May day
England winger grabs magical first-half hat-trick to crush the miserable French
Hail the Magnificent of England, sharp, potent and relentless, with first-half hat-trick hero Jonny May a star turn, but grieve, too, for Les Miserables of France, limp, dishevelled and wretched, a pale imitation of what Les Bleus used to be. Oh, my Blanco and Rives of long ago, where have you gone? It was not so much Le Crunch as La Catastrophe.
The Twickenham crowd gave due praise to England, cheering to the rafters as they ran in six tries to record their biggest win over France in 108 years, but they should also stop for a moment to mourn the death of French rugby.
It was May Day all round at Twickenham, the Leicester wing in his pomp, a transformed figure this past 18 months, no longer a wandering soul but a clever, alert and devastatingly efficient player, aware of all possibilities, while France could do nothing but send out distress signals.
There was little joy in witnessing such a demise, only sadness.
May, though, has become quite the item, testimony to his own maturity, but also the evident input that has come his way within the England environment. Speed alone will only take you so far at the highest level.
May has become more measured, more in tune with everything and everyone around him. And he has worked damned hard for his booty. The 28-year-old, who had only four touches in the first half yet scored three tries, is far more on-message than he ever used to be. There is no more dangerous wing in world rugby on current form. England have scored within four minutes in eight of their past 14 Tests, with May responsible for half of those tries.
May has become the go-to man.
As for England, their sweet chariot is pointed now to Cardiff for a showdown in a fortnight’s time against the only other unbeaten team in the championship, although they have a two-point advantage at the top of the table due to their bonus-point bonanza. Wales will be fully aware of what is coming their way and will relish the challenge.
Warren Gatland has trumped inflated English hopes before. The way things have shaped up, the title could well be decided at the Principality Stadium on Feb 23.
Several former French players had warned their compatriots to be on their mettle, for they knew that England would show no mercy. Eddie Jones’s team were true to that prognostication, pouncing on every error, tormenting France with their kicking game, twisting and turning them, Owen Farrell delivering yet another masterclass. Jacques Brunel had picked two centres on the wings and a wing at full-back, a recipe for the disaster it turned out to be. May was a one-man nemesis for such flawed thinking. Where once he used to roam and occasionally explode into penetrative action, now he plays with the zeal as well as acumen, sniffing and sensing opportunities. And, boy, has he got the speed to capitalise on any openings, the Bolt of the Midlands. Rat-a-tat-tat England have made a speciality of the speedy start, as that first quick plunge of the dagger that wounded Ireland so early in the game in Dublin illustrated. May was on the scoresheet even sooner this week, touching down within 65 seconds, courtesy of a pitiful knock-on in midfield by Guilhem Guirado that was exploited to the full, Elliot Daly kicking through and May making the rear French defence look like statues. England had earmarked France right-wing Damian Penaud as a weak link, kicking on the converted centre at every opportunity. May was on full alert. It was a fruitful watch. Two tries in five minutes midway through the first half confirmed May’s growing reputation as one of the game’s ace marksmen, moving him up the all-time England lists, level in seventh place with Josh Lewsey, with his 22nd in 42 Tests.
May is in red-hot form, with 12 tries in his past 12 Tests. That is productivity for you. The second try came from a lovely, floated pass by Farrell on a cut-back run, the third followed another French knock-on blooper, this time from scrum-half Morgan Parra, Chris Ashton nudging the ball through for his fellow wing.
Penaud did get one back for France, but it was scant consolation. England were in their pomp, France on their backsides. “It was very painful,” conceded Guirado. It was that.
The second half followed a similar pattern of English ruthlessness and French mishap. Gael Fickou was yellow-carded in the 49th minute for taking out Ashton as he shaped to gather and score after Henry Slade had intercepted upfield, referee Nigel Owens awarding a penalty try. Kyle Sinckler was lucky to concede only a penalty for grabbing the head of flanker Arthur Iturria.
Farrell followed up smartly to get a try around the hour mark. By then, the match was well and truly done, as were France. The usual flurry of replacements served to make the game disjointed. It did not really matter.
It had been yet another impressive display for England – punchy and remorseless. Courtney Lawes smashed Mathieu Bastareaud backwards at one point, a snapshot of the day, England lording it, France reeling on the ropes. Lawes was terrific.
The only self-indulgent whisper on the lips of English supporters as they filed out was concern as to whether their team were peaking too soon in a World Cup year. No danger of that with a vigilant Jones in charge, seeking out “complacency in the shadows”, as he terms it. Wales, though, will be something else entirely. Mako Vunipola, who limped off with an ankle problem, is their prime injury worry.
France are in England’s World Cup pool. Aux armes, citoyens! Only a revolution can save Les Bleus. Scores 5-0 May try; 8-0 Farrell pen; 8-3 Parra pen; 11-3 Farrell pen; 16-3 May try; 21-3 May try; 23-3 Farrell con; 23-8 Penaud try; 28-8 Slade try; 30-8 Farrell con; 37-8 penalty try; 42-8 Farrell try; 44-8 Farrell con.
Referee Nigel Owens (Wales).
9 9 ENGLAND 8 15 Elliot Daly
This was easily Daly’s most assertive game as full-back, starting with a break and try assist that scrambled France’s senses.
8 14 Chris Ashton
Followed his instincts and tracked play superbly. Clipped a slick grubber for May’s third and collected Youngs’ lovely through ball.
9 13 Henry Slade
A try and the grubber that led to Fickou’s yellow card complemented a game full of unselfish contributions.
7 12 Manu Tuilagi
Tore into his first carry off the top of a line-out, yet was used sparingly. Threw a couple of imprecise passes, but a reassuring presence.
11 Jonny May
The harder you work, the luckier you get. May has developed his game and is now a world-class wing who troubles opponents in every way.
9 10 Owen Farrell
Stayed calm and patient, encouraging England to pick France apart with their kicking game. Directed phase-play with zip.
8 9 Ben Youngs
His varied kicking is crucial to the tactical framework. We have seen how effective he can be teasing fringe defenders and picking runners.
7 1 Mako Vunipola
Only lasted 44 minutes before limping off but reinforced his value. Dominated the gain line with dainty footwork and powerful tackling.
2 Jamie George
The energiser who never goes quiet. Technically impressive with set-piece responsibilities as well. One pickup off his toes was fantastic.
8 3 Kyle Sinckler
Another England forward who demonstrated poise in possession alongside tenacity. More progress for a rising star.
9 4 Courtney Lawes
A marauding, imposing defensive display suffocated France. Powerful carrying and linking skills help when the game breaks up.
7 5 George Kruis
His nous keeps the line-out ticking and his graft in the tight exchanges, especially around the breakdown, allows others to shine.
8 6 Mark Wilson
Clattered into tackles and rucks and added penetrative carrying to his Dublin portfolio. He will take some shifting from the back row.
8 7 Tom Curry
Sped into Guirado’s face alongside Lawes to force the tone-setting turnover. Gave away a penalty, but won one at the end.
8 8 Billy Vunipola
Growing more influential every minute he spends on the field. Man-handled opponents in the contact area and delivered deft passes.
Replacements Nowell (Ashton 52) 5, Ford (Tuilagi 62) 6, Robson (Youngs 70) 6, Moon (M Vunipola 44) 6, Cowan-dickie (George 62) 6, Cole (Sinckler 57) 6, Launchbury (Kruis 47) 6, Hughes (Curry 47) 6.
FRANCE 3 15 Yoann Huget
Smashed in Vunipola sandwich and dropped next high ball. Set up Penaud’s try but positioning was costly. Replaced at half-time.
4 14 Damian Penaud
Targeted by England and drawn flat with space behind. Scampered out of trouble occasionally and scored try, but had chastening day.
5 13 Mathieu Bastareaud
After inspiring France to victory in this fixture last season, met Manu Tuilagi’s first carry strongly but powerless to prevent this hammering.
4 12 Geoffrey Doumayrou
Fluffed pass to Fickou inside his own 22 was one moment that caught the eye. Racked up decent tackle count, but seemed a passenger.
5 11 Gael Fickou
Early tackle on Ashton and subsequent yellow card epitomised France’s game. Hamstrung as part of a back line of four centres.
4 10 Camille Lopez
Horrible start saw him bamboozled by Daly step, and he struggled to recover. One spearing kick-pass to Fickou did not save game.
4 9 Morgan Parra
Kicking blew hot and cold, as against Wales. Endured a number of tough moments attempting to plug holes in the backfield.
5 1 Jefferson Poirot
Clever scrapping at breakdown allowed Parra to hijack Youngs at the base of the ruck, but it was a day to clutch at straws for France.
5 2 Guilhem Guirado
Nightmare start with a handling error, overthrown line-out and penalty for failing to roll away. Improved with some hard carrying and a turnover.
5 3 Demba Bamba
Conceded a clumsy penalty when chasing early high ball. Despite special treatment by England’s defenders, he punched a few holes.
4 4 Sebastien Vahaamahina
There were no bizarre, looped passes but little else, either. A very quiet afternoon as England’s pack engulfed him and his colleagues.
6 5 Felix Lambey
Ever-willing but gang-tackled on a few attempted rumbles and spilt a pass. Athletic lock with balance and handling will have better days.
5 6 Yacouba Camara
Like Lambey, Camara was at least persistent. However, his rangy stride was given no room to gather steam.
5 7 Arthur Iturria
Flicks and tricks of the Wales game felt like distant memories. Afforded very little room and spent the afternoon on the back foot.
5 8 Louis Picamoles
England dealt well with France’s go-to carrier, both in phase play and at the breakdown. Not immune to France’s high-ball struggles.
Replacements Ramos (Huget 41) 5, Ntamack (Penaud 47) 5, Dupont (Parra 47) 7, Aldegheri (Bamba 57) 5, Willemse (Vahaamahina 57) 5, Alldritt (Lambey 70) 5.