Eddie Jones: 'Every time you play against the French it is a test of your manhood'

Jones’ men head to Stade de France in Paris with their Six Nations title hopes on the line after their 25-13 collapse in Edinburgh

Eddie Jones is looking to get his men back on track against the French in Paris (Getty)

Eddie Jones’ England head coach has warned his side they will get their machismo challenged by France on Saturday just two weeks after being rendered impotent by Scotland.

Jones’ men head to Stade de France in Paris with their Six Nations title hopes on the line after their 25-13 collapse in Edinburgh when they took more than 40 minutes to fire a shot.

If Ireland beat Scotland with a bonus point in Dublin and England fail to match that in the French capital then the Irish will claim the title with a round left.

That would mean the end of England’s two-year reign as Six Nations champions, and things are not going to get any easier after the Murrayfield massacre, according to their Australian boss.

In the past France have fielded forwards such as Olivier Merle, Gerard Cholley and Pascal Ondarts, who you would not want to be stuck in a lift with, and scared the living daylights out of opponents.

The days of Brian Moore’s 15 Eric Cantonas – ‘brilliant and brutal,’ as the former England hooker described players of his era – may be gone but not completely.

Jones says the French, under new coach Jacques Brunel, will be dishing up a modern day version with the likes of prop Rabah Slimani and locks Sebastien Vahaamahina and Paul Gabrillagues who are no-one’s idea of lightweights.

“You know every time you play against the French it is a test of your manhood,” said Jones. “They are the European version of the South Africans, they are big, they are physical and they want to hurt you.

Eddie Jones has warned his men that they’re in for a physical afternoon in Paris (Getty)

“You hear those old stories from club rugby when, at the kick off, they deliberately kick into touch then want to scrum you.

“It is not like that now but it is still an area that will decide how much energy they have got in their game and so we have got to beat them in those areas.

“On the gain line, in the scrum and then we have got to play with tactical discipline. We have got to be able to identify what is right at that time and do it – 100 per cent do it.”

All week England players and coaches have trotted out the mantra about winning the game first and not worrying about bonus points.

When push comes to shove in Paris, Jones and his staff will know what Ireland have done in the day’s earlier match and might have to throw the kitchen sink at France to get a fourth try. But even Jones was trying to play that scenario down.

The England manager has insisted the priority for his side is to win the match (Getty)

“It is a Test match, want to win it and that is our first priority,” he added. “If we are in a position where we need to push on for a bonus of course we will do that – we do that in every Test match so this game is no different.” Nice try, Eddie.

In the predicted Parisian rain the battle up front will be key and England have a re-jigged front row with Jamie George starting at hooker as Dylan Hartley battles a calf injury.

And they also have a new captain and vice-captain in the Saracens pair of Owen Farrell and prop Mako Vunipola, but all eyes will be on George who has won 22 of his 23 England caps off the bench mostly as Hartley’s understudy.

Vunipola is one of the quiet men of the England team and is happy to let Farrell provide all the chat but he may have to step in if the centre has one of his red mists.

“I’ll let Owen do all the talking and make sure I do my role right,” Vunipola said. “If I feel there’s something I need to say I’ll say it. But it’s not a case that ‘I need to say this or do that’, I won’t change my game – I’ll just do my job.”

As the man who throws the darts, George will be under scrutiny at line-out time and the back row of Chris Robshaw, Courtney Lawes and Nathan Hughes will be closely monitored after the breakdown shambles against Scotland.

Mako Vunipola is happy to leave the talking to Owen Farrell (Getty)

Chuck in a new-look back three of Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly and Jonny May starting and Mike Brown benched, Ben Te’o at centre and an English win could set the tone for the next 18 months ahead of the World Cup. But England need to come home with their manhood intact.

Teams

France: H Bonneval; B Fall, M Bastareaud, G Doumayrou, R Grosso; F Trinh-Duc, M Machenaud; J Poirot, G Guirado (capt), R Slimani, P Gabrillagues, S Vahaamhina, W Lauret, Y Camara, M Tauleigne

Replacements: A Pelissie, D Priso, C Gomes, R Taofifenua, K Galletier, B Couilloud, L Beauxis, G Fickou

England: A.Watson; J.May, B.Te’o, O.Farrell (capt), E.Daly; G.Ford, D.Care; M.Vunipola, J.George, D.Cole, J.Launchbury, M.Itoje, C.Lawes, C.Robshaw, N.Hughes

Replacements: L.Cowan-Dickie, J.Marler, K.Sinckler, J.Haskell, S.Simmonds, R.Wigglesworth, J.Joseph, M.Brown

Referee: J.Peyper (SA)