France have raised English eyebrows and ruffled Gallic feathers by insisting that tomorrow's Five Nations opener at the Stade de France must be played with a Gilbert ball.

Adidas, the official supplier to the French team, has discreetly fallen in with the aboutturn, anxious to avoid any embarrassing contretemps with Les Tricolores.

England, who as guests had no say in the matter, are as happy as the French to lock horns over the traditional Gilbert, widely regarded as the most trustworthy ball manufactured in the past 140 years.

Goalkickers on both sides of the English Channel have tended to be a bit suspicious of the lighter Adidas ball since it attracted criticism in the 1991 World Cup.

France's goalkicker, Christophe Lamaison, who scored 42 championship points last season, has developed a strong preference for the English ball which, it is claimed, follows a truer flight path than the Adidas. The out-half Thomas Castagnaide, whose late drop goal defeated England in Paris two years ago, also likes the carefully-engineered Gilbert.

Fears that tomorrow's match might have to be postponed because of a frozen pitch were eased yesterday as temperatures rose. Nevertheless, the England squad had to change plans and hold their first 10.00 a.m. training session on an allweather university pitch, because their original venue at Charlety on the outskirts of Paris was frostbound. The French squad have also been working out on a synthetic pitch. There will be no substitute scrum-half on the England bench which, for the first time, will include seven players. Matt Dawson, the Northampton number nine, has a damaged shoulder which ruled him out and increased the responsibility on Austin Healey. The Leicester scrum-half, chosen by England as a wing, will take on his normal role should Kyran Bracken have to withdraw during the 80 minutes.

Tim Rodber, who has not played a Test since last summer's Lions tour to South Africa, has also missed out on a bench place due to a hamstring injury received at training. England, though, have still managed to name five forwards among their seven substitutes, including two uncapped frontrows, the prop Phil Vickery of Gloucester and the hooker Dorian West of Leicester. Phil de Glanville, the former England captain, also joins his Bath team-mate Matt Perry on the bench.

Dominic Chapman has got his reward for being the leading try-scorer in the Allied Dunbar Premiership by being picked in the England A team to play France A in Tours today. The Richmond wing lines up alongside Northampton centre Matt Allen. Chapman, who would also qualify to play for Ireland, but opted for England, and Allen are both uncapped at senior level.

ENGLAND A: Catling (Gloucester); Johnson (Gloucester), Greenstock (Wasps), Allen (Northampton), Chapman (Richmond); Mapletoft (Gloucester), Gomarsall (Wasps); Ubogu (Bath), Chuter (Saracens), Molloy (Wasps), Fidler (Gloucester), Shaw (Wasps), Corry (Leicester), Clarke (Richmond, capt), Jen (Harlequins). Replacements: Ravenscroft (Saracens), Butland (Bath), Wood (Wasps), Botterman (Saracens), Green (Wasps), Gillies (Richmond), Win- ters (Bedford).