Where France's coach, Marc Lievremont, is going out on every limb he can find, Brian Ashton has gone for known quantities. England's coach will give a first start to Richard Wigglesworth when the two countries meet at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, the third round of the RBS Six Nations Championship, but if England offer no more than mediocrity, Ashton will surely wield the axe afterwards.

Change at scrum half has been in the air throughout the championship, given Andy Gomarsall's uneven form, and a back spasm prevented him playing for Harlequins last weekend. Now there is no place for him in Saturday's match squad, Paul Hodgson having demonstrated so convincingly for London Irish in their win over Leicester on Sunday that he makes his way onto an England bench for the first time.

The recall of the two props, Phil Vickery (as captain) and Andrew Sheridan, was no more than expected once the two of them had proved their fitness. Vickery did so by playing all but four minutes of the fast and furious game last Saturday between Bath and London Wasps, showing his recovery from both a strained calf muscle and a stomach bug. Sheridan, though he did not play for Sale Sharks last Friday, has recovered from an abscess on his Achilles tendon and will hope to make a considerable impact on a strangely fallible France scrum.

You could argue that Ashton, who will start no more than seven of the players who beat France 14-9 in last October's World Cup semi-finals, has been consistent: some will suggest he should have been far more adventurous, by promoting Danny Cipriani and giving Tom Croft a first appearance, though the lanky Leicester flanker does at least make the bench for the first time, at the expense of Gloucester's Luke Narraway. But many of this England XV will know they are in the last-chance saloon, particularly given the inexperience of the France side opposing them.

Lievremont has given Morgan Parra, a mere 19, his first start at scrum half after the withdrawal of the injured Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, and paired him with Francois Trinh-Duc, another of this season's debutants. In front of them at No 8, Louis Picamoles makes only his second international start and England must believe they can expose this green hub to France's game.

France boast a threatening back division, if the young half backs can give them the service they need. If England's pack do not back themselves to gain the upper hand at the set pieces, something will be badly wrong; apart from anything else, John Wells, the forwards coach, will have given them a piece of his mind after the failure to secure loose possession in any quantity in Rome nine days ago and the return of their props will boost morale, well though Tim Payne and Matt Stevens played against Italy.

Wigglesworth won his first cap in that match, playing in the final quarter to some effect given the pressure his colleagues were under. He is a talented footballer and deserves this opportunity, though his club colleague, Lionel Faure, will doubtless be telling the France coaches everything about England's new No 9 that he considers relevant.