Rugby:Stuart Lancaster insists the obituaries being written for French rugby are premature. The Six Nations rivals are experiencing contrasting fortunes ahead of Saturday's clash at Twickenham, but the England coach reckons it's "far too early" to cast judgment on Philippe Saint-Andre's side.

While an elusive Grand Slam is the target for an England side that has recorded three successive, high-quality victories, France have once more been reduced to a rabble. Defeats to Italy and Wales have seen the pre-tournament favourites record their worst start to a Six Nations with Saint-Andre under attack over selection and tactics.

In his defence, Saint-Andre has complained that the continual influx of overseas players into the financially-lucrative Top 14 is now having repercussions for the national team.

Player release from the all-powerful French clubs also works against Saint-Andre, who must cast envious glances at the agreement struck by the RFU and Aviva Premiership. But while Lancaster refuses to reassess the strength of France on the basis of two losses, he insists the English model is starting to produce results.

“It’s a bit early to say that France are suffering. There’s no doubt they have a very strong club programme and their club teams are very good,” he said. “It’s far too early on the back of two games to say France aren’t a good side. They beat Australia 33-6 in the autumn and Australia then beat us.

“While we’ll take something out of their first two Six Nations games, we’ll also take something out of those autumn internationals and make sure we’re ready for them. If you go through the players who will play against us and when you see them in their club colours they are good, experienced, tough, big, physical players. So it ain’t going to be easy. But the club-country agreement and the English Qualified Players scheme we have are both really positive initiatives.

“They were brought in when I started in 2008 and I think we’re seeing the fruits of that coming through now, particularly the English Qualified Player scheme. We’ve got a majority of English-based players in the Premiership which is critical for me. We have key English players playing in key positions like fly-half.

“The quality of the younger players coming through now is also the highest I’ve known it.”

France’s most recent implosion prior to this year’s Six Nations was during the 2011 World Cup when they crawled out of the group stage despite their players being in open dispute with coach Marc Lievremont.

Yet they still managed to reach the final, which they controlled only to be edged by New Zealand.

“You definitely get a backs-against-the-wall mentality when a team is in the position where they are. You want to prove a point,” Lancaster said. “In the autumn we’d lost two games to Australia and South Africa. We got the response we wanted against New Zealand. France are a dangerous side, full stop. France having lost two games and coming to Twickenham with nothing to lose in their minds is a pretty dangerous proposition.

“I see a parallel in their mentality now from before the World Cup quarter-final against England. For 60 minutes that was France at their best, playing on deconstructed attack. They were playing off turnover ball or kick returns and they just come alive. There have been examples of that in the Wales and Italy games. In the final they were aggressive and hard at the breakdown and put New Zealand under a huge amount of pressure.”

Lancaster has spoken to “people” in France about the “general mood”, though revealed that English players were not the source of any information he has gathered.

“France have had a rest week haven’t they? None of their squad played in the Top 14 last weekend which normally they do. That tells me something,” he said.

Number eight Ben Morgan and fly-half Freddie Burns are continuing their recovery from ankle and knee problems with Italy on March 10 a possible return date for the Gloucester pair.

Centre Jonathan Joseph has been ruled out for two weeks with a toe injury, but full-back Ben Foden has made good progress in his battle with ankle damage and will play for Northampton against Bath on Saturday.

Outhalf Toby Flood and flanker James Haskell missed training today because of a tight calf and flu respectively.