Flood concedes that France's dynamic duo have the edge

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England fly-half Toby Flood has played down comparisons between his partnership with Ben Youngs and that of French half-backs Morgan Parra and François Trinh-Duc ahead of what is expected to be the Grand Slam decider on 26 February.

The Leicester Tigers pair have shone for England with Flood having kicked with 100 per cent accuracy. "Ben and I are very different to Trinh-Duc and Parra in terms of actual playing style but I like to think we are just as effective," said Flood.

"They are both world-class players in my eyes in regards to what they can do and how much the side relies on them. They have won the Grand Slam and are defending champions so by default they are the best two half-backs in the Northern Hemisphere."

France have named an unchanged 23-man squad for the game at Twickenham. Tom Hamilton