Red Roses face their fiercest rivals in grand slam decider

Just one point separates England and France at the top of the table as they play against each other at Twickenham today

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE RUGBY CORRESPONDENT

A vintage Women’s Six Nations this has not been for captivating, nail-shredding drama, nor tumultuous twists and turns, but the latest mighty meeting between England and France could yet deliver the kind of contest that this competition needs more of. The ledger may tilt heavily in the Red Roses favour in recent years – 14 consecutive wins over their fiercest foes beginning to come by larger margins – yet a side that has spoken of the need to be challenged in a World Cup year will relish an opportunity to test themselves against one of the few teams on the planet capable of pushing them close.

England’s thoughts dare not prematurely turn to September’s World Cup final yet in the context of a global tournament they are expected to win, this could be a pivotal day. All being well, there is hope that there may be double the 40,000 or so likely to file in this weekend in attendance come that World Cup showpiece but any trip to Twickenham is one for the Red Roses to enjoy given how recently they were given standalone status at the ground.

“I think that word opportunity is pivotal,” hooker Lark AtkinDavies tells The Independent. “We’ve got a massive opportunity to go and put in the performance we want in front of a home crowd, and hopefully a really good one at that. It’s exactly what we want – we want these big occasions not just for us, but for the game as well.