Kylian Mbappe is a leading candidate to become captain of France, head coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Thursday.

Deschamps will need a new skipper for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland after Hugo Lloris retired from international football.

Lloris stepped down from national team duty after the World Cup, where France lost to Argentina in the final, and tournament top scorer Mbappe is considered to have leadership qualities.

"There are some that I consider possible," said Deschamps. "Kylian is one of them.

"This will go through discussions with them before I make my decision. There is a responsibility in relation to being captain, with a little more important responsibility, but I want to have this discussion internally before I make my decision."

Deschamps cast doubt on Adrien Rabiot being in the picture to lead Les Bleus.

He said of the Juventus midfielder: "Even if he has some experience, we know him well, as it is he has a possible form of leadership. But the captaincy, I don't know if he really wants it deep down. To let him stay as he is already will be very good."

Deschamps left out Axel Disasi and Matteo Guendouzi as he named a 23-player group for the games at home to the Dutch on March 24 and away to the Irish on March 27.

He could hand first caps to Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram and Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba, who all earned call-ups.

Khephren Thuram joins brother Marcus in the squad, with the sons of France great Lilian in contention to feature alongside each other in the national side.

Deschamps summoned Milan veteran Olivier Giroud, with the 36-year-old having elected not to retire from France duty after the World Cup, where he became the team's all-time record scorer.

"As long as he maintains his level of performance with his club and remains eligible for selection, he is there," Deschamps said.

A string of players Deschamps could have called upon are sidelined due to injury, including Ousmane Dembele, Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante and Christopher Nkunku.

Deschamps said of Pogba and Kante: "I always remain positive and knowing NG and Paul, they will do everything to become competitive again."

Looking at the qualification task facing France, Deschamps said: "We must not tell ourselves that we are already qualified for the Euros because we were in the final of the World Cup. We must not rest on our laurels."

France squad:

Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Khephren Thuram (Nice), Jordan Veretout (Marseille); Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Olivier Giroud (Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach).

France will welcome Uini Atonio back from suspension for the final game of their Six Nations campaign against Wales, who have made six changes for their trip to the Stade de France.

Atonio was given a three-week ban following a high tackle on Ireland hooker Rob Herring in last month's 32-19 defeat in Dublin – the only loss of France's campaign.

That reverse in Ireland means France have only a slim chance of defending their title on Saturday, as they need to post a bonus-point win over Wales before hoping England can upset Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

Coach Fabien Galthie described Atonio – who will win his 50th cap against Wales – as an "indisputable starter" after bringing him in for Dorian Aldegheri, who has a groin injury.

Meanwhile, Romain Taofifenua will replace injured lock Paul Willemse in the hosts' only other change from their crushing 53-10 win over England at Twickenham last week.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has made six changes ahead of the game, in which Taulupe Faletau will win his 100th cap.

Fly-half Dan Biggar, centres George North and Nick Tompkins and lock Alun Wyn Jones are among those recalled after last week's win over Italy in Rome.

Louis Rees-Zammit and Aaron Wainwright have also been brought in, with Jac Morgan and injured full-back Liam Williams among those to make way.

"I think France last weekend put in probably one of the best performances I've seen in a long, long time," Gatland said.

"They're the number two team in the world. They bring a really physical approach to the way they play and they've tended to start well.

"We've got to go out there and start well, make sure we're in that arm wrestle with them and give ourselves that opportunity."

Teams:

France: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Uini Atonio, Thibaut Flament, Romain Taofifenua, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt.

Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Bastien Chalureau, Seckou Macalou, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet.

Wales: Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams, George North, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer, Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones, Aaron Wainwright, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Bradley Roberts, Gareth Thomas, Dillon Lewis, Dafydd Jenkins, Tommy Reffell, Tomos Williams, Owen Williams, Leigh Halfpenny.

Injured Wales pair Liam Williams and Scott Baldwin are absent from Warren Gatland's 32-man squad for their final Six Nations fixture in France on Saturday.

Full-back Williams sustained a shoulder injury in Saturday's 29-17 win over Italy in Rome – the first victory of a troubled campaign for Wales.

Hooker Baldwin, meanwhile, suffered a pectoral problem in Italy and will join Williams on the sidelines, with his Ospreys team-mate Sam Parry being called up to the squad.

Keiran Williams has also been released from the squad after sustaining a groin injury while featuring for the Ospreys earlier this month.

Wales are training in Nice ahead of their trip to the Stade de France, with the team announcement scheduled for Thursday.

Opponents France retain a slim chance of defending their title, but they need to post a bonus-point victory over Wales before hoping Ireland are on the receiving end of an upset at home to England.

Full Wales squad:

Forwards: Rhys Carre, Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens, Sam Parry, Bradley Roberts, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Rhys Davies, Dafydd Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau.

Backs: Kieran Hardy, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Dan Biggar, Rhys Patchell, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, George North, Nick Tompkins, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit.

It is a rare occasion that a team can win a game by three goals and still feel like they have been given the runaround by an opponent.

That is what happened last season at the Etihad Stadium, though, as Manchester City ran out 6-3 victors against RB Leipzig in the Champions League group stage, conceding a hat-trick to a player who was undergoing one of the most explosive rises in recent years.

Christopher Nkunku became one of two players to score a hat-trick against City in Europe's premier club competition, the other being Lionel Messi in October 2016.

Presumably to City's relief, Nkunku looks set to miss a return visit in their Champions League last-16 second leg after suffering a minor thigh strain in the recent loss at Borussia Dortmund, and Leipzig would therefore be without one of the most impressive players in Europe.

Nkunku came through the youth set-up at Paris Saint-Germain, spending four seasons there after his first-team debut in the 2015-16 campaign, making 78 appearances in all for his hometown club.

He wanted more responsibility, though, often getting lost among the superstars of the Parc des Princes, such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and sealed a move worth a reported €13million to RB Leipzig in July 2019.

Nkunku was not an immediate success in Germany either, but he played 60 league games over his first two seasons at Red Bull Arena, and his development became obvious by the third.

In his final season in Paris in 2018-19, he had six goal involvements (four goals, two assists) in 29 appearances (17 starts). Last season for Leipzig, he recorded 51 goal involvements (35 goals, 16 assists) in 52 appearances (48 starts).

This drastic increase is likely down to extra game-time, responsibility and also the sort of general improvements you would expect of a player in three years at that age.

It also appeared Nkunku was simply getting into better scoring positions, though.

In his last year in Ligue 1, he largely played on the right for PSG, with 48 per cent of his touches across the entire pitch on average coming on the right-side of the opposition's half.

However, just four per cent of his touches came inside the opposition penalty area, which increased to 14 per cent this season in the Bundesliga.

From 2018-19 to 2021-22, Nkunku also increased his output in terms of total shots per 90 (from 1.8 to 2.7), chance conversion (21.1 per cent to 35.1 per cent) and, most drastically, shooting accuracy (42.1 per cent to 70.8 per cent).

That explosion led to some concerns he could have been a one-season wonder, but Nkunku has another 17 goals and three assists in 27 games (22 starts) this season, having missed a chunk of it with a knee injury sustained just before the World Cup, where he had been tipped to shine for eventual runners-up France in Qatar.

He has scored 10 goals across his last 12 starts in the Champions League and has attracted interest from several of Europe's top clubs, with reports suggesting a big-money move to Chelsea is all but done for the end of the season.

Nkunku won the Bundesliga's player of the season award in 2021-22, despite being joint-fourth top scorer in the league alongside Anthony Modeste (20), behind Robert Lewandowski (35), Patrick Schick (24) and Erling Haaland (22).

It was his creativity as well as his goals that won him plaudits, though, with only Thomas Muller (18) claiming more assists in the league than his 13.

Prior to Nkunku's return from injury against Wolfsburg in February, Leipzig head coach Marco Rose said of the 25-year-old: "There are not many players in the world that are as talented as he is.

"Christo does things that you can't expect because he's an impact player and immensely talented... He's got a good feel for when to make a run and can carry the ball into those one-v-one situations. He adds a lot to our game, and his absence has been felt by all of us."

A thigh strain suffered in the 2-1 defeat at Dortmund looks like it will keep Nkunku from taking to the field against City on Tuesday, and that would be a significant blow to Rose's chances of masterminding a win.

Still without first-choice goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, as well as combative midfielder Xaver Schlager, Rose has some selection headaches to contend with, but he still has plenty of exceptional talent to call on.

Centre-back Josko Gvardiol will again be tasked with stopping Haaland, as he did expertly in the first leg, while he also scored Leipzig's equalising goal.

The Croatian found the net in Saturday's 3-0 win against Borussia Monchengladbach as well, as did Timo Werner, whose importance will be paramount in the absence of Nkunku.

Werner has 13 goals in 27 games since his return from Chelsea, and his pace on the counter-attack against a City team who often push high should be a key factor.

Dani Olmo is another attacking option who has been out with injury, with Rose suggesting the Spain international could at least play a part off the bench against City.

In Nkunku, though, they will be without their main man, assuming he does not make a miraculous recovery.

At his pre-match press conference, City manager Pep Guardiola was asked about the Frenchman's likely absence, saying: "Nkunku is an exceptional player, but they live this season without him and do it really well without him."

Whether they can manage really well without him again will be the difference between the Champions League quarter-finals and elimination.

Owen Farrell conceded England could never have anticipated their humbling 53-10 loss against France in the Six Nations.

Steve Borthwick's side suffered their record home defeat as Les Bleus ran in seven tries during a comprehensive display at Twickenham.

England were simply no match for the reigning champions, who dominated proceedings and overpowered their opponents in all departments on the way to a first away win over the Red Rose in the competition since 2005.

Farrell, who was dropped to the bench before replacing Marcus Smith in the 46th minute, admitted the hosts' performance levels were unacceptable.

"As an England player, you never expect to be in this situation," the captain said.

"I don't think you ever expect to lose like that at home as an England team. You don't expect to lose like that anywhere as an England team.

"The result and the scoreline are hugely disappointing for us. It's never nice. Most of the people in the changing room have been through it at some stage. Not normally with England – definitely not normally with England.

"I'm gutted. Everybody in the changing room is disappointed to lose in the fashion that we did.

"I'm not sure it's a true reflection of our team, but credit to France for the way they played, they were clinical. They got away early on, and it was hard for us to get back into the game."

England conclude a difficult Six Nations campaign against Grand Slam-chasing Ireland – coached by Farrell's father Andy – next weekend.

The skipper said he and his team-mates are desperate to put the disappointment behind them as they seek a positive response.

"The end goal is not any different for us because we've got to improve, and we knew that before this game," he added. "We definitely know it after. We have to improve together.

"This will make us have a good look at ourselves and I imagine that after this, everybody is chomping at the bit to get going again."

Owen Farrell conceded England could never have anticipated their humbling 53-10 loss against France in the Six Nations.

Steve Borthwick's side suffered their record home defeat as Les Bleus ran in seven tries during a comprehensive display at Twickenham.

England were simply no match for the reigning champions, who dominated proceedings and overpowered their opponents in all departments on the way to a first away win over the Red Rose in the competition since 2005.

Farrell, who was dropped to the bench before replacing Marcus Smith in the 46th minute, admitted the hosts' performance levels were unacceptable.

"As an England player, you never expect to be in this situation," the captain said.

"I don't think you ever expect to lose like that at home as an England team. You don't expect to lose like that anywhere as an England team.

"The result and the scoreline are hugely disappointing for us. It's never nice. Most of the people in the changing room have been through it at some stage. Not normally with England – definitely not normally with England.

"I'm gutted. Everybody in the changing room is disappointed to lose in the fashion that we did.

"I'm not sure it's a true reflection of our team, but credit to France for the way they played, they were clinical. They got away early on, and it was hard for us to get back into the game."

England conclude a difficult Six Nations campaign against Grand Slam-chasing Ireland – coached by Farrell's father Andy – next weekend.

The skipper said he and his team-mates are desperate to put the disappointment behind them as they seek a positive response.

"The end goal is not any different for us because we've got to improve, and we knew that before this game," he added. "We definitely know it after. We have to improve together.

"This will make us have a good look at ourselves and I imagine that after this, everybody is chomping at the bit to get going again."

Clive Woodward never thought he would see the day England were so badly outclassed on home soil after witnessing their record home loss to France.

France crossed over seven times in their astonishing 53-10 victory at Twickenham on Saturday to keep their Six Nations title defence alive.

It is the most points ever conceded by England in a home Test, overtaking the 42 points scored by South Africa in November 2008.

Woodward, who guided the Red Rose to World Cup glory in 2003, was left stunned by his former side's capitulation and is fearing the worst ahead of next week's trip to Ireland.

"England were never going to win that game; we were second best by a long, long way," he told ITV Sport. "To think we're going to play Ireland next week is a sobering thought.

"To actually see that in a Six Nations game... I never thought I'd see that scoreboard ever at Twickenham."

Fellow pundit Johnny Wilkinson described the loss as "a massive reality check" for England, who tasted defeat at home to France for the first time in 18 years.

England have now lost two of their four matches this campaign – Steve Borthwick's first since replacing Eddie Jones in December – and find themselves in fourth place.

Borthwick accepts England were too easily dismantled by France and knows there is a gulf between his side and the world's elite heading into the Rugby World Cup.

"Certainly you have to give immense credit to France and they are clearly a world-class team," he told ITV Sport. "We are really disappointed in that performance. 

"There are lots of things we wanted to do but we couldn't execute. I think we lost collisions across both lines, attack and defence. 

"We knew they have immense power and unfortunately we didn't deal with it. When we attacked they were able to dominate. There is plenty of work on the collision areas

"We got exposed today. I thought we would get a measure of where we are at – there is a big gap between us and the top teams in the world. 

"I don't think it matters what I thought it [the gap] was before; I think we understand where we are and what we have to do."

France were 24 points to the good by half-time – another unwanted record for England in the Six Nations – with 23-point Thomas Ramos opening the scoring inside two minutes.

Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud all crossed over twice each in a one-sided contest, with Freddie Steward scoring England's only try.

It is the first time in the Six Nations era that three different France players have scored two tries each in a single game.

Reflecting on one of England's all-time worst displays, captain Ellis Genge admitted there can be no excuses.

"I am not going to sugar-coat it. That is one of our worst performances and we were punished numerous times," he said. 

"We asked the boys to keep fighting and I think for 80 per cent of it we were fighting. The momentum was against us for too long and we didn't claw it back. 

"I am not hiding away from it – we were well beaten today. [France] are brilliant. They have shown time and time again why they are the number two team in the world. 

"We are way off where we want to be. If I had the answers I would be somewhere else earning millions. It's a bit of a mystery at the moment."

France boss Fabien Galthie found the 53-10 drubbing of England "very moving" as he delivered an emotional response to his team's record win at Twickenham.

Les Bleus had not won a Six Nations game at England's London HQ since 2005, but they turned on the style and piled on the most points England have ever conceded on home soil in a Test.

Defeat to Ireland last month could be the result that costs France the championship, but this was a third win in four this year and the biggest statement yet from Galthie's team in this Rugby World Cup year.

France inflicted a seven-try humiliation on their hosts, revelling in each score. They are the World Cup hosts this year, and performances such as Saturday's barnstorming rout will raise expectations.

Speaking to France 2, Galthie appeared to momentarily shed a tear as he considered the scale of his side's achievement.

He said: "I've been coming here for a long time, you realise that... it's very moving.

"We played just the way we wanted to play. We wanted to do this. We didn't know how, but we wanted to do it.

"This place, the context ... it's not a coincidence. We have been working for four years with the players. At the start of the tournament, we weren't satisfied, but we were on the right track.

"The players wanted to do something. We were able to get the game out. The players, the staff, the French Rugby Federation, all the people who helped us to be here today... I spare a thought for them."

Reigning champions France are now level on points with Grand Slam-chasing Ireland, who take on Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday in their penultimate game of the tournament.

France ended their 18-year wait for a Six Nations victory at Twickenham with a record 53-10 bonus-point triumph on Saturday to keep their title hopes alive.

Les Bleus crossed over three times in the first half and were 24 points ahead at the midway point – the biggest half-time margin any side has had over England in the tournament.

The visitors added four more after the restart, with Thibaud Flament, Charles Ollivon and Damian Penaud helping themselves to two tries apiece, while Thomas Ramos – who started the rout – finished with 23 points to his name.

A famous victory moves France level on points with Ireland, who are away at Scotland on Sunday, while England's campaign is effectively over with one round of games to go.

France were up and running inside five minutes following a rapid break as Ethan Dumortier fed Ramos to touch down and subsequently add the extras.

Ramos added to his tally from a penalty and Flament found a gap to power over soon after as France took complete control.

Marcus Smith temporarily reduced the deficit, only for Ramos to add another penalty of his own, before Ollivon smashed through Smith on the line to add to England's pain.

England looked dejected when Ramos converted again, but they started the second half well and, after Max Malins had one ruled out, Freddie Steward used his power to dot down.

Any hope of a miraculous comeback were ended eight minutes later when Ramos knocked a kick over the top into the path of Flament to race through.

The bonus point was secured at that stage but France were far from finished, with Ollivon alert at the breakdown – unlike England's players – to reach over and double his try count.

Penaud touched down under the posts and there was still time to add another try – France's seventh of the day – in one of England's darkest days in the tournament's history.

Ireland travel to Scotland with their Grand Slam fate in their own hands in the penultimate round of Six Nations action, while Wales and Italy battle it out in a possible wooden spoon clash in Rome.

Andy Farrell's Ireland have defeated Wales, France and Italy in this year's edition – each secured with a bonus point – and are now two wins away from completing a clean sweep for a third time in the six team format.

Scotland, beaten by reigning champions France last time out, can get their own championship hopes back on track with victory over the leaders at Murrayfield in Sunday's standalone fixture.

That comes a day after Wales lock horns with Italy at Stadio Olimpico seeking their first victory since Warren Gatland returned as head coach. The Azzurri are themselves winless this tournament, but they are above Wales by virtue of collecting a losing bonus point.

England and France face off in this weekend's other fixture locked on 10 points apiece, with the winner still having a shot of finishing top of the pile heading into the final weekend of action.

Stats Perform previews the three games with the help of some standout Opta data.

ITALY V WALES 

FORM

Italy have finished bottom of the standings seven years running, but there is real hope of stopping the rot at Wales' expense.

Kieran Crowley's side won their most recent meeting with Wales, coming out on top 22-21 in Cardiff last year to snap a seven-year winless sequence in the tournament.

However, they have not beaten Wales at home since 2007 and are winless on their own patch in the competition in 24 outings since defeating Ireland in March 2013.

Gatland has again shuffled his pack in the hope of ending Wales' six-match losing run in the Six Nations – their worst run since losing seven on the spin between 2002 and 2003.

ONES TO WATCH

Ange Capuozzo was Player of the Match in this fixture last year, but he will miss Italy's remaining two matches through injury.

That opens a space for Harlequins fly-half Tommaso Allan, who ranked second for passes across Italy's first two games prior to being overlooked against Ireland.

Gatland has made six changes from the loss to England, with Rhys Webb coming into the side for his first Six Nations start since 2017.

Experienced figure Webb is back in the number nine jersey with a point to prove and a chance to hold down a place in the side ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

ENGLAND V FRANCE

FORM

England have defeated Wales and Italy, both by margins of 10-plus points, since losing to Scotland in Steve Borthwick's first game in charge.

The Red Rose are seeking a third straight win in the championship for the first time since 2020, while not since 2009-2010 have they won three in a row by double-figure margins.

France tasted defeat in their most recent away outing, going down 32-19 in a pivotal showdown with Ireland, but they have won their seven Six Nations games either side of that.

However, the home team on the day has won each of the past six tournament meetings between these sides, with France's most recent victory at Twickenham coming in 2005.

ONES TO WATCH

Borthwick has made a big decision in leaving out captain Owen Farrell – the first time he has been dropped for England since the 2015 World Cup – with Marcus Smith recalled.

Smith starred for Harlequins in their rout of Exeter last weekend after being released by Borthwick and he will be looking to transfer that club form onto the international stage.

Jonathan Danty comes in for his first start of the tournament for France as one of three changes, but it is Thibaud Flament who will have England's attention.

The 25-year-old, who has previously spent time living in England, has made the most tackles of any player in this year's Six Nations with 58 to his name.

SCOTLAND V IRELAND

FORM

Ireland have lived up to their pre-tournament favourites tag with three wins from three in 2023, while going further back they have won 10 of their past 11 Six Nations games.

Farrell's side have also won each of their last five games at Murrayfield, preventing their opponents from scoring more than one try in four of those five victories.

But Scotland have performed well this year, the only blemish coming in defeat to France last time out, and they have won three of their past four home games in the tournament.

Ireland may have had the better of this fixture in recent times, but seven of the last eight matches between the sides in Edinburgh have been decided by single-figure margins.

ONES TO WATCH

Stuart Hogg has been handed another start in a Scotland side showing two changes – Jonny Gray and Jack Dempsey coming in – for what will be his 100th Test appearance.

That makes the full-back, who is also his country's record try-scorer, one of four men to reach triple figures in a Scotland shirt after Ross Ford, Chris Paterson and Sean Lamont.

It could also be a milestone day for Johnny Sexton, who has recovered from a knock to return to an Ireland side that also contains fit-again Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong.

Ireland captain Sexton requires eight points to overtake former team-mate Ronan O'Gara (557) as the top scorer in the history of the Six Nations.

England captain Owen Farrell has been dropped to the bench for Saturday's clash with France as head coach Steve Borthwick offered no guarantees about his long-term future as skipper.

Marcus Smith will step in at fly-half, while Ellis Genge will captain the side, but Borthwick said Farrell will take over the leadership once he comes on as a replacement.

Farrell's goal-kicking has been poor during this Six Nations campaign and that was one of several factors behind Borthwick's decision.

Ahead of Saturday's match at Twickenham, the decision to demote 104-cap Farrell was the standout selection issue on either side, particularly as it comes so soon in Borthwick's reign, and ahead of a Rugby World Cup later in the year. This will be just Borthwick's fourth game in charge.

Genge was captain under Borthwick during their time together at Leicester Tigers, and it remains to be seen whether the coach sees him occupying the role on a regular basis at international level. This will be his first time captaining England from the start in a Test.

Borthwick knew his selection would be a contentious move, and he said England were in "a fantastic position" to have such strong options at fly-half.

"My job is to select who the right person to start and who the right person to come off the bench is," Borthwick said.

Eddie Jones' successor stressed he made line-up decisions on a game-by-game basis and sidestepped a question about Farrell's long-term future as captain, saying he was focusing only on the France game.

Farrell has been captain since the 2019 Six Nations. Borthwick said the 31-year-old had been "brilliant" in training this week, while also hailing Genge's captaincy qualities. He described Genge as "a fantastic leader, a natural leader, and he's somebody players follow".

"To have Ellis and Owen there, it's two brilliant men that these players get behind," Borthwick added. "I can't praise Owen enough, not just for this week but every day since we've started working together in this capacity. He cares so deeply about this team."

Asked about Farrell's kicking problems in relation to the team selection, Borthwick said: "I consider every aspect as I try to do this job as thoroughly as possible.

"I think if you were to track all the teams I've selected over the last few years, there have been some pretty bold decisions. I think what I've tried to do is pick a team that is right team for that game.

"That's what I do every single week. Every game matters for England. I believe this is the right team in all the different considerations and all the different factors against a very, very good French team."

Teams:

England: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge (captain), Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, David Ribbans, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Henry Arundell.

France: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (captain); Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri, Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt.

Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Sekou Macalou, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet.

Courtney Lawes has been ruled out of England's Six Nations clash with France at Twickenham on Saturday because of a shoulder injury.

After recovering from a calf problem sustained while playing for Northampton, vice-captain Lawes returned off the bench for Steve Borthwick's side as they beat Wales 20-10 at the Principality Stadium in late February.

However, Lawes has now suffered more injury disappointment as an issue with his shoulder forces the lock to withdraw from the squad for the France game.

Marcus Smith has been included in the 27-man squad after the fly-half was left out of Borthwick's group for a three-day training camp in Brighton.

Smith's inclusion means George Ford is released to Sale Sharks to play against London Irish on Sunday, while Max Malins is named in the squad after recovering from an ankle injury that meant he missed the Brighton training camp.

The other players released were forwards Tom Dunn, Joe Heyes, Bevan Rodd and Sam Simmonds, as well as backs Tommy Freeman, Cadan Murley and Ben Youngs.

Full England squad:

Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.

Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson.

Mohamed Haouas will play no part in the rest of France's Six Nations campaign after he was banned for a collision with Scotland's Ben White.

The prop made head-on-head contact with White while trying to clear out the Scotland scrum-half in the 10th minute of France's 32-21 win at the Stade de France on Sunday.

Haouas also received a red card against Scotland in the 2020 edition of the competition, being given a three-week ban for punching Jamie Ritchie.

He has received a four-week suspension on this occasion, meaning he will miss France's matches with England and Wales as his team bid to retain the Six Nations.

A widely reported statement from Six Nations said: "French prop Mohamed Haouas appeared before an independent judicial committee via video link having received a red card for an act of foul play in the Guinness Six Nations match between France and Scotland on Sunday.

"After reviewing all the evidence, the committee applied World Rugby's mandatory minimum mid-range entry point for foul play resulting in contact with the head. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.

"Having acknowledged that there were no aggravating factors and accepted mitigating factors including the player's early acknowledgement that the incident warranted a red card; the lack of intent and premeditation and clearly expressed remorse, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by two weeks, resulting in a sanction of four weeks."

The suspension leaves head coach Fabien Galthie with a headache ahead of Saturday's meeting with England at Twickenham, with first-choice prop Uini Atonio also unavailable following his ban for a tackle in the loss to Ireland.

Sipili Falatea looks to be the favourite to deputise against England, though Atonio could return for the clash with Wales should he complete a tackle coaching intervention program.

French football icon Just Fontaine has died at the age of 89.

The forward holds the record for the most goals scored in a single edition of a World Cup, hitting a haul of 13 in just six matches of the 1958 tournament as France reached the semi-finals for the first time.

Fontaine's flurry of goals included a hat-trick in his tournament debut against Paraguay and four in the third-place play-off win against West Germany, which ensured he had scored in every game.

Despite just featuring at one World Cup, only three players have scored more in the competition – Gerd Muller (14), Brazil great Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16). Lionel Messi tied Fontaine's tally of 13 in Qatar in his fifth participation.

Forced to retire at the age of 28 due to injury, Fontaine's international record stands at 30 goals from 21 caps.

At club level, Fontaine won the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 with Nice before joining Reims, where he won a further three league titles, the Coupe de France and was twice victorious in the Trophee des Champions.

The striker was also part of the side that reached the European Cup final in 1958-59, losing to Real Madrid.

He later moved into management and took charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Tolouse and the Morocco national side.

PSG were among the clubs to send their condolences to Fontaine following confirmation of his passing on Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappe congratulated Lionel Messi after his Paris Saint-Germain team-mate beat him to the FIFA Best Men's Player award.

Superstar Messi earned the prestigious individual accolade for the second time in his career, with the announcement made at Monday's ceremony in Paris.

The award spanned from the start of the 2021-22 season through to the end of the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi captained Argentina to victory over Mbappe's France in a memorable final in December.

Messi scored seven goals and provided three assists at the tournament to scoop the Golden Ball prize, while Mbappe also had 10 goal involvements and finished as top scorer.

Additionally, Messi scored 11 goals and claimed three assists from 18 games for PSG at the start of this campaign.

Mbappe was second in the voting ahead of Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.

Posting on Instagram after the ceremony, Mbappe wrote: "Another trophy at home. Big congratulations to @leomessi you are #TheBest."

Messi and Mbappe combined for all three goals as PSG defeated Marseille 3-0 in Ligue 1 last time out. The duo now have 10 goal combinations this season, the most in Europe's top-five leagues.

PSG, who are eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, host Nantes next before travelling to Bayern Munich for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie where they are aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit.