Doubts over Jones and Grayson force Woodward to wait

England are waiting on injury updates before Clive Woodward names his line-up for Saturday's Six Nations' Championship showdown with France in Paris.

Sale's Chris Jones picked up a hand injury in the first half of the match against Wales at the weekend and Woodward said yesterday: "Certain players are doing a recovery session with fitness coach Dave Reddin. I think that the only player we have a real concern about is Chris Jones, but we think he is going to be OK."

There is also a question mark over the fly-half Paul Grayson, who missed the Wales game with a calf injury. However, Woodward will not be too worried about the Northampton player's fitness given the performance put in by his replacement, Bath's Olly Barkley. Woodward expects to announce his team this morning.

To retain their Six Nations' title, England must win by a minimum of seven points and stay ahead on overall try-count.

"Our only objective this weekend is to win," Woodward said. "Bernard Laporte [the French coach] said that the whole of France is looking forward to this game, but I can assure him that the whole of England is looking forward to seeing England play France on Saturday night.

"This kind of situation gets the juices flowing, and I think that England do play better when we are up against the bigger sides. Playing France when they are going for the Grand Slam is a huge occasion, and I think that as an Englishman, it is the sort of game we want to be involved in."

Ireland still have an outside chance of winning the Six Nations, but need an England win of fewer than seven points combined with a 50-points victory over Scotland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. The Irish flanker, Keith Gleeson, is a definite absentee from the game after fracturing his arm in Saturday's 19-3 win over Italy. Gleeson is expected to be out of action for around eight weeks.

Wales have injury problems as well as they prepare to tackle Italy in Cardiff on Saturday. Brent Cockbain has a sprained ankle and is a doubt. Jonathan Thomas (bruised shoulder and hip) and Iestyn Harris (knee) will both undergo fitness tests. The captain, Colin Charvis, has a thigh injury but is expected to recover in time, but Huw Bennett has a stubbed toe and will be out of action for a month.

Saracens last night tasted victory of a sorts when they had a penalty for fielding an unregistered player - the hooker James Parkes in a Zurich Premiership match against Newcastle last September - halved by England Rugby Ltd.

Originally Saracens were deducted two Premiership points, but since Leicester had been deducted just one point for a similar offence the ERL appeals panel felt Saracens' punishment should be brought in line with that of the Tigers'.

Saracens yesterday signed Leeds' Dan Scarbrough, who will join them at the start of next season. Scarbrough, who won his solitary England cap to date against Wales in the World Cup warm-up match last year, has scored 28 tries in 58 appearances for Leeds.

Another prolific scorer from a different era, Peter Jackson, the former Coventry, England and British and Irish Lions wing, has died aged 73. Jackson, dubbed the "Prince of Wingers", had electric pace and was a beautifully balanced runner. One of his most memorable matches was against the 1958 Wallabies, when he scored a last-minute try after a mazy run through the massed Australian ranks. It earned 14-man England - they had lost the services of fly-half Phil Horrocks-Taylor half an hour into the match and there were no replacements in those days - a famous victory, just when it looked as if the Aussies were going to force a draw.

Jackson played in every match of the 1959 Lions tour to New Zealand and won 20 caps for England.