High Noon for England

Jamie Noon insists England will not lack belief when they tackle RBS 6 Nations title favourites France on Saturday night.

England have not won a Six Nations game in Paris for eight years, while Les Bleus currently top the table following victories over Scotland and Ireland.

Newcastle centre Noon said: "We have taken the last two games on the chin. There is an element of needing to be more precise, but we've also shown we can play, and when we do we've been effective. We believe in ourselves and we believe in the team that has been picked."

Although Saturday night's encounter is not a knockout game to compare with the World Cup semi-final victory over France last October, England will be left floundering on the canvas if they lose.

Head coach Brian Ashton said: "We've never used the word knockout in a Six Nations tournament, but the players are not daft.

"They will be aware that if they want to win the Six Nations tournament what they have got to do, which is not lose another game.

"We've talked about focusing on the next game and making sure we get our performances right, and so far, you could argue we've only done that for 50% of each game.

"We've got to be much better than that if we want to come away with the right result.

"The players are well aware of the importance of this game. Not because it is England versus France, not because it is the third game of the Six Nations, but because we really need to see signs now for 80 minutes that the team is starting to move in a different direction.

"They are certainly in the mood to put that into operation. If we get in front, we have got to be more ruthless in terms of just applying ourselves to the detail of how we want to play the game."