Despite seeing his team stutter to a 23-19 victory over Italy last time out - which followed a first home loss against Wales for 20 years - Ashton has decided not to carry out radical surgery.

Sale Sharks scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth will make a first England start after being handed a debut off the bench in Rome.

Blackpool-born Wigglesworth replaces 2003 World Cup winner Andy Gomarsall, who produced poor displays against Wales and Italy, with uncapped London Irish prospect Paul Hodgson providing bench cover.

It means no place for Gomarsall, who missed Harlequins’ Premiership clash against Worcester last weekend after suffering a back spasm, in England’s 22.

The two other changes are up front, where props Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery return.

Sheridan was sidelined for the trip to Rome by an infected cut on his heel, but he is now fully fit and takes over from Wasps loosehead Tim Payne.

Vickery, meanwhile, was firstly troubled by a calf-muscle problem when England headed to Rome, before a stomach bug laid him low.

Vickery regains the captaincy from lock Steve Borthwick and replaces Matt Stevens, who drops down to the bench.

There is also a place among the substitutes for 22-year-old uncapped Leicester flanker Tom Croft, with Gloucester’s Luke Narraway missing out.

England will return to Paris with seven of the starting line-up that accounted for France in last October’s World Cup semi-final - Sheridan, Vickery, hooker Mark Regan, lock Simon Shaw, number eight Nick Easter, fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and wing Paul Sackey.

Wigglesworth, 24, was a member of England’s 2004 Grand Slam side at under-21 level. He also helped England Saxons land the Churchill Cup last summer.

Gomarsall, though, has gone from key World Cup performer to being outside England’s match-day group despite three of his scrum-half rivals - Harry Ellis, Peter Richards and Shaun Perry - being injured.

And there could be no way back for the 33-year-old, who has won 35 caps during a Test career that started against Italy at Twickenham in 1996.

Hodgson, like Wigglesworth, has raced up the pecking order and probably sealed his selection by playing a commanding role when London Irish beat Premiership champions Leicester two days ago.

England must beat Les Bleus to retain any realistic hope of landing a first Six Nations title since the 2003 Grand Slam season.

The World Cup semi-final apart though, they have not defeated France in Paris since February 2000, when Wilkinson steered them to a memorable 15-9 success.

England team to play France in the RBS 6 Nations Championship in Paris on Saturday:

I Balshaw (Gloucester); P Sackey (Wasps), J Noon (Newcastle), T Flood (Newcastle), L Vainikolo (Gloucester); J Wilkinson (Newcastle), R Wigglesworth (Sale Sharks); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), M Regan (Bristol), P Vickery (Wasps, capt), S Shaw (Wasps), S Borthwick (Bath), J Haskell (Wasps), M Lipman (Bath), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: L Mears (Bath), M Stevens (Bath), B Kay (Leicester), T Croft (Leicester), P Hodgson (London Irish), D Cipriani (Wasps), M Tait (Newcastle).