France too good for out-of-form England

Colin Newboult

France head to Twickenham, the home of their biggest rivals, looking to go one step closer to achieving their dream of a Grand Slam and showing that they are well and truly back.

Since taking charge, head coach Fabien Galthie has done an excellent job, refreshing the team and making the side look genuine challengers on the world stage once more. What they need, however, is the silverware to confirm their progress.

Last year was a positive one for Les Bleus as they impressed in the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup, but both times they were pipped by England. They looked on course for the Grand Slam in the annual tournament, only for a disappointing defeat to Scotland to allow the Red Rose to snatch the trophy.

That competition-changing result to the Scots came in the fourth round, so what better time for France to avenge that loss, overcome ‘les rosbifs’ and set themselves up for two home games which could see them win all their matches for the first time since 2010?

It is a defining weekend for the French but also a crucial one for the English, who have been pretty abysmal so far in 2021. Head coach Eddie Jones is a man under pressure, particularly due to his penchant for picking players with ‘credit in the bank’, rather than those in-form individuals in the Premiership, which means there is plenty to play for on Saturday.

Last time they met

While England claimed the Autumn Nations Cup – their second trophy in just a few weeks – it was a game remembered for the brilliance of France’s inexperienced side. Due to a contract agreed between the French rugby federation and the Top 14, Galthie was forced to pick a much-changed outfit, but they did not disgrace themselves. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Les Bleus were excellent throughout, putting the hosts under pressure and getting so close to winning the match and, indeed, the tournament. However, a late try, after a couple of controversial decisions had gone England’s way, sent the encounter intro extra-time and Jones’ men proceeded to dominate that period. Eventually, Owen Farrell kicked the penalty and the Englishmen edged the contest 22-19, but it ultimately showed what was to come for both teams in 2021, with the experienced hosts struggling and the young French outfit thriving.

What they said

England flanker Tom Curry is in defiant mood ahead of Saturday’s, refuting some of the criticism that has come their way.

“A couple of games don’t define you as a team, don’t define what you’ve done or don’t define where you’re going,” the Sale flanker said.

“Sport is sport and so is life. It’s never going to be up all the way up, it’s never going to be perfect.

“The mark of where a team is, and the feeling we have as a team, is how much growth we have and how much excitement we can get from times like this.

“Of course people outside aren’t going to understand how we are in camp. It’s a Covid bubble, it’s pretty secure, no one’s coming in, no one’s coming out.

“So it’s going to be tough for people to understand how tight-knit this group is and how excited we are, moving forward.

“I can accept that, I understand why people are feeling like that, but it’s not true. And all that matters is that we know that.”

France’s Fabien Galthie has also been under fire, but not for what has happened on the field. The head coach left the team’s bubble to watch his son play in a match in Paris prior to an outbreak of Covid occurring in the squad, but Galthie has defended his actions.

“I repeat it, all my actions, all our actions, were in compliance with the sanitary protocol,” he said.

“Of course it is very important everything is in the report. It is enough to just take the report and read the report that has been validated by the French Rugby Federation.

“It is also an opportunity to salute the French Rugby Federation, the institution and Bernard Laporte. Everything was also validated by the Ministry of National Education. There is not much to add.”

Players to watch

Following much criticism of his performances over the past couple of seasons, Elliot Daly has been dropped with youngster Max Malins coming into the XV for his first ever England start. Malins is a smart player and switched between 15 and 10 during his time at age-grade level, but has seemingly settled on full-back in senior rugby. He is quick and a well-balanced runner but, almost akin to Alex Goode, it’s the Bristol playmaker’s ability to come into the line, find where there is a weak shoulder and use his excellent hands to create a break which is his biggest strength.

Up front for the Red Rose, there are not too many surprises as Jones opts for the tried and trusted, but Charlie Ewels’ inclusion is an interesting one. The Bath captain was in good form for the West Country outfit at the end of last season but there is very little in his displays, at either Premiership or international level, to suggest that the second-row is a ‘Test match animal.’ Ewels has done very little of note for England and his biggest strength – the ability to dominate the lineout – has also not been in evidence.

With Ewels and Itoje at lock, they do have two players that are considered lineout experts, but they will have a difficult job in containing France’s aerial assault. The hosts struggled at the set-piece in the Autumn Nations Cup final and Galthie has brought back Dylan Cretin to try and put the English under pressure in that area. With Charles Ollivon and Gregory Alldritt in the back-row and Cameron Woki to come off the bench, England will need to produce a similar lineout performance to the one they had in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand if they are to stop the visiting threat.

Should France duly take that platform away from the home side and indeed gain some sort of ascendency up front then there is a serious amount of talent behind the scrum. There are plenty of attacking weapons and Teddy Thomas will look to show his quality after returning to the XV in the absence of Gabin Villiere. Alongside fellow wing Damian Penaud, they can often rip through opposition defences. However, they are perhaps not the most important part of the back three. England will kick a lot and Brice Dulin was outstanding as the bomb defuser in the Autumn Nations Cup final and he will be vital when the Red Rose attempt to take advantage of Thomas’ defensive and positional frailties.

Main head-to-head

England will be coming up against the best player in the world in Antoine Dupont, so they will need a big game from their scrum-half Ben Youngs. Dupont has it all, but it’s his ability to get the ball out of a ruck quickly and accurately, and shift the play that makes him stand out. Yes, there’s the lightning pace, deceptive strength and the special touches which get all the attention, but Dupont is so difficult to contain because he always makes the right decision.

The same cannot be said for Youngs, whose option taking at the base has been pretty poor at times over the past year. The Leicester man is in the side because he kicks better than his England scrum-half rivals and that is crucial for the way the Red Rose play, but he needs to show far more than that on Saturday. His display against Wales was an improvement, with the ball being moved at a far quicker tempo, but that is only a start. The pass needs to be sharper, the control and composure has to be better, and he must stop making stupid errors.

Prediction

What the Six Nations has shown over the past few years is that form very much matters. It is not often that a team has shown up after a string of poor performances and results and produced an outstanding display, irrespective of the talent in their team. England are in a rut while the French are confident and in form, and that should only mean one result. France by 7.

Previous results

2020: England won 22-19 in London
2020: France won 24-17 in Paris
2019: England won 44-8 in London
2018: France won 22-16 in Paris
2017: England won 19-16 in London
2016: England won 31-21 in Paris
2015: France won 25-20 in Paris
2015: England won 19-14 in London

The teams

England: 15 Max Malins, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Elliot Daly

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Damian Penaud, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (c), 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Romain Taofifenua, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Cyril Cazeaux, 20 Cameron Woki, 21 Anthony Jelonch, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Romain Ntamack

Date: Saturday, March 13
Venue: Twickenham, London
Kick-off: 16:45 local
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Mike Adamson (Scotland), Frank Murphy (Ireland)
TMO: Joy Neville (Ireland)