“England had been blistering – their tempo, their talent, their depth, their physicality they usually had a real probability of successful,” stated former England scrum-half Matt Dawson on BBC Radio 5 Dwell.
“I really feel for the gamers as a result of they’ll be down, however I need them to be tremendous, tremendous constructive as a result of in the event that they keep on enjoying like that for the following 18 months they’ll problem in massive tournaments and massive video games, and they’ll win massive video games.”
And but. When the adrenaline ranges drop, questions may 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, might England have saved ball in hand and run down the clock?
As a substitute, 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 beneath the pump.
Closing out victories was a repeated failing in a collection 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 group campaigns in Six Nations historical past – Italy 2002 – has picked up extra playing cards than England have this 12 months.
Eight yellows, two of which mixed to make Henry Arundell’s 20-minute purple in opposition to 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 might 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.
