England give abject France a real kicking
EDDIE JONES strove in vain to talk up Wales in an attempt to prevent his side being placed on a pedestal and burdened by expectation.
Nice try, but too late. England are top of the Six Nations table with a perfect 10 as they contemplate a likely decider against Wales in Cardiff a week on Saturday.
They are title favourites — whether they like it or not. Another bonus-point win was the inevitable outcome once Jonny May had snatched a half-hour hattrick to settle the game before half-time. England picked up where they left off in the victory over reigning champions Ireland but this was very different to Dublin, where they had to subdue high-class opponents. At Twickenham yesterday, a famous sporting rivalry was reduced to a painful procession. It was not so much ‘Le Crunch’ as ‘Le Crash’ with France’s campaign hitting the wall. The visitors were abject.
England kicked and the crowd clapped, in tribute to the hosts’ effective try-scoring formula. France left their back door open and the hosts took full advantage. And it was English boots saw off the feeble French.
Owen Farrell, the home captain, scored 17 points and set the tone for the shrewd, low-altitude barrage. He was aided and abetted by the other footballers in the England backline — Ben Youngs, Henry Slade and Elliot Daly. Chris Ashton joined in, too.
Utilising this supply line, Jonny May filled his boots. His first try came with barely a minute on the clock and maintained England’s knack of delivering fast starts this season. It was the fifth Test in a row when Jones’s men have claimed a touchdown in the opening three minutes.
This time, the scorer was not finished — in that he kept finishing. In the 24th minute, May took a long pass from Farrell on the left and stood up Damian Penaud to score on the outside.
It was the act of a man in supreme form and five minutes later, he had his treble, as he chased through in pursuit of Ashton’s low kick and slid over.
Remarkably, at that stage, May had three tries from just four touches of the ball. But this was no solo show. In the first half, the whole orchestra performed in harmony. Slade was superb again — with another well-taken try and another layer of authority added to his midfield status. Just as he had done in Dublin, the Exeter centre handled the physicality of the occasion while also managing to showcase his creative class.
Up front, the absence of Maro Itoje was negated in large part by the majesty of Courtney Lawes. He was aggressive on the floor and athletic in the air. The Northampton lock produced the tackle of the day when stopping the giant Mathieu Bastareaud.
England’s flankers, Mark Wilson and Tom Curry, reprised their heroics from Dublin. They were tenacious and dynamic and relentless. Curry was bloodied from a clash of heads but he kept coming back for more. And Wilson has transformed himself from a fringe figure into a mainstay of the back row. Brad Shields and Chris Robshaw will struggle to usurp him at blindside any time soon.
One notable aspect of this match was further proof that Youngs and Daly have been revitalised by their time in camp with England. Both men came into this tournament on the back of unconvincing club form, but are now firmly in the groove, with confidence surging.
Yet, while the collective performance against Ireland had come close to perfection, this time there was a drop-off. England were so settled in the driving seat by the halfway point that they flicked on the cruise control and very nearly nodded off at the wheel.
Slade had struck from a pass by Kyle Sinckler before the break, to secure the bonus point, and the event lost all tension.
They were awarded a debatable penalty try in the 50th minute, when Gael Fickou was ruled to have tackled Ashton off the ball. Five minutes later, Youngs took a quick tap penalty, Farrell dispatched a long punt forward and when Antoine Dupont knocked the ball over his own line, the England skipper pounced.
That was the end of the scoring, with 25 minutes to go. France thrashed around, seeking a shred of pride but could not add to the first-half try by Penaud.
If this was an accurate guide to the World Cup pool game between these teams, in Yokohama on October 12, England will cruise.
In the meantime, England are rolling on in the direction of a title and even a Grand Slam, while France are plunging towards oblivion. ENGLAND: Daly 8; Ashton 7 (Nowell 52), Slade 8.5, Tuilagi 7.5 (Ford 62), May 9, Farrell 9, Youngs 8 (Robson 70); M Vunipola 8 (Moon 44), George 8 (Cowan-Dickie 62), Sinckler 8 (Cole 57), Lawes 8, Kruis 7 (Launchbury 47), Wilson 8.5, B Vunipola 7 (Hughes 47), Curry 8.5. FRANCE: Huget 3 (Ramos 41); Penaud 6 (Ntamack 47), Doumayrou 5, Bastareaud 5, Fickou 5; Lopez 5, Parra 5 (Dupont 47); Poirot 5, Guirado 4 (Bourgarit 76), Bamba 5 (Aldegheri 57), Vahaamahina 5 (Willemse 57), Lambey 5 (Aldritt 70), Camara 5, Iturria 6, Picamoles 7. Not used: Bourgarit, Priso. Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales). Attendance: 78,000.