England will revel in French cauldron of whistles and jeers, just as we did two years ago

When we played France in Bayonne two years ago, we were booed off the pitch after our warm-up. The hostile atmosphere was one I will never forget. But rather than feeling intimidated, we revelled in the cauldron of whistles and jeers. I remember Marlie Packer turning to the crowd as we headed down the tunnel and mouthing a few words back, and we went on to win 24-12. You can bet the atmosphere in Bordeaux’s Stade Chaban-Delmas for England’s Grand Slam showdown against France will be just as confrontational this weekend.

Under new head coach John Mitchell, England have taken their game to another level. They have romped to colossal victories and their razor-sharp attack has never looked so devastating and cohesive. Even on French territory in front of fervent fans, they will be favourites to win a sixth consecutive Six Nations title.

France will be desperate to end their 12-match losing streak against their English foes and will bring a ferocious forward battle. Les Bleues’ pack is stacked with athletic forwards. Madoussou Fall, their energetic and combative lock, stands out for me. She gets everywhere and is the one French player I’d choose to have in any England team – I’ve been on the end of her shots and they’re bone-crunching. Elsewhere in their pack, Romane Menager has been running the show at No 8, while their two props, Annaelle Deshayes and Assia Khalfaoui, are fine offloaders who have been tearing up trees and playing with real French flair.

That is all before you mention France’s most prized weapon – the scrum. France’s scrum has been impeccable in this year’s championship, operating at a 100 per cent success rate, which marginally edges England’s 90 per cent. Historically, France have always had a solid scrum and it is an area the Red Roses have really had to do their homework on but it is just as much a weapon for them as it is for England.

Nathan Catt, the Rugby Football Union’s pathways scrum coach, has stamped his influence all over England’s attack-minded pack in this campaign. England haven’t had the opportunity to bed in a consistent front row as much as they would have liked because of injuries or player suspensions. Yet the suggestion that their front-row combinations might need a bit more road testing seems somewhat hypocritical given how well the pack – and the rest of the team – has been playing.

In Bordeaux, we are likely to see Amy Cokayne return from her one-match ban and provide cover for Lark Atkin-Davies, who is out with an ankle injury, while Connie Powell will look to deliver another meaningful contribution off the bench.

Scrums are all about repetition and getting your processes right and it can be challenging to achieve that consistency when faces are always swapping in and out. But it is a minor concern that is compensated by England’s marauding prop double act. Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir have been firing on all fronts, while Kelsey Clifford and Mackenzie Carson have been making a real impact off the bench. Something that isn’t often talked about is the fact that the Red Roses props are all very young. Carson, 26, and Botterman, 24, are the oldest among the quartet and converted from the centres later on in their careers, so you could say there is a rawness there. It bodes well for the future.

To demonstrate just how unstructured England’s attack has become, the Red Roses have mauled 70 per cent less in the championship compared to two years ago. France will try to dominate that area this weekend because it is part of their game that they have really primed. They have made significantly more maul metres than England who, with their desire to play ‘on the edge’, have barely relied on their white moving missile.

But one area where France have struggled is the lineout. It looked wobbly against Wales last weekend and England, who top the charts for the number of lineout steals, will be licking their lips at how inconsistent it was. The Red Roses have so many threats in and around the lineout – forwards like Alex Matthews and Zoe Aldcroft are incredibly alert and aren’t afraid to get stuck into a scrap for the ball – and both teams will be at each other’s throats. On Saturday, England – like they have been in so many recent match-ups against France – will have to be fearless.