England vs France: Mathieu Bastareaud recalled to fight brawn with brawn against Manu Tuilagi

Jacques Brunel has tasked Mathieu Bastareaud with going toe-to-toe with Manu Tuilagi after handing the France centre an immediate recall for Sunday’s Six Nations trip to Twickenham to face England.

Bastareaud was the highest-profile name left out of last Friday’s 24-19 defeat by Wales as Brunel looked not only at a different approach, but the next generation in 19-year-old centre Romain Ntamack.

But after watching his side throw away a 16-0 lead, Brunel has gone back to basics - and brawn - in selecting Bastareaud in the No 13 shirt in the hope of stemming the tide that will come from the English midfield that features a fit and firing Tuilagi.

"I reported last week that Mathieu remained an important option for us. Today, it seems appropriate to make it permanent against England," Brunel said, having made six changes to his starting line-up, four of which were forced by injury.

"And we are waiting for him to make a significant impact for the team as we are looking for physical density to face the power of the English midfield, with a player like Manu Tuilagi. Mathieu can have an interesting impact.”

Bastareaud is joined in the centre partnership by La Rochelle’s Geoffrey Doumayrou, with the influential Wesley Fofana ruled out through injury. Brunel has also lost tighthead prop Uini Atonio and full-back Mexime Medard to injury, meaning a first international start for 20-year-old Demba Bamba and a reshuffle of the back three with Yoann Huget moved to full-back and natural centre Gael Fickou slotting in on the wing, opposite another centre playing out of position in Damian Penaut.

Brunel’s other changes come in the pack with Felix Lambey named in the second row as reward for his impressive showing against Wales and Tannick Camara named at blindside flanker in favour of Wenceslas Lauret.

But perhaps it is no surprise to see Bastareaud and Doumayrou reunited given how they helped France to a 22-16 victory over England in last year’s Six Nations, with the 19-stone centre admitting that he is now old enough and wise enough not to take last week’s selection snub to heart.

"I'm 30, I've learned to be above the idea of being vengeful,” said Bastareaud. “Choices were made, you can like them or dislike them, but you have to accept them.

"We're going to England without much to lose because everyone thinks we're going to get thrashed. We have to go there and try things. It's up to us to go there and cause problems.”

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Brunel believes that he knows exactly what his side will face on Sunday, though Eddie Jones has made no secret of his desire to get England back playing “English rugby” this year. "England stays true to herself,” Brunel said. “We know they always impose their power.

"Last year we won shortly after suffering ourselves. Then they had a difficult phase that lasted three to four months. Since then they have found their form, as the match against Ireland attests.

"I was very impressed with their performance. They dominated most of the game by putting constant pressure on Ireland. In my eyes, it was an English demonstration."

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Jones is wary enough of what France will bring. A poor weather forecast for Sunday afternoon is unlikely to stand in the way of how the French want to play, given their risky offload-based game blew Wales away in the first half in Paris that brought early success and a healthy lead.

“They are a team full of talent,” Jones noted. “I think they've made six changes to their team from the previous week so again they rely a lot on individual talents but they've got guys that can break the game open. We just have to be very well organised and absolutely brutal in our defence.”

But while France will pose a different threat to what Ireland produced last weekend, the English pack still believe they will face a challenge when it comes to the basics in the dark arts department. “In terms of their front-five forwards I would say they’re not unpredictable at all,” said Joe Launchbury, who is recalled to the squad after missing out on the 32-20 win in Dublin. “I’d say they’re very predictable in their strengths. Their scrum’s very dominant, lineout and especially the maul.

“But in unstructured play if you let them get their tails up and start to offload and play the rugby they want to play then the unpredictability can come.”

France team to face England

Yoann Huget (Toulouse); Damian Penaud (Clermont Auvergne), Mathieu Bastareaud (Toulon), Geoffrey Doumayrou (La Rochelle), Gael Fickou (Stade Francais); Camille Lopez (Clermont Auvergne), Morgan Parra (Clermont Auvergne); Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), Guilhem Guirado (Toulon), Demba Bamba (Brive); Sebastien Vahaamahina (Clermont Auvergne), Felix Lambey (Lyon), Yannick Camara (Montpellier), Arthur Iturria (Clermont Auvergne), Louis Picamoles (Montpellier).

Replacements: Pierre Bougarit (La Rochelle), Dany Priso (La Rochelle), Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse), Paul Willemse (Montpellier), Gregory Alldritt (La Rochelle), Antoine Dupont (Toulouse), Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), Thomas Ramos (Toulouse).