Internal politics force France to name dramatically weakened squad for Autumn Nations Cup final against England

France must field a weakened team against England (Ian Rutherford/PA)

England’s path towards lifting a second piece of silverware of the autumn has been simplified by the internal politics that mean France must field a shadow team at Twickenham on Sunday.

The Autumn Nations Cup final has been devalued by the constraints placed on Les Bleus head coach Fabien Galthie, who has named a 31-man training squad containing only two players with caps totals in double figures in Brice Dulin and Uini Atonio.