Six Nations 2014: Billy Vunipola lines up to be counted in the back-row battle with Louis Picamoles

The All Blacks rarely miss a trick when it comes to spotting offshore rugby talent in the far-flung islands of the South Seas – where on earth would the world champions be without a Samoan here and a Fijian there? – so it came as some surprise to learn that Billy Vunipola was a complete mystery to them.

"They didn't seem to know who I was," the new England No 8 said, recalling his barnstorming performance against the silver-ferned tourists at Twickenham before Christmas. "They kept kicking the ball to me, not realising I'd run it back at them every time."

Vunipola, the latest member of a great Tongan rugby dynasty to win international honours, ran with a vengeance that day, making significant ground every time he found himself in possession. He does not expect life to be quite so easy – if the e-word can legitimately be used in connection with taking on the New Zealanders – against France in Paris this weekend.

He expects to see a lot more of the blue-shirted forwards than he did of the men in black, and therefore a lot less space, as England go in search of the perfect Six Nations start on Saturday evening.

Saracens' 21-year-old back-rower will certainly be in the starting line-up: even more of a heavy-duty unit than his rival, Ben Morgan of Gloucester, who has himself been known to force a plea for clemency out of a speak-your-weight machine, and in a far better frame of mind, having spent the first half of the club season playing for a winning side as opposed to a losing one, his selection alongside the captain, Chris Robshaw, and first lieutenant Tom Wood was among the easier calls made by the red-rose hierarchy.

It is some rise to prominence. This time last year, Morgan looked for all the world like a long-term fixture in the England pack. According to Graham Rowntree, the national team's forwards coach, Vunipola is as strong in the learning department as he is in the physical one.

"His attitude is exceptional," said the old-timer from Leicester, who spent a chunk of his playing career watching Dean Richards eat opposing loose forwards for breakfast, tea and supper. "We threw him straight in against world-class teams, but he's taken everything in his stride. What impresses me most is his diligence. He really is a very quick learner."

Assuming Les Bleus go with Louis Picamoles of Toulouse at No 8 – and it would be peculiar in the extreme if they did anything else – the ball-carrying contest off the base of the scrum at Stade de France should be something to behold. Indeed, the sell-out crowd of 80,000-plus will hear it, and quite possibly feel it, as well as see it. There are some punishing close-quarter runners around the international game, but it may just be that the Vunipola-Picamoles contest qualifies as the world heavyweight title bout. Think Klitschko versus Klitschko and you'll get the picture.

Interestingly, Vunipola has already been on the wrong end of a Picamoles pummelling this season – in Toulouse earlier this month, when Saracens were given a thorough seeing-to up front and suffered a 21-11 defeat that did not leave them feeling in the least bit hard done by.

"We got our tactics wrong, we were outnumbered at the breakdown and they drained us," the youngster admitted. "We allowed them to get on our backs and couldn't shake them off. Picamoles is a great carrier: he's at the forefront of everything Toulouse, and France, do well.

"So this will be a hard game, but growing up you always watched matches like this, wishing you were out there, being the centre of attention. We have a different blend with England now: we can mix things up and keep the opposition guessing because it's not just about ball-carrying any more. The important thing for us is to keep the crowd quiet. You take it as a compliment if you can do that, or even make them boo you.

"The French supporters can say what they want about us – freedom of speech and so on – but it's not as if we're going over there to be liked, is it? It's about winning the game."

Youngs joins Ashton in getting England chop

Chris Ashton, the Saracens wing, was not the only heavy faller as the England head coach, Stuart Lancaster, made his hard selection calls ahead of this weekend's Six Nations opener with France in Paris.

Ben Youngs of Leicester, a Lions Test scrum-half as recently as last summer, was also ditched. Lee Dickson of Northampton, the incumbent, and the Harlequins half-back Danny Care will be the No 9 options when the squad head across the Channel on Thursday.

As expected, the uncapped Jack Nowell, of Exeter, and the single-cap Gloucester flyer Jonny May have made the cut, along with Bath teenager Anthony Watson, but many thought Youngs would make the bench.

"Competition has been particularly tight in this position," Lancaster acknowledged. "Danny Care's form leading into the Six Nations has been excellent, but Ben is a quality player and I'm sure he will respond."