaja, one of four first innings centurions for Australia, teamed up with Smith to put down the minor insurrection before he was caught behind attempting an audacious ramp shot.

It was a memorable day for Brathwaite, who was dismissed twice by paceman James Pattinson but reprieved by the television umpire.

He was bowled attempting an ugly heave on 13, then caught at long leg for 50, but was called back when replays showed Pattinson had over-stepped the crease on both occasions.

Australia are bidding to wrap up the series 2-0 with victory in Melbourne after winning the opener in Hobart.

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