England look to kick their Six Nations campaign into gear as they take on France at Twickenham this evening. Steve Borthwick’s side were beaten by Ireland in Dublin last weekend as they fell away in the second-half, and they now attempt to avoid an eighth straight defeat against Tier One opposition.

England were hammered 53-10 by France the last time these sides met at Twickenham, and after a poor autumn the pressure is on to start turning spells of positive performances into something more substantial. Marcus Smith starts at full-back as Fin Smith comes into the side at fly-half, while Tom Willis has also been brought in for Les Blues’ visit.

France were in imperious form on the opening night of the Six Nations, cruising to a 43-0 win. Damian Penaud returns from injury to further strengthen the starting XV, while Matthieu Jalibert replaces the suspended Romain Ntamack. France will be hoping to keep building the momentum heading towards what already feels like a title-decider in Dublin next month. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from Simon Collings at Twickenham!

England vs France latest news

• TRY! Bielle-Biarrey goes over for France

• How to watch: ITV

• England team news

• France team news

• Standard Sport prediction

HT: England 7-7 France

17:32 , Matt Verri

That’s the end of an intriguing first-half.

France were the better side early on, eventually getting the try to show for it, but England responded well.

Lawrence has got the home side level heading into the break.

England 7-7 France

17:29 , Matt Verri

38 mins: Momentum is with England, as Penaud is penalised for obstruction.

England kick to touch and the lineout is good, but Curry’s offload then gifts the ball back to France.

Willis rips it back... the whistle has gone. Advantage was being played.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

17:28 , Matt Verri

Ollie Lawrence was one of England's best players last week and he was brilliant there.

What a hand-off on Ramos.

England 7-7 France

17:27

Quick check but that went backwards, try stands.

Marcus Smith adds the extras from in front of the posts.

TRY! England 5-7 France | Ollie Lawrence 36'

17:27 , Matt Verri

36 mins: Freeman, Willis, Freeman again... England trying to power their way over the line from close range. France hanging on.

England have the advantage though, Smith screaming for England to play this wide.

It’s still with the forwards, though. Ball goes loose, does Smith knock it forward?

Referee says play on and Lawrence finds a gap to burst through for the try!

England 0-7 France

17:24 , Matt Verri

34 mins: Nearly for England!

Freeman beats the tackle and pops it on the outside to Mitchell. He’s running out of space so pokes a kick forward, Gros does brilliantly to get back and touch that down.

England scrum on the 5m line.

England 0-7 France

17:24 , Matt Verri

33 mins: Home fans trying to rally England in response to that try.

Scrum is won by England and Fin Smith’s kick has France scrambling back to their own tryline.

Huge drive from England to try and turn it over on the 5m line - France just about clear the danger.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

17:22 , Matt Verri

Some lovely slick play from France to finish that. Penaud's kick was perfect.

England 0-7 France

17:21 , Matt Verri

31 mins: Ramos sends over the conversion from the left touchline.

Scoreline you would say is a pretty fair reflection of the pattern of play.

TRY! England 0-5 France | Louis Bielle-Biarrey 30'

17:20 , Matt Verri

Ruthless!

It’s a complete mess as the ball breaks free, Mauvaka then stalls the momentum with a terrible pass.

But Dupont gets them going again, Penaud with a brilliant grubber through and Bielle-Biarrey gathers, before diving over out wide.

England 0-0 France

17:18 , Matt Verri

28 mins: Great work from Lawrence at the breakdown, England penalty. Slade’s kick is a good one this time and the home side will have the lineout just outside the French 22.

But they can’t claim it, France steal another one at the lineout.

England 0-0 France

17:17 , Matt Verri

26 mins: Marcus Smith’s kick is charged down, Mitchell has to go scrambling back towards his own tryline and does really to scoop that up under pressure.

Mitchell then doesn’t find touch with the clearing kick, France can come again.

But it’s another French error, this time Bielle-Biarrey not gathering cleanly.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

17:15 , Matt Verri

A real scrappy game so far. France have looked the more likely to score, but even they have been off it with some rare handling errors.

England 0-0 France

17:13 , Matt Verri

23 mins: Dupont pokes a kick forward, Jalibert throws himself to the ground and claims he’s been blocked. Referee barely looks at him.

Slade calms things down by kicking to touch, just over the halfway line.

England 0-0 France

17:11 , Matt Verri

21 mins: The lineout from Cowan-Dickie isn’t great and France steal it in the England 22. This match is starting to burst into life.

France 5m out again, they’ve got numbers... and it’s dropped again!

This is madness. Penaud this time spills it forward, just as it was opening up for the blue shirts.

England 0-0 France

17:09 , Matt Verri

20 mins: But France win the penalty - and Penaud takes it quickly deep in his own 22!

It’s a ruthless break from France, carving through the English defence. Just too quick.

Ramos plays it wide to Dupont, he’s in for a try... but drops it! Incredible.

England 0-0 France

17:08 , Matt Verri

19 mins: Chance for England to get going in attack.

Penalty kicked to touch, just outside the 22 and the lineout is claimed.

Fin Smith pops it inside to Sleightholme, before Willis bundles his way through a couple of tackles.

England five metres out...

England 0-0 France

17:05 , Matt Verri

16 mins: Plenty of scrums, which is contributing to the stop-start nature of this match.

England have barely been in French territory so far, it’s been the visitors who have had the better of a cagey encounter.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

17:03 , Matt Verri

A bit of handbags between Penaud and Sleightholme gets the crowd up. It's been very flat here so far otherwise.

England 0-0 France

17:02 , Matt Verri

14 mins: France definitely look the more dangerous early on.

Penaud has barely had a touch and this one he spills forward. Gets a shove from Sleightholme and the two of them then grab shirts.

Gets the crowd going again.

England 0-0 France

17:00 , Matt Verri

12 mins: Well that is a surprise!

Near enough perfectly central but Ramos has pulled the kick wide of the posts. He doesn’t miss many of those.

England 0-0 France

16:59 , Matt Verri

11 mins: Barassi with too much on the kick forward, easily dealt with and touched down in the 22.

But play is pulled back for offside against Genge, French penalty within kicking distance.

England 0-0 France

16:56 , Matt Verri

9 mins: Ramos bursts into the England 22, Penaud on his outside but he goes by himself and France are up towards the 5m line.

But Curry comes to the rescue - big hit and Roumat drops the ball.

England 0-0 France

16:54 , Matt Verri

8 mins: Gareth Southgate among those watching on at Twickenham.

Bit of a pause in play, Earl needs some treatment before this French lineout. He’s back up and fine to continue.

England 0-0 France

16:53 , Matt Verri

7 mins: Slade goes for a bit too much with the penalty and can’t find touch. All a bit messy at the moment.

Freeman then catches Bielle-Biarrey in the air as they challenge for the ball, penalty France.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

16:51 , Matt Verri

England looking a little flustered in these early stages, a few nerves clear to see.

Mitchell boots the ball out when he had plenty of men outside him.

England 0-0 France

16:50 , Matt Verri

5 mins: First sign of France clicking into gear.

Barassi free out wide, he has Bielle-Biarrey on the inside but it’s not a great pass, and the winger can’t take it with him.

Let-off for England.

England 0-0 France

16:49 , Matt Verri

4 mins: Early test of the English lineout, just outside their 22.

Solid enough, before Martin then finds himself on the receiving end of a big hit. Takes a while to get up from that.

England 0-0 France

16:47 , Matt Verri

2 mins: Smith has his first chance to skip into space from full-back.

Combines nicely with Freeman, but he then spills it forward as Bielle-Biarrey comes in with the tackle.

Simon Collings at Twickenham

16:45 , Matt Verri

Judging by the gusto with which that French national anthem rang around Twickenham, I think it is fair to say plenty of fans have got the Eurostar this morning.

KICK-OFF!

16:45 , Matt Verri

Up and running!

Strap. In.

16:41 , Matt Verri

Maro Itoje leads England out at Twickenham for the first time as captain.

There will be a minute’s silence to remember Tom Voyce, after he tragically lost his life before Christmas.

Edwards points to poor French record

16:38

Shaun Edwards, France’s defence coach, has been in typically honest mood.

He’s asked ahead of kick-off about the pressure on England and whether France can capitalise on that.

Edwards points out that France have only one win at Twickenham in the last 20 years, so pressure is on them too.

All very chilled...

16:29 , Matt Verri

It’s very, very quiet in the French dressing room. Tape going on, stretches being done.. all in a world of their own.

Warm-ups very nearly done at Twickenham.

While we wait for that - enjoy an Antoine Dupont montage. Expect plenty more to be added to the highlights package today.

Not long now!

16:19 , Matt Verri

Around 25 minutes until we get up and running at Twickenham. Really is a huge afternoon for England.

Defeat and they will have a fortnight to reflect on a poor start to the Six Nations, leading into a match against Scotland who have won the last four matches between the two sides.

Have to find something this evening against France.

Job done for Italy!

16:11 , Matt Verri

It got a bit nervy as Italy finished the match with 13 men, but they hold on for victory!

They beat Wales 22-15 and it’s now 14 defeats on the bounce for Warren Gatland’s side.

Now need something special just to avoid the wooden spoon.

Atmosphere building!

16:01 , Matt Verri

Fans are starting to arrive at Twickenham.

Maro Itoje and Antoine Dupont have been out for their pre-match duties as captains.

Would be fair to say the sun is not exactly shining...

Itoje dismisses pressure claim

15:52 , Matt Verri

Maro Itoje played down suggestions there is increased pressure on England this evening.

After a poor autumn and then defeat in Dublin, England need to return to winning ways, but Itoje insisted that was nothing out of the ordinary.

“You tell me a game where you play for England and there’s no pressure, and I’ll say that’s probably a game where you’re not playing for England,” Itoje said.

“Pressure is the air we breathe, it’s the arena we operate in. Every game you play there is an element of pressure.”

Simon Collings at Twickenham

15:44 , Matt Verri

Can England finally step up and deliver against the elite?

Itoje: Physicality is non-negotiable

15:35 , Matt Verri

Maro Itoje has told his England team-mates they must be up for the fight this evening.

The England captain is expecting a physical test against France, but one he insists they can get the better of.

"The non-negotiable, first and foremost, is the physicality," Itoje said.

"You need to make sure you're physical, that you're winning that gain-line because they are a team that if you allow them to do that then they become difficult.

"We want to be aggressive as a team, getting off the line and hitting them and stopping them in their tracks. That's our mindset. They're a big, heavy team, they maul around some of their big boys but from my point of view we need to get stuck into that."

France suited and booted

15:29 , Matt Verri

French squad have also made their way inside the stadium.

Antoine Dupont leads them in - he played barely 50 minutes against Wales last weekend and that was still enough time to register three assists.

England have to find a way to somehow minimise his influence. Feels almost impossible, though.

In the building!

15:23 , Matt Verri

The England players have arrived at Twickenham...

England looking to avoid unwanted history

15:11

Depending if you are a glass half-full or half-empty person, a showdown with France is either the best or worst game for England.

Steve Borthwick’s side head into this Test at Twickenham off the back of an opening Six Nations defeat to Ireland and looking to avoid an unwanted record.

England have lost their last seven games in a row against Tier One opposition. Never in the country’s history have they lost eight on the bounce.

“There is always expectation,” said Borthwick. “Any of the main English sports there is expectation to win – cricket, football, rugby – there is expectation.

“And when you take the job you expect that expectation. I would rather be involved with a team that has expectation than one that doesn’t.”

England need a result and what better side to do that again than France. An opponent like that at a packed Twickenham should inspire Borthwick’s side and he will hope this is the turning point after a poor run of form in the autumn, too.

Read our full preview here!

Elsewhere in the Six Nations...

15:02 , Matt Verri

So far, so good for Italy.

They are 16-3 up against Wales at half-time in Rome, in what are fairly miserable conditions.

Reminder that Wales are on a 13-Test losing streak - going to need something fairly dramatic to end that run.

Good Twickenham memories for France

14:54 , Matt Verri

France have won the last three matches between these two sides.

That included an emphatic 53-10 win at Twickenham two years ago - utter dominance from Les Blues.

Standard Sport prediction

14:46 , Matt Verri

England have performed well at times but have struggled to put it together for the full 80 minutes.

France were sensational against Wales and will be confident of making it two wins from two, against an England side who have not been able to get over the line against elite opposition.

France to win, by at least seven points.

France team news

14:39 , Matt Verri

For France, Romain Ntamack misses the game through suspension.

Matthieu Jalibert comes in at fly-half to replace him, while Damian Penaud is back from injury in a major boost for Les Blues.

Theo Attissogbe drops out as a result.

France: Ramos; Penaud, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio, Roumat, Meafou, Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt.

Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Colombe, Auradou, Guillard, Jegou, Le Garrec, Gailleton.

England team news

14:32 , Matt Verri

England unite Fin Smith and Marcus Smith in their starting backline for the first time.

Fin Smith will make his first appearance in the No10 jersey, with Marcus Smith moving to full-back.

Ollie Sleightholme returns to the left wing after Cadan Murley was ruled out by a foot injury.

Tom Willis makes his first start at No8 as part of a back-row reshuffle that sees Ben Earl move to openside and Ben Curry drop to a bench bolstered by the return of veterans Jamie George and Elliot Daly.

England: M Smith; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; F Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, Earl, Willis

Replacements: George, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, B Curry, Randall, Daly

How to watch England vs France

14:22 , Matt Verri

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on ITV 1, following on from Italy’s clash with Wales.

Live stream: ITVX – which is free with a subscription via email – will provide a live stream.

LIVE coverage: Follow all the action right here, featuring expert analysis from Simon Collings at Twickenham.

Good afternoon!

14:15 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England vs France!

Huge afternoon ahead at Twickenham, as England look to bounce back from their opening defeat to Ireland last weekend.

Not going to be easy though - France were imperious in brushing aside Wales and go into this match as the favourites.

We’ll have all the latest updates and build-up right here, before full coverage of the match from 4:45pm GMT. Stick with us!