England have beaten France 26-25 in their Guinness Six Nations match at the Allianz Stadium.
England
15. Marcus Smith
Tried so hard to make things happen but English rugby’s previous golden boy turned most things to lead, never more so than when he threw himself in front of Mitchell’s pass. 4/10
14. Tommy Freeman
The Fin Smith connection struck immediate dividends, gathering his beautiful chip to score. Absolutely no coincidence this was his busiest and best game for ages. 8
13. Ollie Lawrence
His hand off on Ramos was the exclamation point on his try. Also came up with a great jackal penalty but a lot quieter than he was in Dublin. 7
12. Henry Slade
His recognition of space helped create the move that led to Lawrence’s try. Caught out a couple of times in defence and did not make touch with a long range pen. 6
11. Ollie Sleightholme
Saved Marcus Smith’s bacon by getting back to Bielle-Biarrey but underrated highlight was the monster shot he put on Atonio who is approximately five times his size. 7
10. Fin Smith
A star is born. Jittery early on and then looked to the manor born on the big stage. Everything revolved around him and will do for some time to come. 9
9. Alex Mitchell
England made him their attacking focal point in the first half. His box kicking was a mixed bag but he initiated most of their brighter moments. 8
1. Ellis Genge
Great battle against Atonio in the scrum. His aggression got the better of him as he conceded two penalties for being offside and going off his feet. 6
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie
Lineout was a bit of a dog’s dinner with England losing some key throws in the 22s. Busy in the loose but suspect George will be pushing hard for the starting shirt. 5
3. Will Stuart
There’s a reason that Borthwick never allowed Dan Cole to throw a pass as it was his turnover that allowed France to score their first try. Solid in the scrum. 6
4. Maro Itoje
After a quiet first half, won a big turnover penalty only to not take the points, which seemed questionable at the time, and grew in influence. 7
5. George Martin
Got monstered in an early carry but recovered well, getting through a mountain of work in defence and was absolutely spent when he was replaced. 7
6. Tom Curry
Sensational. Picked up where he left off in Dublin, making a potentially try-saving defensive read, winning a jackal turnover and ripping the ball from Dupont. 9
7. Ben Earl
Was on the cusp of writing that he had an understated game and then came up with a turnover that allowed England to snatch the win. 7
8. Tom Willis
Took a while to warm up but you can see how much more beef he adds to the English back row with his close quarter carrying and tackling. Surprising that he was replaced so early. 7
Replacements
It was the bench wot won it! Tries from Baxter and Daly plus a Dan Sheehan esque cameo from Jamie George. Seems telling they did not send everyone on with game in balance. 8
Jamie George (for Cowan-Dickie, 62), Fin Baxter (for Genge, 52), Joe Heyes (for Stuart, 59), Ollie Chessum (for Martin, 62), Ben Curry (for Willis, 54), Elliot Daly (for Slade, 76)
Unused replacements: Chandler Cunningham-South, Harry Randall
France
15. Thomas Ramos 5/10
14. Damian Penaud 6/10
13. Pierre-Louis Barassi 6/10
12. Yoram Moefana 5/10
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey 6/10
10. Matthieu Jalibert 5/10
9. Antoine Dupont (c) 6/10
1. Jean-Baptiste Gros 6/10
2. Peato Mauvaka 6/10
3. Uini Atonio 6/10
4. Alexandre Roumat 5/10
5. Emmanuel Meafou 7/10
6. François Cros 7/10
7. Paul Boudehent 6/10
8. Grégory Alldritt 7/10
Replacements 6/10
Julien Marchand (for Mauvaka, 56), Cyril Baille (for Gros, 56), Georges-Henri Colombe (for Atonio, 56), Hugo Auradou (for Roumat, 49), Mickaël Guillard (for Meafou, 66), Oscar Jegou (for Boudehent, 49), Nolann Le Garrec (for Jalibert, 66), Émilien Gailleton (unused).
