• England captain expresses fears over paywall plans
• ‘Rugby needs more eyes on it, not less’

The England captain, Maro Itoje, has called for Six Nations organisers to keep the championship on free-to-air TV on the grounds that rugby union needs more exposure, amid fears the championship will disappear behind a paywall next season.

Itoje, who leads England for the first time in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin, issued an impassioned plea, pointing to how he grew up watching the championship on the BBC and ITV.

France’s Louis Bielle-Biarre is widely tipped for the scene stealer but there are plenty of other themes to warm to

Who is going to win and why? France are the favourites for me. The form their players have shown in the Champions Cup is extraordinary. There are six French teams in the last 16 and five have home ties. They are peaking at the right time and also have the world’s best player and captain back in Antoine Dupont.

• Centre says there will be less emphasis on blitz
• ‘We know what we’re doing. That’s a step forward’

Henry Slade believes England have taken significant strides to fix their defensive frailties on the basis that “we know what we’re doing”, with the players adopting a more hands-on approach following a disappointing autumn.

Slade is the first senior player to admit England had difficulties getting up to speed during a “rushed” transition to the defensive system employed by Joe El-Abd, who was parachuted into the setup for the November international series after the shock resignation of Felix Jones.