England and France’s Six Nations duel had something for everyone
Fans, investors and the neutral will have all been captivated by the vintage tie at Twickenham
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Your support makes all the difference.Perhaps the powers that be at CVC need only show a replay of this outstanding 80 minutes as explanation for their £365million investment in the Six Nations at the next virtual board meeting. Indeed if any of the broadcasters they are hoping to tempt to the television rights party were watching they would have rather enjoyed themselves, you’d think.
This was a Six Nations game of excellent vintage, full of body with great complexity and gliding forth from a lively, forward opening. The only shame, as Eddie Jones reflected at full-time, was that there were no fans at Twickenham to add to the spectacle.
France had appeared to be surging ahead as they crossed for a second time with a set-piece strike of perfect construct and execution, but England stretched their legs to match them stride-for-stride. The tempo was bound to slow as the game’s pace-makers peeled off after a breathless first half, and like two middle-distance runners taking the bell, England and France began a more tactical battle of fatiguing bodies and minds. At the denouement, the margins were miniscule: a barely perceptible brush of a blade of grass against the base of the ball as Maro Itoje dipped for the line, and victory for England in a photo finish.
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Where have this England been? This was the best they have played in totality since their semi-final victory over New Zealand at the 2019 World Cup. There were signs of further development, too, in the way that Simon Amor’s attack broke apart a French defence structured similarly to those that have troubled this England team in the past.
It could be seen best in the manner in which they struck back by thrice deconstructing France in the first ten minutes after Antoine Dupont’s opener. The patterns of England at their best were readily apparent: forward carriers used as intricate link-men at the line, like Mako Vunipola in the phase before Anthony Watson’s score, or quirkier ploys like the usage of Owen Farrell at the front of a lineout to allow burlier carriers in midfield.
“We thought France would come out pretty strong at the start of the game,” concluded Jones. “We didn’t enjoy them scoring a try, but the players responded really well. Maro [Itoje] and Owen[Farrell] stood out today in the way they led the team.
“They played at their best and showed a lot of composure in terms of coping with difficult periods. It’s a good step forward and I was pleased with our tactical discipline.”
If the form and fitness of senior players had been England’s most pressing flaw in defeat to Scotland and Wales, it was those same older heads that rediscovered top form against France. Billy Vunipola’s ability to challenge as both a carrier and a distributor created problems, and George Ford and Farrell pulled efficient midfield strings. Elliot Daly’s zip off the bench was intriguing, too, though Max Malins went well on his first start.
Shorn of the lineout calling load by Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje was at his bedevilling best; aside from his try, Dupont had few moments of calm in the 80 minutes as England’s great pest harried him – Ben Youngs arguably had the better of that individual duel.
Perhaps we should ask why it was on this afternoon that England rediscovered their verve. The simple conclusion to draw is that this was a side hitting back against criticism, a side liberated by the collapse of grander thoughts and able to focus more precisely on the task at hand.
Yet maybe there is something about this French side that brought the best out of England. Jones is looking to the future as he talks of evolving England’s attack to match the up-tempo style favoured by New Zealand that he is anticipating being en vogue come the France World Cup. Tellingly, France would appear to have the horses to find that sort of game; perhaps, for Jones, this was a chance for early psychological supremacy.
“We said to our players before the game we’re going to be racing them to the World Cup,” Jones revealed. “They’re being described as the best team in the world. They’re developing, we’re developing, and it’s going to be a good race between the two of us. We got a bit of a start on it today.”
This is not the first time Jones has gazed in the direction of his crystal ball during this Six Nations, and perhaps that has been part of England’s problem. Having 2023 on the mind in the long-term is no bad thing, but more immediate 20/20 vision was required were they to defend their Six Nations crown.
The French will come again, and they will learn plenty in defeat. Having been praised for a more pragmatic approach, they were perhaps guilty of over-playing at times. They may yet win this competition; victory against Wales and Scotland in their remaining business looks a real possibility even as Wayne Pivac’s side eye a Grand Slam. Prospects of a home World Cup win appear strong with this side set to grow together for much of the next two-and-half years.
Equally, it would be wrong to suggest all of the home side’s ills are cured. England will at the very least hope that this will be the final time that their capacious home is forced to lie all but empty for an international fixture. The RFU were understood to have been keen to explore the possibility of pilot events with fans returning as soon as during the Women’s Six Nations.
For the neutral, the fan and the Six Nations’ new investors, as England and France duelled a return to the Twickenham turnstiles looked most appealing.
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