Eddie fit to burst French

Eddie Jones insists France are not fit for purpose and England will look to expose their tiring defence in the final stages at Twickenham today.

Chris Ashton is recalled to England’s starting line-up at the expense of Jack Nowell, who coach Jones feels can help blitz the flagging French coming off the bench.

He said: “The tradition of France is to fade a little bit in the final 20 minutes. The evidence shows that.

“If we can get the pace of the game up, the last 20 will be a telling factor.”

Jones admitted Nowell was brilliant in England’s crushing victory over Ireland in Dublin in round one.

He says he has a gut feeling Ashton will prosper from the start this weekend.

He said: “We just feel Ashton at the start of the game might grab us something.

“In the last 20 minutes of the game work-rate is going to be super-important.

“Jack is our busiest winger and our best player for that period of time.”

Jones says England will be able to better their emotional intensity, evident at the Aviva Stadium last time out.

He said: “We feel like we have the players in a pretty good spot at the moment. We will be better than we were last week.

“We have a group of players who are desperate to do well for their country, and they want to make their country proud. That is a pretty powerful motivation.

“Our aim is to be the best team in the Six Nations.”