France reach for the sky and send England back to drawing board
These are chastening times for England. Eddie Jones’s side had travelled to Paris seeking to begin the healing process following their World Cup final defeat by South Africa. They had warned that Fabien Galthie’s youthful French side would be tested by a “brutal physicality and intensity” they had never experienced.
Jones had even set his side the goal ahead of the Guinness Six Nations Championship of becoming “the greatest team that ever played rugby”.
Yet in the driving rain of the Stade de France, England only managed to aggravate their World Cup scars, producing the worst first-half performance of Jones’s tenure. France, meanwhile, appeared to relish making his pre-match big talk seem foolish, as did their supporters. It is hard to remember a more electric and emotional atmosphere at the Saint-denis stadium.
The alarming truth for England is that despite drawing on the core of their World Cup final side, they were outplayed for much of this contest by a French side constructed with a view to building for the next World Cup in 2023.
England had wanted instant rewards in this championship. But hopes of a Grand Slam to ease the pain of that defeat by the Springboks are gone, and with a trip to Edinburgh in six days’ time, England’s championship ambitions appear to be on the line.
Tries by Vincent Rattez, a late replacement for the injured Damian Penaud, and Charles Ollivon, plus a penalty and two conversions by Romain Ntamack, meant France led 17-0 by half-time.
You have to go back to the Five Nations Championship in 1988 for the last time that England failed to score a point in the first half.
England’s play was littered with missed tackles, lost line-outs, hesitant attacking play, aimless kicking and a passiveness in defence. It was all very un-england. And there is no better team than a rejuvenated France to take advantage, and they did so with a joie de vivre in the spirit of a Les Bleus side of yesteryear in their pomp.
Jones’s side will now head to Edinburgh, possibly without Manu Tuilagi, who limped off with a groin injury after 15 minutes yesterday, and with more questions to answer.
The experiment of selecting Tom Curry at No8 did not work, while the loss of Tuilagi deprived England of their ball-carrying in midfield, compounding the absence of the Vunipola brothers, Mako and Billy.
There was a tough debut too for George Furbank, whose confidence seemed to ebb early on when he put down a pass from George Ford just as England had created half an opening. For France, Anthony Bouthier, on his debut at full-back, was like a rock.
There was an uncharacteristically muted performance by Owen Farrell, with the young French halfback pairing of Antoine Dupont and Ntamack relishing the opportunity to outshine their more experienced opponents.
The late rally, inspired by two tries by Jonny May, who twice created something out of nothing, and a penalty by Farrell with the last kick of the game salvaged a losing bonus point.
Yet the context here is crucial. By then Ollivon had inflicted what would be the decisive blow when he slid over for his second try, following an outrageous break by Dupont. It ended in an unedifying scuffle in the dead ball area as England’s frustrations boiled over. At 24-0 up, France’s only failure was failing to maintain their intensity, their lack of experience telling as the power of England’s bench finally gave them greater direction, intent and a sense of that brutal intensity that Jones had demanded as England dominated possession and territory. But even then they lacked the ruthlessness and precision to conjure what would have been one of the most remarkable comebacks in championship history.
France set the tone with a huge hit by Bernard Le Roux on Tuilagi and the errors kept coming from England – passes went down and Dupont was able to poach a loose ball from the back of an England scrum.
It was a tough baptism for Curry, and while Jones insists his conversion to No8 is a long-term project, he must address the here and now and Murrayfield will not be a forgiving venue.
The lead had come all too easily for France, with Rattez cutting inside Ben Youngs from Ntamack’s inside pass after a break by Teddy Thomas.
Then, after a clever kick by Ntamack exposed Elliot Daly on the left wing, with Thomas knocking the ball back to Ollivon in support, the France fly-half landed a penalty after the England forwards had been penalised at the breakdown.
It was another high ball that created the confusion for France’s second try, with the ball rebounding off Courtney Lawes’s arm under pressure from Ollivon to put Rattez onside, and the pair exchanged possession with the flanker running over for a try as England appeared to stop, assuming that referee Nigel Owens had blown the whistle.
Even when England rallied to exert some pressure, errors let them down, with one promising attack fizzling out when Curry was penalised for holding on, with his opposite number Gregory Alldritt on his feet at the breakdown, after May had found himself isolated.
The second half at least started with more intent from England. Maro Itoje claimed a French lineout from Ollivon, and after several drives, England won a penalty. Farrell opted for the scrum under the posts. It felt like a defining moment. The ball was moved left, but Jonathan Joseph lost possession as he surged for the line.
From another penalty England this time opted to pick and go from the scrum but lost possession again and moments later conceded another breakdown penalty, with Youngs poised to launch another attack. It was a series of plays that characterised an afternoon lacking conviction.
After May’s intervention, France had to draw on Shaun Edwards’s impact as new defence coach to hold firm, with George Kruis held up over the line before Farrell’s penalty rescued the bonus point.
Edwards had said before kick-off that his aim was to make France a “serious team” again. On this performance, they are already there. The start of England’s healing process will have to wait.