Brian Ashton selected exactly the same team today as he did a week ago. Not one change on the bench, not one change off it. As a vote of confidence, he could have hardly done anything more to add further to the building of positive spirit that is brewing in this England camp.

This is surely the right move. The players hated the chopping and changing that characterised the early weeks of this campaign. They love the idea of knowing where they stand and how to move forwards. That is now what they have. It has taken seed and appears to be blooming.

If Ashton had made changes, it would probably have been at the problematic position of inside centre. However, he decided Mike Catt had done enough to retain his position and that was the right call.

A tougher call still was deciding that Toby Flood had done enough to retain the spot on the bench. Olly Barkley has had such a topsy-turvy time: one moment he is the team's saviour, the next he is not even in the starting 22. This is hard luck too for Andy Farrell who was the starting 12 a week ago, picked up that injury and now, like Barkley, will watch from the stands. No tracksuit required.

But that is just the hard life of an international sportsman. They both know that and can have no complaints. No one can. If Ashton wanted to give England the best possible chance of beating France, it was to pick very the team whose names he read out today.