England full-back Ben Foden looks focused as he trains ahead of England's Six Nations clash with France - dubbed the Championship decider - at Twickenham
French behemoths Sebastien Chabal and Julien Bonnaire make sure they've got plenty of the liquid stuff inside them before what promises to be a brutal encounter
The boots are polished and the white shirts have gone through a 40 degree wash. All that awaits us now is for England to turn up, don their kit and head out to the pitch, which we're sure they will do. They better had
The French arrive at Twickenham with something blue and furry on their heads (the offspring of Rod Hull's emu?) but they don't seem to care and are enjoying the pre-match atmosphere in west London
"I got my ticket from the guy on the pitch who's wearing the white shirt with No13 on it - he's my cousin's fiance. Honest." It's proving to be a right Royal occasion at Rugby HQ
We kick-off and it's intense stuff inside the Twickenham cauldron, with some bruising tackles being made by both teams as they get to grips with the damp conditions
Outside-half Toby Flood's exemplary form with the boot continues as he kicks three penalties to ensure England go into the break level at 9-9
Despite it being a cold February evening, the temperature reaches boiling point on the pitch and a few players lose their heads (not literally - or by Royal command) as the occasion causes tempers to flare
Tom Palmer charges down Dimitri Yachvili's kick and the ball is worked to Ben Foden who wriggles his way through the France defence. Flood misses the conversion [inserts shocked face] but England lead 14-9
Worryingly for England the influential Toby Flood hobbles from the pitch but, in Jonny Wilkinson, he is replaced by a more than able deputy dawg
Mr Reliable turns back the clocks as a Jonny Wilkinson penalty makes it 17-9 to England and that's game set and match for Martin Johnson's Grand-Slam chasing Rosbifs
Man-of-the-match Palmer celebrates at the final whistle - with three wins out of three, the English press will no doubt start talking Grand Slams, but they've still got Scotland and Ireland to come
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