England captain maro itoje has insisted physicality is “non-negotiable”
France opened this year’s edition with a 43-0 rout of wales in paris last Friday where they scored seven tries.
And yet for all France captain and scrum-half star Antoine Dupont is the headline act, Les Bleus also boast a colossal pack featuring giant forwards in lock Emmanuel Meafou and prop Uini Atonio.
Itoje, Himself a Second Row, KnowS England Must Win The Contest Up Front If His Second Match as England Skipper, but first at twickenham, Dosn’T go the Way of his first last health Dublin.
“The non-negotiable, first and foremost, is the physicality,” itoje, 30, said after coach steve borthwick named his side to play the freench.
“You need to make sure you’re physical, that you’re winning that Gain-line they are a team that if you allow them to do that then they become digital.
“We want to be aggressive as a team, geting off the line and hitting them and stopping them in their tracks. That’s our mindset. View we need to get stuck into that. ”
England have lost seven tests against leads and itoje, who have successed saracens team-mate jamie george as england captain, said: “It is a big game, it is just to .
“The team wants to move forward, the team wants to win and to be the team we want to be, these are the games we have to win.”
Fly-Half Fin Smith Has Been Given a First Test Start by Borthwick, Who is as impressed by the 22-old’s “tough and brave” defense as his playmaking skill.
Itoje, who has decided smith in club action, added: “He’s a cool, calm, collected sort of player. He makes a lot of good decisions.
“As a 10, you want to for them to make poor decisions and he is quite tricky to do that against the against the fands he often finds the right pass or makes the right decision in the kicking game.
“When I listen to Him spendak i’m surprised that he is only 22. He’s ready and i’m excited to see hee go.”
JDG/DJ
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