Ashton Introduces Wigglesworth for France

Brian Ashton has made one only major change to his England team ahead of Saturday's Six Nations match against France. Richard Wigglesworth has been given his first start for England at scrum-half, with the incumbent against Italy, Andy Gomarsall, dropping out of the squad altogether. London Irish's Paul Hodgson is named ahead of Gomarsall on the bench.

Both Phil Vickery and Andrew Sheridan are back in the front row, and their return to fitness will be particularly heartening for Ashton given the weakness of the French scrimmaging against Ireland. Vickery will resume captaincy of the side. Tom Croft replaces Luke Narraway in the substitutes but otherwise the team entirely unchanged from that which narrowly beat Italy 23-19.

England team: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester); Paul Sackey (Wasps), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Toby Flood (Newcastle), Lesley Vainikolo (Gloucester); Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle), Richard Wigglesworth (Sale); Andrew Sheridan (Sale), Mark Regan (Bristol), Phil Vickery (Wasps, capt), Simon Shaw (Wasps), Steve Borthwick (Bath), James Haskell (Wasps), Michael Lipman (Bath), Nick Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath), Matt Stevens (Bath), Ben Kay (Leicester), Tom Croft (Leicester), Paul Hodgson (London Irish), Danny Cipriani (Wasps), Mathew Tait (Newcastle)