Bittersweet day for Jason

Coach's view: Swirling emotions for England's prop of ages on his landmark day

On a day when his emotions must have been a mixture of grief for the death of his friend and clubmate Nick Duncombe, who died on Friday, and justified elation at achieving a remarkable milestone; the on-field performance of Jason Leonard was predictably flawless, while it lasted.

The thing about Jason is that you have a pretty good idea about what you will get week in, week out. A strong, if not overly destructive, scrummaging performance; complete accuracy in the line-out, a high tackle count and a rucking performance out of the top drawer. Over and above that, if there is any "enforcing" that needs to be done, you can rely on Jason. Not in the open spaces – in the eighth minute, the front rows came up and his public persona was one of the peacemaker. Do not be deceived, this is an experienced practitioner of the darker art. Every coach in the land will tell you that they dream of having a team full of such performers.

The reason for this remarkable landmark being achieved is simple – he does his job with a level of durability and consistency that is astonishing. In a position where the attrition rate is huge, Leonard retains a level of enthusiasm that is staggering. Never one to get carried away, he must have been reluctant to lead the team out. His natural position is just off rather than centre stage; happier behind the scenes, wielding massive influence, than in the media spotlight.

His belief in the basics has never wavered – for a man who has reinvented himself more often than Madonna, he retains steadfastly committed to the principles of defence, quick ball and directness. Others talk of total rugby. He understands it all but knows that without a secure foundation, it is wishful thinking. More importantly, he knows his place within whatever gameplan you may care to name.

In the first 15 minutes yesterday, England gave France all kinds of problems at the line-out – the visible practitioners are the locks but you need a prop who can move easily up and down the channel, never missing a beat – that's when the master craftsman earns his corn. Be a yard short or miss a lift and the ball is lost.

The irony of this most durable man being removed from combat so early in his 100th game cannot be lost on anyone. He has always stressed that any player is only one game away from the scrapheap.

The general theme of England's performance was one of relentless improvement. In the first quarter, England did not look as composed as the French but the most marked feature was the similarity in the styles of the two teams. Both put great wit on the play and probed for gaps, of which there were few. Interestingly, the footwork of the individual England players was superior – both Charlie Hodgson and Jason Robinson beat men in one-on-ones. But their cohesion was inferior to the French, who looked more likely to create overlaps. Space was at a premium with the tackle area fiercely contested.

Throughout the first half, the new-look England back line appeared, not surprisingly, a little uncoordinated. A family can only have one father and the experiment of dual fly-halves – for that undoubtedly was what we were witnessing – did not look well balanced. This was not helped by the fact that at scrum-half, Andy Gomersall took a good half-hour to adapt to the pace. The theory is sound – it has been constructed in an attempt to compensate for the continued absence of Mike Catt – but in application, it still needs work.

The first 10 minutes of the second half saw a subtle but vital change. Much more direct and confrontational, they went through phase after phase before a sublime pass by Will Greenwood put Jason Robinson in under the sticks.

Then the English defence kicked in. France threw everything at them, and foundered on the white wall until it was far too late. A beautiful try by Clement Poitrenaud featuring wonderfully quick hands was one of a number of beautiful French cameos, but collectively the initiative had been lost. Even the late effort by Damien Traille was no more than a parting shot. The crucial third quarter had seen England well clear – perhaps this year that elusive Grand Slam will be achieved.