England have named a near-identical side for the final Six Nations fixture, with ollie chessum handed a start at blindside flanker in the single switch from the team beaten by Italy. The alteration compounds a season of high stakes: England risk finishing with only one tournament win, a low not seen since the competition expanded. The selection signals both a pragmatic response to recent disruption and a gamble that personnel continuity can arrest a slide of consecutive defeats.
Selection gamble: Ollie Chessum starts at blindside flanker
Steve Borthwick has made just one change to the team that lost to Italy, bringing ollie chessum into the starting XV in place of Sam Underhill. Underhill will move to the bench and is set to make his 50th England appearance from there; Marcus Smith is also due to reach a 50-cap milestone from the matchday squad. The single change follows a week in which Tom Curry was a late withdrawal that forced a reshuffle, and it contrasts with the radical nine-person overhaul Borthwick enacted for the previous match.
That earlier overhaul—described as the most changes made by England within the tournament era—came after back-to-back defeats and was an attempt to arrest momentum. This time, however, the coach has opted for stability with a one-player tweak, betting that bringing ollie chessum into a starting role will supply the physicality and set-piece reinforcement the side needs.
Tactical implications and Borthwick’s assessment
The match carries significant tactical consequences. England have struggled to halt a run of defeats by Scotland, Ireland and Italy that has placed the broader coaching project under scrutiny; a return of only one win would mark their worst outcome since the competition expanded. France arrive as title contenders after a dramatic loss in their own recent fixture, meaning the match in Paris will be contested under intense pressure and expectation.
Steve Borthwick, England head coach, framed the encounter as daunting: “It’s a huge challenge under the lights in Paris against a very strong France side. ” On the choice to start ollie chessum, he pointed to the player’s recent impact from the bench, saying: “Ollie came on and did a lot of good work in the set piece and his carry when he came off the bench against Italy. ” Those specific contributions informed the decision to promote him to the starting pack for this decisive fixture.
Regional stakes and what lies ahead
The stakes extend beyond a single result. England’s slipping form has reopened debate about strategy and selection, while France will seek to capitalise and increase pressure on the coaching staff. France themselves suffered a high-scoring defeat in their last outing, leaving them motivated to restore momentum in front of a home crowd set to receive a pronounced pre-match spectacle at the stadium, including a retro kit and a staged show.
For England, the match is both a measurement and a crossroads: holding a largely unchanged group together is a statement of faith that the squad can convert possession into points where recent executions have faltered. The decision to start ollie chessum reflects a belief that specific physical and set-piece qualities can make the difference when margins are fine and mistakes costly.
Expert voices within the camp underline that sentiment. Steve Borthwick emphasised milestones inside the squad and the challenges ahead: “Reaching 50 caps is a special achievement and a reflection of the consistency both Sam and Marcus have shown in an England shirt, ” he said, while also reiterating the difficulty of the task that awaits in Paris.
With the tournament teetering and home advantage amplified by ceremony and atmosphere, the outcome in Paris will reverberate across the campaign. Can a single personnel switch and a renewed emphasis on set-piece work restore momentum, or will mounting pressure reveal deeper strategic weaknesses? The answer will hinge in part on how ollie chessum and his teammates translate selection into performance when the lights come up in Paris.
