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<blockquote data-quote="TopTen2003" data-source="post: 1122717" data-attributes="member: 75257">Really good test this weekend for England and an excellent selection for which to really learn about the group. Opportunities for Smith and the Lawrence/Slade midfield to gel. I actually really like that combination- Slades subtlety makes him and Lawrence interchangeable and they are both physical enough to provide comfort next to Smith.Tight 5 will get a very stern test and then the back row- which showed very early signs of promise v Wales- can hopefully benefit from a continuation of two centres who can carry the ball and straighten our attack. Penalty count might be deciding factor and that&#039;s my concern as you don&#039;t want to give a very talented French side any easy points as they can strike at any time to put you out of reach. Delighted to see Borthwick showing that no one is undroppable and I hope this marks a line in the sand that enables people to break through any perceived ceilings - opportunities are there. France at their best would come away with the win but with their slight stuttering at the moment a good round of discipline might see England leading a close game at the hour mark - whether the bench has the depth to see them home is another story. Should be a great contest and as I say will teach us something either way.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TopTen2003, post: 1122717, member: 75257"] Really good test this weekend for England and an excellent selection for which to really learn about the group. Opportunities for Smith and the Lawrence/Slade midfield to gel. I actually really like that combination- Slades subtlety makes him and Lawrence interchangeable and they are both physical enough to provide comfort next to Smith. Tight 5 will get a very stern test and then the back row- which showed very early signs of promise v Wales- can hopefully benefit from a continuation of two centres who can carry the ball and straighten our attack. Penalty count might be deciding factor and that’s my concern as you don’t want to give a very talented French side any easy points as they can strike at any time to put you out of reach. Delighted to see Borthwick showing that no one is undroppable and I hope this marks a line in the sand that enables people to break through any perceived ceilings - opportunities are there. France at their best would come away with the win but with their slight stuttering at the moment a good round of discipline might see England leading a close game at the hour mark - whether the bench has the depth to see them home is another story. Should be a great contest and as I say will teach us something either way. [/QUOTE]

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