Resilient French give Red Roses big scare
SARAH HUNTER breathed a huge sigh of relief and Simon Middleton admitted his team had suffered a reality check as England’s World Cup dream nearly turned into a nightmare in Whangarei.
This meeting with France was always going to be the toughest of the pool stages for the Red Roses and so it proved. At one stage in the second half, England were rattled.
Captain Hunter and her players tried and tried again to break down a relentless wall of blue which stood firm and left England frustrated. France’s defence was as physical as it was outstanding.
They made a mammoth 214 tackles. It wasn’t enough to stop England extending their winning run to 27 matches, but it did show Middleton’s side can be fallible. They were not at their best here.
‘I understand where the tag of favourites comes from, but I think too many people are making us out to be more favourites than we are,’ head coach Middleton said.
‘If that was a knock-out game, we could have been on the plane home. That’s what it’s going to be like.’
Hunter equalled Rocky Clark’s England cap record of 137 and was all smiles in the tunnel before kickoff. By the full-time whistle, the veteran No 8 was just glad the job was done. Make no mistake, this was a real scare for England. The way France derailed the Red Roses physically and targeted the breakdown will give hope to other teams, especially hosts New Zealand.
‘When the hooter went there was definitely a sigh of relief,’ Hunter said. ‘The game was very tight and one where we couldn’t afford to get complacent or distracted.’
Had France not lost star players Laure Sansus and Romane Menager to first-half injuries, the game could have been even tighter. All of England’s points came from Emily Scarratt who scored a try and kicked a conversion and two penalties. Middleton’s side failed to convert their possession and territory into points.
Part of that was down to their own profligacy, but the impressive nature of France’s rearguard display must not be downplayed.
In the second half their never-saydie approach left England in serious trouble. Gaelle Hermet scored a try for France and if their attacking game had clicked, they could have won it.
The celebrations at the end showed England were relieved. Middleton will make changes for the final pool game with South Africa ahead of the quarter-finals. ‘We could have made life easier for ourselves, but we’re at a World Cup and don’t have to be the finished article now,’ Hunter said.
‘What you don’t want is to get to the knock-out stages and feel like you’ve not been tested. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to have a tight game like this.’