Category: Rugby Union

• Ntamack sent off in 43-0 defeat of Wales in Paris
• Fly-half will be available again to face Ireland

The France fly-half Romain Ntamack has been suspended for the match against England on Saturday, forcing Les Bleus into a reshuffle, but he will be available for their fixture against Ireland later in the tournament.

Ntamack was sent off in the emphatic victory against Wales last Friday and has been handed a three-week suspension. In his absence, Bordeaux’s mercurial fly-half Matthieu Jalibert is the favourite to come into the No 10 jersey at Twickenham.

• England attack coach expects both teams to turn corner
• ‘We’re seeing green shoots – we play fast and score tries’

Steve Borthwick’s England squad has been compared to Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side before the massive Six Nations fixture at home against France on Saturday. Both teams have been having difficult seasons but inside the red rose camp there remains a firm belief that, given a little patience, the tide will eventually turn for them.

England’s attack coach, Richard Wigglesworth, also happens to be a United fan and sees similarities between the respective situations at Twickenham and Old Trafford. He thinks Amorim will eventually deliver success for United, now 13th in the Premier League, and is also backing England, who have won just two of their past nine Tests, to turn the corner in the not-too-distant future.

• Fin Smith to start at No 10 with Marcus Smith at full-back
• ‘We’re blessed with three 10s who can play to a high level’

England are poised to select both Fin Smith and Marcus Smith in the same starting team to face France in the Six Nations this weekend.

The young Northampton fly-half is in line to make his first start in the No 10 jersey with his Harlequin namesake expected to be redeployed at full-back against France at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

Scrum-half Dupont took time off to snare Olympic gold which has made him even more effective around the rucks

Tickets to watch France play England this weekend are not cheap. Premium adult seats cost £199 apiece and even the most affordable ones up in the gods will set you back £89. Before you phone the Rugby Football Union to enquire if an England win is included as part of the deal, however, ask yourself how often in life you have the chance to witness pure genius.

Admittedly this can be a subjective debate. Taylor Swift fans will have a different opinion to, say, Bob Dylan disciples. However, in contemporary sport there can surely be increasingly little debate. With all due respect to the colossal talents of Novak Djokovic, Max Verstappen, Patrick Mahomes, Simone Biles and Mohamed Salah, the name Antoine Dupont must be close to the top of the list.