Courtney Lawes insists England are not scared of French giants ahead of their Six Nations clash at Twickenham

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England could recall two Lions forwards to their starting line-up as they prepare to step into the path of a juggernaut at Twickenham on Saturday — driven by France’s ‘big dudes’ up front.

Stuart Lancaster’s team are bracing themselves for a fearsome onslaught in the latest instalment of ‘Le Crunch’ as they aim to clinch the RBS 6 Nations title and there is a significant chance they could turn to hooker Tom Youngs and lock Geoff Parling.

Lifted by their win over Italy in Rome on Sunday, Philippe Saint-Andre’s French side will come to London with a monster pack and orders to grind English ambition into the earth.

Yet the home forward unit, marshalled by Graham Rowntree, have stood toe-to-toe with all-comers and trumped most rivals in recent years, even if their dominance of the close-quarters combat has not always brought the deserved results.

England forward Courtney Lawes described the French pack as 'big dudes'

Along with Youngs and Parling, flanker Tom Wood is another established figure pushing hard for a place in the starting XV. One man who will be at the forefront of the home resistance is Northampton lock Courtney Lawes, whose comeback from injury against Scotland was a resounding personal triumph. He was laid back on Monday when considering the magnitude of a title decider.

When asked about his French counterparts Yoann Maestri and Alexandre Flanquart, he said: ‘They’re big dudes. It’ll be an interesting game.’

It will be interesting for those who relish a thunderous encounter and Lawes is certainly in that category.

He added: ‘I’ve played against many French sides. They’re always physical. Obviously we’ve got to stay with them and show them they can’t just roll over us. Then we can play some good rugby, get them moving around us and hopefully our fitness will tell come the end.’

VIDEO Robshaw sets sights on France following Scotland win 

England stepped up their preparations for their final RBS 6 Nations clash with France at Twickenham

Richard Wigglesworth passes the ball as the team practice at their headquarters in Bagshot

England packs don’t make a habit of bending the knee to any opponents at home. There is pride in their reputation and they will protect it with gusto.

‘We’re not the biggest pack but we certainly bring physicality,’ said Lawes. ‘We like the contact and I don’t think we’ve ever really been shoved around. We’ve got a great pack, very dynamic, and we’ve got a lot of different things we can do which is great. We certainly don’t expect to get pushed around.

‘Physicality is a massive part of the game for French sides and it’s going to be a big challenge up front — something we’ve got to match, at least.’

Danny Cipriani passes the ball during England's training session at Pennyhill Park Hotel in Surrey

England coach Lancaster oversees his team's training session as they prepare for a French test

Romain Taofifenua and Alexandre Flanquart look on during France's clash with Italy in Rome

Lancaster is well aware of the heavyweight threat. Many of the biggest visitors are likely to be substitutes unleashed in the second half in an attempt to blast through a tiring England defence — giants such as Vincent Debaty (19st), Romain Taofifenua (20st) and centre Mathieu Bastareaud (19st). ‘They are a huge team; very powerful and rely a lot on the bench at around 50 minutes — guys like (Benjamin) Kayser and Debaty,’ said the head coach. ‘It will be interesting to see if Bastareaud starts. He adds a huge physical presence to their back line. They are big and athletic.’

Asked if England are equipped to withstand the battering, he added: ‘Yeah, I think so. There is enough power.’

England also need enough points to seal the title but will not worry about chasing elusive targets, at least initially. ‘If we start obsessing about the scoreline, then we’re not going to win the game,’ said Lancaster.