Brian Ashton, the England head coach, has made three changes for the RBS Six Nations match against France in Paris next Saturday. Despite seeing his team stutter to a 23-19 victory over Italy last time out - which followed a first home loss against Wales for 20 years - Ashton has decided not to carry out radical surgery.

Richard Wigglesworth, the Sale Sharks scrum half, will make a first England start after being handed a debut off the bench in Rome. The Blackpool-born player replaces Andy Gomarsall, who produced poor displays against Wales and Italy, with Paul Hodgson, the uncapped London Irish prospect, providing bench cover.

It means no place for Gomarsall, who missed Harlequins' Guinness Premiership match against Worcester last weekend after suffering a back spasm, in England's 22. The two other changes are up-front, where props Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery return.

Sheridan was sidelined for the trip to Rome by an infected cut on his heel, but he is now fully fit and takes over from Tim Payne. Vickery, meanwhile, was firstly troubled by a calf-muscle problem when England headed to Rome, before a stomach bug laid him low. He regains the captaincy from Steve Borthwick and replaces Matt Stevens, who drops down to the bench.

There is also a place among the substitutes for Tom Croft, the 22-year-old uncapped Leicester flanker, with Gloucester's Luke Narraway missing out.

England will return to Paris with seven of the starting line-up that accounted for France in last October's World Cup semi-final - Sheridan, Vickery, Mark Regan, Simon Shaw, Nick Easter, Jonny Wilkinson and Paul Sackey.

Wigglesworth, 24, was a member of England's 2004 Grand Slam side at under-21 level. He also helped England Saxons land the Churchill Cup last summer. Gomarsall though, has gone from key World Cup performer to being outside England's match-day group despite seeing three of his scrum-half rivals - Harry Ellis, Peter Richards and Shaun Perry - all currently out injured. And there could be no way back for the 33-year-old, who has won 35 caps during a Test career that started against Italy at Twickenham in 1996.

England must beat France to retain any realistic hope of landing a first Six Nations title since the 2003 Grand Slam season. The World Cup semi-final apart though, they have not defeated France in Paris since February 2000, when Wilkinson steered them to a memorable 15-9 success.

England team to play France: I Balshaw (Gloucester); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Regan (Bristol), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), J Haskell (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), N Easter (Harlequins). Replacements: L Mears (Bath), M Stevens (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), D Cipriani (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle).