England wonder what might have been after dramatic France defeat،
LYON, France — The Six Nations trophy was already in the hands of the Irish by the time French fly-half Thomas Ramos scored the winning penalty in the last minute, but try telling the Lyonnais that it didn't matter. was only a battle for second place. France and England played their part in a brilliant test match, a Blues broadside 33-31.
It was a thriller – a test that spanned the length and breadth of the pitch, where the grass was trampled to its roots under the weight of two ferocious forward packs as the two teams exchanged blows on blow leading to Ramos' final knockout blow. ensured the start.
England have scored four tries and will lament a missed opportunity to win their first Test against Blues on French soil since 2016, while for France, this victory was validation for Fabien Galthie and his new coaching staff, in a tournament where they struggled, but ultimately did enough to move up to second place.
France and England both went into the match looking for some final momentum, even though they knew that slim hopes of an improbable Championship victory were already ended by Ireland's victory earlier in the day. But it was still high octane: George Ford was exceptional for England at flyhalf, Ben Earl and Ollie Lawrence equally brilliant while for France their back row was immense. Damien Penaud was as dangerous as ever on the wing and Léo Barré assured in defense.
It came down to that last kick. The teams traded tries, did their best to quell the accusations and, ultimately, it was Angus Gardner's judgment that Ben Earl committed an unarmed tackle – a controversial call. Ramos lined it up from 50 yards, and the job was done.
France came out of the blocks by throwing all its 1,000 kilos of beef into the pack at the English defense. England did their best to slow the pace of the match, taking smart notes on their 22 and taking their time on the free-kick, but they were their own worst enemy. Smith – replacing George Furbank in the seventh minute after a calf injury – awarded a senseless penalty in the 16th minute. Then two minutes later, François Cros stole a lineout, Gaël Fickou escaped and they managed to escape four English defenders to put Nolann Le Garrec through. From there, France took a 16-3 lead and it looked like England had undone all the good work from last week.
But England did not collapse The Crunch. Last year they failed to contain the French onslaught and suffered a record 53-10 defeat at Twickenham, but this is a different group. That's not what it's about. Borthwick talks about coping and adapting after moments of love at first sight and England managed to withstand the waves and blue waves to keep their footing in the match. Their total of 25 missed tackles in the first half didn't help their cause, but Lawrence's try just before half-time gave them something to work with.
Their start to the second half was the best attacking spell we've seen from an England team since last week. But it was an intensity we've rarely seen from this group in attack as they hammered France with Lawrence's try double in the 42nd minute and Smith after 46. Suddenly, England had scored 21 unanswered points in six minutes. France seemed stunned, but after successfully suppressing any further English uprisings, they regained control. First Barré went over after 55 minutes, following a patient attack, then four minutes later an overturned England lineout was hacked on the halfway line, Elliot Daly slipped, Penaud pounced and trapped Fickou.
England teams of the past would have withered, but not this group. Manu Tuilagi had his chance on the bench in what could be his final game in an England shirt, but it was one of the new guards who almost won the match. Tommy Freeman crashed over in the 75th minute and George Ford continued his impeccable performance with a wonderful touchline conversion. But then came France's hammer blow, the lightning bolt that England could not dodge as Ramos pushed home a penalty with a minute remaining to give the hosts their two-point victory.
Everything took place in a wonderful atmosphere in Lyon, against a backdrop of tricolor-draped stands. It will be a test match where people will have reveled in the drama, intensity and precision of the handling, but will also have debated late into the night whether their team should have won or not. Try telling everyone that this match was just a battle for second place.
“Devastated. It reminds me of the last time in France [in the World Cup] against South Africa,” said captain Jamie George.
“I don't really know how to sum it up. France showed their class, but we found a way to get back into the game. I'm really proud of the boys, it was a great effort. They're a team on a ascending curve.”
Thus, France finished second and England third in this year's Six Nations Tournament. For the hosts, it was a frustrating campaign. They headed into the opening match against Ireland in Marseille with the Test billed as the Grand Slam decider. But they were second, as if still suffering from a hangover from the Rugby World Cup. They managed to get past Scotland next time out despite a disputed no-try at the end and were then one post away from losing to Italy. They beat Wales in the fourth round, then took the victory that will matter most at the end.
“Our attack was fantastic, especially our maul,” said French defense coach Shaun Edwards.
“I was very disappointed with our defense, I thought the English attack was all over us, especially in midfield. We have a lot of work to do, we shouldn't have to score 30 points to win a game , although it's exciting. “On the field, we just lacked tackles, we weren't aggressive enough. “
For England, think of this as a championship where they took a collective step forward. They finished with three wins from five: wins over Italy and Wales, followed by that disappointment at Murrayfield, then their best performance in five years against Ireland last time out. This one is going to sting, but what they need to do is find a way to get a better foothold in the first half. For the fifth game in a row – the first time in the Championship they lost the first half of each match in 1974 – they went in behind at the break. They can't fight for the title by having an uphill battle every game.
This evening, Lyon will bounce back to the sound of French cheers. England are still waiting for a victory on French soil, but they have regained the confidence of their supporters. It was a brilliant match to end the championship, but England will look back on it as a missed opportunity.
