Six points down with two minutes and 30 seconds on the clock and tired bodies all over the pitch, England needed to delve deep to snap their losing run. And the winning try, finished by replacement Elliot Daly, encapsulated so much of what was impressive about this win.
The opportunity had originated from a tactical template to which England stayed true all game. Steve Borthwick’s replacements were integral, vindicating his selection and the in-game use of his bench.
Finally, the telling move – a pattern that Northampton Saints use prolifically – was a slick strike crafted by Fin Smith on the occasion of his first Test start. All told, it will be a satisfying sequence for the England team to review over the coming days.
Faith in kick pressure
The try begins around the halfway line, when England earn a knock-on advantage as Oscar Jegou challenges Ollie Chessum at a line-out:
Instead of opting for a scrum, however, the hosts use the ball and Alex Mitchell hooks a shallow kick into the 15-metre channel.
Thomas Ramos has to play it and is enveloped by an energetic chase. Fin Smith goes low and Ben Earl stands tall, pushing the carrier to the floor. Earl and Ben Curry, brought on for Tom Willis around half an hour previously in a bold call from Borthwick, pounce. They are rewarded by Nika Amashukeli:
England have a penalty and one more chance
Fin Smith steps forward, and though his kick to touch could be closer to the corner, England’s line-out has been bolstered by the introduction of Jamie George and Chessum:
Drills under pressure
Hugo Auradou, an imposing front jumper, is the danger man for England, but space is manipulated nicely. Tom Curry feigns to jump, with Joe Heyes and Chessum set to lift him. This is only a dummy, though, and Chessum keeps coming forward. Heyes and Maro Itoje, who has followed him down the line-out, hoist him into the air.
George’s delivery is on the money and Chessum can whip the ball away from Auradou. England set quickly, with Earl clasping onto the ball and Tom Curry and Fin Baxter shunting in to add their weight:
The drive ekes out metres and, crucially, crabs in-field away from the touchline as George joins it.
Mitchell stays patient at the tail and Amashukeli calls a couple of France forwards away from the ball. At the call of ‘use it’, because the maul has surrendered impetus, Mitchell takes the ball from George, sashays around towards the openside and feeds Ollie Lawrence in midfield:
Choreography with unfamiliar combinations
Two or three minutes previously, Henry Slade had bowed out of the game having emptied the tank. Daly arrived in his place, sitting on the left wing. That left Lawrence and Tommy Freeman as the centre partnership. England train in various backline configurations and had actually used this one at the end of their win over Japan in November, with Fin Smith at fly-half and Marcus Smith at full-back as well.
The shape that they ran has become close to ubiquitous around the world, run by club and international teams everywhere. And one of the most regular proponents are Northampton. The idea is to use the centres to hold the opposition midfield narrow, with a fly-half and their blindside wing circling around to pick off any uncertain connections. There are multiple options within the same shape, which is what makes it so effective.
The first-receiver can play a short pass. If they throw a pull-back, the fly-half can feed their blindside wing or fizz a cut-out to their full-back. Sides have added more variations, too. Occasionally, we have seen first-receivers go directly to a blindside wing.
A classical version works almost flawlessly in this case. Lawrence holds Yoram Moefana and Freeman hits a compelling tight angle off the right shoulder of the carrier that causes Pierre-Louis Barassi to sit on his heels for just long enough:
Decision-making in a second layer
Lawrence pulls the ball behind Freeman to Fin Smith, who slows his stride and invites Barassi to bite. Meanwhile, France left wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey continues drifting out, evidently wary of Marcus Smith further wide. The hole opens up for Daly, and then we get a perfect example of how a fly-half can manipulate space for others:
Fin Smith slows his stride and squares up just slightly, inviting Daly to straighten in turn, and the pass is lifted with the hint of delay after Barassi has been drawn:
Daly scorches between Barassi and Bielle-Biarrey. Antoine Dupont, playing at fly-half by this stage, scrambles quickly enough to reach Daly – of course he does – but is not enough to save France.
Having assumed the place-kicking responsibilities, Fin Smith allows the clock to run down to nine seconds before splitting the posts with the conversion that puts England ahead.
