French kicks: England put focus on stopping visitors’ elite aerial game

Time and again this week, Steve Borthwick has warned of the dangers of France’s kicking game. He is not the type to engage in mind games so rather than see this as an attempt to bait France into avoiding putting boot to ball it’s a safe bet he is anticipating an aerial bombardment.

Not the type as seen with Wales, who inexplicably did not deviate from a gameplan centred around contestable kicks despite Freddie Steward’s authority under them, but long, deep kicks, inviting England to either return fire or to carry the ball back.

Borthwick is correct to point out that France won the grand slam last year by kicking further than anybody else and though they do not top the chart this campaign (England do) there is a suspicion that, so far, Les Bleus have been more willing to experiment in different facets of their game.

Seeking a first Six Nations win at Twickenham since 2005, however, France are expected to bring their A game on Saturday. Borthwick certainly thinks so and perhaps it is telling that Melvyn Jaminet – who possesses a cannon of a right boot – is back on the bench. Thomas Ramos, Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont do not quite have the distance that Jaminet does so his recall to the France 23 feels significant, albeit precipitated by Matthieu Jalibert’s injury.

France won the grand slam last year by not only kicking the most but by carrying for the least metres of the six teams. The point being that they are happy to kick long and either win the kicking battle or back themselves to turn their opponents over in their half. The fact that almost all of their 17 tries in last year’s championship were scored within five phases backs up the idea that they are a team who prey on their opponents’ mistakes.

“These guys kick