“England had been blistering – their tempo, their ability, their depth, their physicality and so they had a real probability of profitable,” mentioned former England scrum-half Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Dwell.
“I really feel for the gamers as a result of they’re going to be down, however I would like them to be tremendous, tremendous constructive as a result of in the event that they keep on enjoying like that for the subsequent 18 months they’re going to problem in large tournaments and large video games, and they’re going to win large video games.”
And but. When the adrenaline ranges drop, questions will even be raised.
Ought to England have made victory stick?
With the restart regathered by Chessum, the ball safely on the base, Sam Underhill, Henry Pollock and Chandler Cunningham-South on their ft as a possible pod, and solely two minutes left on the clock, may England have stored ball in hand and run down the clock?
As an alternative, Jack van Poortvliet, who had introduced some zip off the bench, opted to kick the ball away and infield. Matthieu Jalibert, a broken-field fiend, accepted the invite to run again and England had been again below the pump.
Closing out victories was a repeated failing in a sequence of shut defeats in autumn 2024. It’s a behavior that England do not need to reacquire.
One they undoubtedly have not kicked but is indiscipline. Solely one of many 162 workforce campaigns in Six Nations historical past – Italy 2002 – has picked up extra playing cards than England have this yr.
Eight yellows, two of which mixed to make Henry Arundell’s 20-minute pink towards Scotland, have hobbled England all through.
Ellis Genge was dispatched to the sin-bin seat of disgrace in Paris, adjudged to have cynically dragged down a France driving maul that was destined for the road.
It could have been a marginal name, however, backed as much as their very own line, England knew the stakes had been excessive and the punishment for any infringement could be heavy.
France raced again into the lead within the prop’s absence.
