Lewis Moody Six Nations 2014 comment: So now England know what France do – it's not over until it's over
France showed England what it meant to never surrender
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Your support makes all the difference.Well, it was probably the worst start to a game we will ever see England play. Everything that could go wrong did. Then we saw a turnaround with the control a hugely impressive Owen Farrell brings to this team. He stepped up to deliver a beautifully delayed pass through the tackle to Billy Vunipola, who used his power to burst through to help Luther Burrell cross the whitewash and England were back.
The second half saw the sort of commitment and passion that makes you proud to be English. It brought some stand-out performances from Danny Care, Courtney Lawes, Joe Launchbury and Vunipola to name but a few, and two colossal efforts from Tom Youngs and Ben Morgan off the bench. However, just when we thought England had exhausted every last drop of energy to secure a famous victory, a side desperate to turn around recent performances showed us what it meant to never surrender. You cannot give this French back line any opportunity because they will punish you – and they did!
In the build-up to a World Cup and with the ambitions this young English side rightly have it will be a painful but important lesson. As Clive Woodward always told us, the game is never over until that final whistle blows.
Lewis Moody is a Land Rover HITZ ambassador. Land Rover are a partner of HITZ, a Premiership Rugby programme which tackles some of the greatest challenges facing young people today. jaguarlandrover.com/hitz/
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