Moody misses out on France after suffering a setback in training
Published:Lewis Moody misses out on a return to England duty after suffering a recurrence of the knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the last five weeks in training on Wednesday.
But there is room for Andrew Sheridan who will replace Alex Corbisiero in the front row despite Corbisiero’s impressive debut against the Italians in round two of the Six Nations.
Sheridan is the only change to the England team that is 4/9 to beat France at Twickenham on Saturday as Martin Johnson’s side target their third straight win as they continue their search for the Grand Slam.
With a trip to Ireland still to come, a win against France wouldn’t guarantee the Grand Slam for England but it would certainly see their Six Nations Grand Slam odds shorten from the current 15/8.
Having beaten the French at Twickenham on four of the five times the two teams have met in the Six Nations, the England squad are confident that they can take a Grand Slam win into the World Cup that starts in September.
England have seen plenty of support in the World Cup betting following their start to the Six Nations and are now available at 9/1 to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
New customers to Ladbrokes.com can sign up here for a free rugby bet worth £25, and a £25 stake on England winning the Six Nations and the World Cup would return £431.75.
But France too have their sights set on a World Cup victory (12/1), and should the French emerge from Twickenham victorious on Saturday – they are 7/4 to beat England – Marc Lievremont’s side would have to beat Italy in Rome and Wales in Paris to secure the Grand Slam.
France are 6/5 to win the Six Nations and 2/1 to win the Grand Slam.
A £25 stake on England beating France by 6-10 points would return £137.50. New customers can sign up here for a free bet worth £25.
