Johnson and England seek revenge against France

The bitter memory of a narrow defeat in Paris has left Martin Johnson and England desperate for revenge as they take on France in a potential Six Nations decider at Twickenham today.

Just over a year ago, Johnson watched from the rainswept stands at the Stade de France as England came within a whisker of denying France a Grand Slam before eventually suffering an agonising 12-10 defeat.

While a jubilant French team celebrated, Johnson and England were left to reflect on what might have been. Even now, Johnson regards the loss as the most disappointing moment of his England coaching career.

“We got ourselves in a position where we could have won that Test match last year. We didn’t,” Johnson said.

“It was a really, really disappointing game to lose. Because when you think what we’d done in their stadium against the Grand Slam champions.

“Sometimes you get beaten and you’re clearly not good enough.

“But in that game I thought the guys played well.”

Asked how long it had taken to get over the loss, Johnson replied: “Who says I’m over it?”

Yet despite the disappointment, that defeat in Paris has come to be seen as something of a watershed, a game where young talent like Ben Foden and Chris Ashton earned their first starts to kickstart England’s renaissance.

Since that loss, England have beaten Australia home and away while starting their current Six Nations campaign with wins over Wales and Italy.

France, by contrast, have struggled in the period since clinching the Grand Slam, the nadir coming in a 59-16 home defeat to Australia last November.

They recovered from that humiliation to open the Six Nations with victory over Scotland at home before scraping a 25-22 win over Ireland in Dublin.

Marc Lievremont’s side have not looked entirely convincing in either game, however, and the French coach still appears to be no closer to settling on his strongest starting XV.

Lievremont has made no fewer than six changes, two positional, for this weekend’s match, compared to the solitary change made by Johnson, who has restored the fit again Andrew Sheridan at loosehead.

Lievremont, meanwhile, has stoked up the atmosphere with his comments that England are universally disliked among their rivals.

“We have a bit of trouble with the English. We appreciate our Italian cousins with whom we share the same quality of life, we appreciate the Celts and their conviviality... and then among all these nations we have one huge thing in common: we don’t like the English!”

Weekend programme

Today: 3.30 p.m. Italy vs Wales. 6 p.m. England vs France.

Tomorrow: 4 p.m. Scotland vs Ireland.

Current standings

England, France 4; Wales, Ireland 2; Scotland, Italy 0.