Rugby Union: England quartet ready for France

England can begin their drive towards a record hat-trick of Grand Slams with a clean bill of health for their opening Five Nations' Championship match against France at Twickenham on Saturday. Will Carling, the captain, and three other players safely passed fitness tests last night.

Carling came off with a twisted ankle for Harlequins in the league at Orrell last weekend, a match which produced two other injury worries. The flanker Peter Winterbottom was hurt in the back, while the scrum-half Dewi Morris bruised a thigh. In addition, the wing Ian Hunter missed Northampton's game against Leicester with a sore hamstring.

Geoff Cooke, England's manager, said after the session at The Stoop: 'They all practised well and look 100 per cent fit from my point of view.' Winterbottom packed down 30 times against a scrum machine, Morris feeding the ball into the English pack. Carling and Hunter, meanwhile, worked on moves on a soft pitch without signs of discomfort. 'We seem very lucky with injuries,' Cooke said. 'Our problems in that area are very few and even if these boys suffer a reaction there are still three days before the match.'

Meanwhile, England's squad will benefit from a sponsorship deal announced yesterday by the Rugby Football Union and Isostar, suppliers of a high-energy sports drink. The RFU will receive pounds 400,000 over three years to fund youth development. Carling said: 'This is part of our 'Run With The Ball' campaign and will give players a modest amount of money.' How much has not been revealed.

So far as Saturday's other international is concerned, there was good news, too, for the men in green when injury doubts over Philip Danaher, Simon Geoghegan and Noel Mannion were removed for the match with Scotland at Murrayfield.