
Home About Us Subscribe 6 Nations Argentina Australia England France Ireland Italy New Zealand Scotland South Africa Springboks USA Wales Browse England use Tom Palmer as cover for Steve Borthwick before France test Stade Français lock stays with Johnson's squad Captain troubled by left knee injury England are waiting for confirmation of the fitness of their captain , Steve Borthwick , before their final Six Nations fixture , against France tomorrow evening . A final decision will be made before the squad leave for Paris this afternoon . The decision to retain the Stade Français lock Tom Palmer as cover suggests Borthwick's recovery from an injured left knee is far from . guaranteed There might seem scant logic in fielding a lame lineout specialist with the title gone and England guaranteed to finish no lower than third but Martin Johnson , having made six changes , is keen to avoid further disruption against a confident French team . At some stage , however , he will have to test an alternative captain and this could be an opportunity to discover how someone like the Harlequins No8 Nick Easter responds to such a . challenge With England having announced three midweek dates on