EM’S ONE ON ROSES FAST TRACK TO ANOTHER SLAM
Eddie’s pre-match boasts came back to haunt him as French kids gave his men a physical battering to leave them looking far from the best team of all time
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SCOTLAND fly-half Adam Hastings hopes his Dublin display has earned him the trust to take on England in their Calcutta Cup showdown.
The son of Scotland great Gavin was handed the reins in the absence of banished talisman Finn Russell in Scotland’s defeat against Ireland.
Russell left big boots to be filled after he was dropped for the Six Nations opener amid
EMILY SCARRATT helped England launch their defence of the Women’s Six Nations title with a 19-13 win over France in Pau.
Abby Dow and Vicky Fleetwood scored tries as the Red Roses dominated early on – but Laure Sansus crossed to start a France fightback before the break.
The second half was even until centre Scarratt raced clear for a fine solo try that she also converted.
A penalty from allegations he had breached team rules with a late-night drinking session.
But Hastings (below) kicked all his side’s points in a narrow loss best remembered for Stuart Hogg’s horror fumble on the tryline. “I just wanted to go out there and put in a halfdecent performance and gain a bit of trust,” said Hastings.
“I’d love the opportunity to take on England.”
Jessy Tremouliere reduced the gap but England held out. Although victory was England’s fifth in a row over France, it was their first in France in the Six Nations since 2012.
Scarratt (below) said: “The defence of the Grand Slam is back on. It’s a tough way to do it with three away games, so it’s definitely the start we wanted.”
Elsewhere, Italy edged out Wales 19-15 while Ireland beat Scotland 18-14.
EDDIE JONES had his words stuffed down his throat as his claim that England would be too brutal and too great for France turned to dust in Paris.
Jones had sent his World Cup finalists out with their heads full of what they would soon become – the “Liverpool of rugby” being his most recent pronouncement.
Well, Jurgen Klopp’s peerless men in red have never had a 57-minute period like that which left Owen Farrell’s team down and almost out at 24-0. As for the “absolute brutality” Jones told France’s young team to expect, probably the less said about that the better.
England may indeed one day be remembered as the “greatest team ever to play rugby” but, on this evidence, it ain’t going to happen any time soon.
For on a wet, dank afternoon at Stade de France they so emphatically failed to walk the walk that somebody really should tell them to stop talking the talk.
Within six minutes, France had cut open a defence (Vincent Rattez crosses, below) which could have been marshalled by Shaun Edwards had the RFU taken any of the many opportunities it has had to sign him over the years. By the end of the first quarter, the margin was 17-0 – Edwards’ French defence holding up just nicely, thank you very much.
“It’s like we forgot how to play rugby in the first half,” said Jones (right). “We were slow out of the blocks, we were sorry for ourselves, and out of kilter. We let the situation