France & England gear up for Autumn Nations Cup final

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

VIDEO SHOWS: FRANCE NEWS CONFERENCE AND TRAINING SESSION, ENGLAND TRAINING SESSION

SHOWS:

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 5, 2020) (FFR POOL - ACCESS ALL)

1. FRANCE PLAYER WEARING MASK WALKING ON TO PITCH AT TWICKENHAM / FRANCE PLAYERS ON BENCH

2. FRANCE NUMBER EIGHT, SELEVASIO TOLOFUA (LEFT) TYING SHOE LACES ALONGSIDE TEAM MATE

3. FRANCE FLY HALF, MATTHIEU JALIBERT WARMING UP

4. FRANCE CAPTAIN, BAPTISTE COUILLOUD BEING HANDED THE NUMBER 9 BIB AS HE WARMS UP

5. JALIBERT TRAINING

6. FRANCE FLANKER, SEKOU MACALOU (HAT) JOGGING / MACALOU EXCHANGES PASSES WITH LOCK, KILLIAN GERACI (NUMBER 4)

7. FRANCE WINGER, GABIN VILLIERE (NUMBER 11) TRAINING WITH TEAM MATE

8. VILLIERE, JALIBERT AND CENTRE, YORAM MOEFANA TAKING PART IN TRAINING DRILL

9. TRAINING IN PROGRESS

10. COUILLOUD PASSING BALL TO JALIBERT IN TRAINING DRILL

11. COUILLOUD PASSING BALL TO PROP, DORIAN ALDEGHERI (NUMBER 3) IN TRAINING DRILL

12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRANCE CAPTAIN, BAPTISTE COUILLOUD, SAYING:

"I think the message to convey this week is to seize the opportunity and is some way, this chance to take up this challenge against the English - they are a very good team, and for us to be in this place - it's a huge opportunity. We have everything to win in this match tomorrow, it's on us to prove that we're not here by chance, and we are capable of competing against them."

13. JALIBERT RECEIVING THE BALL AND RUNNING WITH IT

14. COUILLOUD AT TRAINING SESSION, STANDING NEXT TO FLANKER, CAMERON WOKI (NUMBER 6)

15. COUILLOUD TRAINING

16. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRANCE CAPTAIN, BAPTISTE COUILLOUD, SAYING:

"Regarding matches against teams that are stronger than us - we have already played for some years in the Top 14 tournament. We are an ambitious group, certainly young, but I think all the players that will be selected for the match tomorrow have already figured in big games in the Top 14 and in international matches. Voila, we are ready to take up the challenge and we will give ourselves tomorrow."

17. VARIOUS OF LINEOUT PRACTICE IN PROGRESS

18. COUILLOUD CATCHING BALL AND PASSING IT

19. JALIBERT AND COUILLOUD KICKING BALLS

20. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRANCE TEAM MANAGER, RAPHAEL IBANEZ, SAYING:

"We especially wanted to maximise the time that we could have with Baptiste and his team mates, to put in the best conditions this new group who are very talented and who will deliver a great battle tomorrow."

LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 5, 2020) (RFU POOL - ACCESS ALL) (MUTE)

21. ENGLAND HEAD COACH, EDDIE JONES WALKING ON TRAINING PITCH

22. ENGLAND NUMBER 8, BILLY VUNIPOLA PASSING BALL WITH ENGLAND FLANKER, BEN EARL

23. ENGLAND WINGER, JONNY MAY RUNNING BEFORE WALKING BACK, ENGLAND WINGER, ANTHONY WATSON RUNNING BEFORE WALKING BACK

24. ENGLAND CENTRE, HENRY SLADE KICKING BALL WHILE RUNNING

25. ENGLAND LOCK, MARO ITOJE WALKING

26. ENGLAND CAPTAIN, OWEN FARRELL RECEIVING BALL FROM SCRUMHALF, BEN YOUNGS / FARRELL PASSING BALL TO YOUNGS AS THEY TALK TO EACH OTHER

27. ITOJE STRECHING BEFORE RUNNING AND THEN WALKING BACK

28. FARRELL PRACTISING A LINEOUT THROW WITH HOOKER, JAMIE GEORGE, GEORGE THROWING BALL WHICH GOES OVER FENCE AND HE GOES THROUGH GATE TO COLLECT IT

29. JONES PLAYING WITH SOCCER BALL

STORY: England and France made final prepartions on Saturday (December 5) for the Autumn Nations Cup final at Twickenham on Sunday (December 6).

France trained at Twickenham as their inexperienced and youthful team got ready to face a seasoned England side. France coach Fabien Galthie has made six changes for the tournament finale.

An agreement between the federation and the league meant that no player could be involved in more than three France matches during the autumn international window, leaving Galthie to name a team boasting a total of 68 caps - to England's 813.

Having already had to cope without the vast majority of his first team in their previous encounter against Italy, Galthie was also forced to leave scrumhalf Baptiste Serin and wing Teddy Thomas out of the side to face England.

Fullback Brice Dulin, with 30 international tests under his belt, is the most experienced player named in the side ahead of flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, who has seven caps, in a team averaging 23.8 years old.

Number eight Selevasio Tolofua is the only uncapped player to start but five others have just a single cap to their name.

England, who trained at their London base on Saturday, will be without prop Mako Vunipola has been ruled out of Sunday's final due to a calf injury.

The Saracens forward suffered the injury against Wales last week and has not recovered in time.

Ellis Genge moves up to the starting lineup with Joe Marler, seeking a first appearance since March, featuring as a replacement.

England qualified for the final by topping Group A with wins over Georgia, Ireland and Wales, while France won Group B after beating Italy and Scotland and being handed a walkover against COVID-hit Fiji.

The game will be England's first in front of fans since the spring, with 2,000 allowed into Twickenham.

England:

15-Elliot Daly, 14-Anthony Watson, 13-Henry Slade, 12-Owen Farrell (C), 11-Jonny May, 10-George Ford, 9-Ben Youngs, 8-Billy Vunipola, 7-Sam Underhill, 6-Tom Curry, 5-Joe Launchbury, 4-Maro Itoje, 3-Kyle Sinckler, 2-Jamie George, 1-Ellis Genge

Replacements: 16-Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17-Joe Marler, 18-Will Stuart, 19-Jonny Hill, 20-Ben Earl, 21-Dan Robson, 22-Max Malins, 23-Joe Marchant

France:

15-Brice Dulin, 14-Alivereti Raka, 13-Yoram Moefana, 12-Jonathan Danty, 11-Gabin Villiere, 10-Matthieu Jalibert, 9-Baptiste Couilloud, 8-Selevasio Tolofua, 7-Anthony Jelonch, 6-Cameron Woki, 5-Baptiste Pesenti, 4-Kilian Geraci, 3-Dorian Aldegheri, 2-Pierre Bourgarit, 1-Hassan Kolingar

Replacements: 16-Peato Mauvaka, 17-Rodrigue Neti, 18-Uini Atonio, 19-Guillaume Ducat, 20-Sekou Macalou, 21-Sebastien Bezy, 22-Louis Carbonel, 23-Pierre-Louis Barassi