RUGBY SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Venue:Stade de France Kick-off:7.45pm.Tonight On TV: RTE 2, BBC 1

ENGLAND ARE still hoping to remove the sparkle from France’s title-winning champagne but a bitter end to their Six Nations season seems more likely.

The loss of their captain, Steve Borthwick, with knee trouble yesterday summed up Martin Johnson’s ill-starred campaign and has presented Lewis Moody, the stand-in skipper, with an unenviable pass straight from the infirmary. If the French put together a concerted 80-minute performance, tonight could prove the ultimate Moody blues experience.

There are few more popular men in English rugby than the new gung-ho leader, affectionately known as Mad Dog, and bulldog defiance has rarely been more necessary. But unless England’s forwards come charging out in trademark Moody fashion and lay their bodies on the line for the first 20 minutes, a French Grand Slam will be in the designer bag by half-time.

This may sound defeatist given England’s run of four straight wins over their opponents, but the scoreboard does not lie on the final weekend of a Six Nations. France have amassed a points difference of plus-50 by playing rugby as Lewis Carroll would have imagined it, mixing the outlandish and the normal to stunning effect. England, by contrast, require 31 points to avoid registering their lowest Six Nations aggregate points tally, currently 108 points in 2008.

For disenchanted English supporters this evening is all about restoring dignity. Out in the shires the mood is again turning mutinous after a season that has fallen short by virtually every measure. Johnson’s protestations that England could have won all four of their games fails to chime with public perception. The former World Cup-winning captain appears secure in his role until next year’s World Cup but the fallout could still be messy if England cannot at least produce a few more offloads and generate occasional forward momentum on a night when all the psychological pressure is on the hosts.

Losing Borthwick, from a lineout perspective, is scarcely encouraging but, as the lock always emphasises, we should not ignore the positives. The introduction of the uncapped Chris Ashton, the 20th player to be given his England debut in 19 Tests since Johnson officially took charge, along with his Northampton club-mate Ben Foden, threatens to ask the French defence a few more probing questions and Mike Tindall is not the type to be fazed by an onrushing Mathieu Bastareaud.

Up front, too, Joe Worsley and Nick Easter have outstanding records against French opposition for club and country, so much so it is slightly surprising Johnson opted for Moody ahead of the Harlequins number eight.

Last week Moody was relegated to the bench, this week he is in charge. Confusing? Not according to Mad Dog, who recalled leading his country in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final against Australia in Marseille “in a game no one gave us a prayer in”.

England duly scored a famous win and are overdue another one.

With Louis Deacon replacing Borthwick in the second row and Tom Palmer back on the bench, it also a big night for Toby Flood, preferred to Jonny Wilkinson at outhalf. It seems a lifetime ago, rather than just a decade, that Wilkinson beat France in Paris almost single-handedly and even the man himself acknowledged yesterday that his rugby “instinct” has gone missing. The Toulon number 10 insisted, however, that he would bounce back stronger for this week’s disappointment.

“In the year I was out, things have moved on and you have to pick it up. I don’t want to be playing for England if I’m not doing as good a job as someone else.” A French Grand Slam still seems inevitable.

Guardian Service

FRANCE:C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); M Andreu (Castres), M Bastareaud (Stade Francais), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), A Palisson (Brive); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), M Parra (Clermont Auvergne); T Domingo (Clermont Auvergne), W Servat (Toulouse), N Mas (Perpignan), L Nallet (Racing-Metro), J Pierre (Clermont Auvergne), T Dusautoir (Toulouse, capt), J Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz). Replacements: D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), J-B Poux (Toulouse), S Chabal (Racing-Metro), A Lapandry (Clermont Auvergne), D Yachvili (Biarritz), D Marty (Perpignan), J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne).

ENGLAND:B Foden (Northampton); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Flutey (Brive), C Ashton (Northampton); T Flood (Leicester), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester), S Shaw (Wasps), L Deacon (Leicester) J Worsley (Wasps), L Moody (Leicester, capt), N Easter (Harlequins). Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath), T Palmer (Stade Francais), J Haskell (Stade Francais), B Youngs (Leicester), J Wilkinson (Toulon), M Tait (Sale Sharks.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand).

Assistant referees:Alain Rolland and Steve McDowall (both Ireland).