FRENCH RUGBY TEAM AT TWICKENHAM.

ENGLAND’S EASY VICTORY.

THE KING PRESENT.

By Colonel Philip Trevor, C.B.E. – The King, who was accorded a rousing reception, saw England beat France at Twickenham on Saturday by two goals and three tries to a dropped goal and a try – 19 points to 7. The two teams were lined up before the match started, and his Majesty, accompanied by the two captains, W. W. Wakefield and F. Bordes, shook hands in turn with each one of the players. Subsequently he was a very interested spectator of a fast, keen, though rather a one-sided game.

When play had lasted an hour Behoteguy dropped a clever left-foot goal, and half a minute before the whistle blew for “no side” a round of passing gave Ballarin the ball, and jumping over the full back he got a try near the corner flag. Even when Behoteguy dropped his goal France did not look as if they had a reasonable chance of winning.

The French were slow in initiating movements, and they lacked both quickness and ordinary speed. Nor until the very end of the game did they show even glimpses of that kind of cleverness in their back division which we associate with a French international team. Pardo kicked well, but no French player greatly distinguished himself individually, and from first to last the spectator was easily able to forecast the outcome of what he saw. Certainly the Frenchmen never spared themselves, and they continued to play their hardest until the finish. They were unfortunately heavily handicapped by absenteeism, for neither Jaurreguy, Dupont, Lassere, or Crabos took part in the match. The losers lacked leadership forward and policy behind the scrummage. It may be that this would not have been so had these four men been in the side. Jaurreguy is a very dangerous attacking player, and possibly Crabos might have seen to it that he was put in a position to attack. Dupont is probably the best of the French half-backs, and Lassere, besides being a very good individual forward, generally has a heartening effect on his comrades.

We were at once made to realise that the French tactics were not winning tactics. For some seven or eight minutes after the start the French forwards got the ball fairly often in the tight scrummages, and the French backs, in consequence, had chances of attack. They made nothing of them. They just kicked, especially the centre three-quarter backs. In other words, they were feeling their way. “Feeling your way” is obsolete, and it is also a policy that is eminently unsuited to the chance of French success.