Exciting England Victory Not Enough To Claim Crown

England came up just short of winning the Six Nations on Sunday morning (NZT), despite scoring a breath-taking 55-35 victory over France at Twickenham in London.

 

England started like a team with a clear goal in mind – to win and win big. Previous results in the Six Nations meant England needed to win by at least 27 points to claim the championship ahead of Ireland. A try barely a minute into the game suggested they were quite capable of a seemingly impossible task, before France recovered from their sluggish start to, briefly, run rampant. England were lucky to only be trailing by eight points midway through the first half, as France looked like they would score with every touch. The host’s defence and discipline also left a lot to be desired, missing far too many tackles and giving the French plenty of three point opportunities. Had Jules Plisson been more accurate (he missed three penalties and a conversion in the first half alone) perhaps things could have turned out differently. The positive was clearly the intent from both sides to run the ball, and amongst the numerous tries there was nearly an equal number that went begging.

 

If the first half was exciting, the second was pulsating. Both sides added even more points in the second forty than they did in the first, as tries continued to flow almost uncontrollably. Stoppages were kept to a minimum, as both sides played the game at pace in an effort to catch their opposition unawares. England never looked like losing, but not until there was only five minutes remaining did they really have serious thoughts about claiming the Six Nations. That was because every time England threatened to pull away, France had an answer to keep the game in the balance. While it was certainly a thrilling and heart-stopping ending to the tournament, it was ultimately disappointing for these sides as well. For England, they came up short of their overall goal, and for France, well, it is never a good feeling getting pumped by 20 points.

 

A mistake from the first scrum led to the first try, as France threw a needless pass which England snapped up. The visitors went 60m from the turnover, leaving Ben Youngs to score the opening try. That sort of free running rugby would play a part for the entire game, as both sides showed how dangerous they could be.

 

That early try gave English fans plenty to cheer about, but for the next 20 minutes they may have felt their celebrations were a bit premature. England turned over ball well, but little mistakes in France’s half which were costly, crept in. The visitors closed the gap with a penalty, before replying to England’s try in kind, scoring from a sloppy English pass.

 

That gave France an injection of their traditional flair, and they extended their lead, but only just when Noa Nakaitaci nearly stepped dead before dotting the ball down. How crucial that TMO decision to award the try would prove, wasn’t yet realised. That gave the visitors a 15-7 lead, but England came storming back to lead comfortably at halftime.

 

While the hosts were keen to score tries, the win was the most important thing for them, meaning George Ford was happy to turn penalties into points. He cut France’s lead to 15-10, before Anthony Watson and Youngs added further tries, the latter coming from a brave quick throw in on England’s own 5m line. Another three points for England right on halftime gave them a 27-15 lead at the break.

 

England’s chances of claiming a big enough victory to surpass Ireland on the table were back on track. That was before France made the perfect start to the second half, spending a long period of play on attack in England’s 22m and closing the gap with a try to Maxime Mermoz. England weren’t about to suffer a similar slump in form as they did in the first spell though, with Ford’s try restoring their advantage.

 

The same sort of flair and passion France had found during the middle stages of the first half was now being exhibited by England. Only some more simple mistakes stopped them from turning the scoreline into something more akin to basketball, while France also refused to simply lie down. However, the visitors’ penalty was insignificant compared to England’s fifth try.

 

Leading 34-25, England’s job got considerably tougher when James Haskell was sent to the sin-bin for tripping. The tries didn’t dry up though, as Vincent Debaty crossed the whitewash before Billy Vunipola scored a rare kind of try in this encounter – driving over from close range. By the 60 minute mark, both sides had decided penalties were no longer part of their game-plan, with France chasing a comeback win and England still searching for their 27-point winning margin.

 

Kicking became more prevalent, as both sides refused to be punished for mistakes inside their own half. Penalties also increased, and that helped England work their way back inside France’s 22m, where Jack Nowell’s second try put them 20 points clear. The final four minutes saw England harass the French defence for an eighth and most important score, but after showcasing such brilliant attacking skills, France also showed some spine in defence to deny the Red Roses.

 

Youngs received the man of the match award, not surprising given the way he kept the tempo high, passed accurately and picked up two good support-play tries. Ford was again outstanding, kicking at 100%, while Jonathan Joseph impressed as well. Nakaitaci was a huge threat for France, while Mermoz was also dangerous.

 

Both sides now have a little under six months to prepare for the biggest tournament of their lives, when the Rugby World Cup gets underway in September.

 

Scoring:

England-55 (Ben Youngs 2, Jack Nowell 2, Anthony Watson, George Ford, Jack, Billy Vunipola tries; George Ford 7 con, 2 pen)

France-35 (Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Noa Nakaitaci, Maxime Mermoz, Vincent Debaty, Benjamin Kayser tries; Jules Plisson 2 con, pen; Rory Kockott pen)

 

MVP (Most Valuable Player)

3 Points = Ben Youngs

2 Points = George Ford

1 Point = Noa Nakaitaci