France v England Six Nations Rugby

If in one of sport's great truisms,

it you really do learn more in

defeat than victory, here come

England to Paris, ready to write a

few wrong after their Grand Slam

ambitions went up in smoke two weeks

ago in the cauldron of Murrayfield.

The latest instalment in this, the

oldest international fixture in the

game.

Scotland get going...

England in

panic mode!

# the needle tears are whole, the

old familiar staying

# trying to kill it all away

# I remember everything...

England

have problems at half-time.

# what have I become, my sweetest

friend?

# everyone I know goes away.

Interception!

That is a huge

decision.

Now it is up for grabs.

decision.

Now it is up for grabs.

No

try.

That is cruel for England.

England are going to be stung by

this.

There will be a lot to work

on.

But what of France? A team and sport

that in a real mess at the moment.

One victory in their last nine

internationals, and England have won

nine of the last 11 meetings between

the sides in the Six Nations. Today,

according to coach Jacques Brunel,

it is a moment to reignite the sport

and reconnect with a disillusioned

public. Which could explain ever are

philosophical headline today. They

say France need a miracle to beat

the second best side in the world. A

bit of media mind

games on a glorious spring afternoon

in Paris and eagerly looking ahead

to it very snugly I have to say, in

our presentation are ahead, Jeremy

Guscott, on the far side, very smart

looking Paul O'Connell given events

in Dublin, because Ireland have a

bonus point try against Dublin.

Ireland have just about one hand on

the Six Nations.

The only way to

score goals. They did not have it

all their way.

all their way. A great result for

Ireland heading to Twickenham next

week.

The game is still going on but

it is safe to say Ireland have won

the game. What that means as you

look at the table of England not

only have to win here today, but

they have to win with a bonus point

which means scoring four tries and

that is something they have not done

away in France since 1992. But I'm

sure Eddie Jones' priority will be

about winning first and foremost,

Martin. How much is today a test of

the backbone of the team?

The last

couple of weeks have been horrible

for them. The only chance we have to

put it right is when the whistle

goes today in kick-off. First and

foremost, being mentally right for

the start of the game. Yes, you can

make all the tactical adjustments,

but being mentally right for the

battle. If you let France start

well, they will get the confidence

and the place will go crazy, the

same of Murrayfield. Be in the right

place mentally and go from there and

the right things will happen.

Philippe, how important is this

match for the reputation of the

French national team?

It is

important to have a little bit of

confidence. I think the game will be

key for the French team.

I think

there is the first time we have had

you and Jerry together as pundits in

any match and it does take us back

27 years to one of the greatest

tries France ever scored at

Twickenham. Philippe, tell us your

memories of this.

It is a great

memory. I showed I was in the

midfield and I was lucky. Jeremy

missed the tackle! And I am sorry 27

years after. I am sorry!

years after. I am sorry!

Thank you,

Philippe. It was a wonderful try.

But was when France led the rugby

that we all admired. I made a

pathetic effort at the end just to

join in and I paid the price for it.

Philippe, why do France not play

like that any more?

I think a lot

about our Top 14, there was a league

but too many foreign players and we

tried to challenge this six months

ago. I think we made the right

decision but now we have to be

patient.

Such as rugby in France,

the Southlands is the Hartland of

the game. Ironically, many thousands

of people will be heading up here

from Toulon and Toulouse for the

match today but France had to go

south to Marseille two weeks ago to

get back on the winning ways.

Italy have targeted this game, they

must have a chance. A surge towards

the line. There is the ball, there

is the line, there is France's

opening try. Italy claimed

possession. What a surge, what a

response by the Italians! Italy take

the lead. Grosso for the line. Was

he ever played? No, he was not!

he ever played? No, he was not! Hugo

Bonneval scores.

Bonneval scores. One more paths. It

is a forward pass.

That is a lovely

play.

Much welcome for France.

Despite that victory, France find

themselves in a very lowly position

in the world rankings at the moment,

the low Fiji and just above Japan.

France and England are in the same

qualifying group for the World Cup

next year.

It is in Yokohama on October 12 when

they will meet. I wonder how many in

the starting line-up today will be

featuring in 18 months' time. You

would

would expect Mathieu Bastareaud will

be featuring. He is heavier than

anyone in the English pack. He has

always been the centre of attention

on and off the field.

The customary forward role, the

customary charges. He has done it!

He has powered his way over.

What

more could there possibly be to

Mathieu Bastareaud than the

considerable man who meets the eye.

He was brought up in a high rise of

volatile disadvantage suburb of

Paris. He played rugby here, fought

a childhood battle against bulimia,

at play are conscious of his size.

Still a teenager, he joined stud

Francais, part of a very different

scene and soon he was playing for

his country. -- Stade Francais. On

the tour to New Zealand, trouble. He

needed stitches to his face. He

claimed at first to have been

assaulted in the streets of

Wellington. The police investigated.

His injuries, he was drunk. He was

banned for three months. He took a

knife to his wrists. To kill

himself? He did not know. He said he

wanted to suffer, to punish himself.

He moved from Paris to the

Mediterranean. Toulon, champions of

France, three times champions of

Europe. He made captain, treasured

by his team-mates. But his

international career had stalled. A

two-year gap. He was too big, too

obvious. Was this the image to be

promoted for stylish French Rugby?

If he made headlines, it was being

in trouble again. Banned in January

for a homophobic slur aimed at

another player. He had never

forgotten the value of hard work.

Even more revered in France.

Fortnight ago he forward rolled into

the Six Nations again and stole the

show. Thunderous and yet sensitive,

aggressive and delighted to be back

on the stage. The great deal you see

of Mathieu Bastareaud, is so much

less than who he is.

Philippe, you have known him since

he was a very young player. Is he

still a little bit of an unfulfilled

talent, do you think?

I find him to

Toulon. He needs love, you know? He

needs coaching, a lot of confidence.

But since he was captain of Toulon,

he grew a lot. When

he grew a lot. When you have, he is

good on the turnover. He is very

good to off-load the ball. I think

we will see a lot today to run.

Here

he is against Italy. Here is the

trademark forward role before he

plays. He had an immense match,

Paul?

He is not the same shape as

Brian O'Driscoll but he is like him

in the ruck. He is very powerful and

off-loads really well. He had some

brilliant off-loads in this game.

When he tackles here, you remain

tackle. Very good at stripping the

ball as well. I think he had four

turnovers in the Italy game and

scored two tries as well. He is a

fantastic player. What is great is

his work in the breakdown. That is

where England need to be prepared

for Mathieu Bastareaud today.

What

you see with Mathieu Bastareaud is

what you get. If a guy like that

decides to have his best game, there

is very little you can do against

it. You are looking at two men

tackling because that is what it

takes to take down 123 kilograms

man. It will be a big day if he is

on.

It will be his off-load where he

could be very dangerous is near the

line. Converting that then for five

metres from the line, you get in the

ball and that one-on-one with a

back, that will be difficult to

stop.

It is very important as well,

we miss a leader in the French team.

He arrives and he is one the

leaders. He has experience. He is a

big help to the captain.

Ben Te'o

has been left out. Was that a

tactical decision?

I hope not. You

would be more concentrating on my

team and the way it will play rather

than worry about the French team.

What I like about Ben Te'o is he has

a pass and he has vision. What he

will do is straighten up the attack.

He will give them more directness.

And also, whether he gets the ball

or not in attack, he is in vision.

He will attract the French defence

allowing more space on the outside.

I think George borders at his best

when he has a guy like that to use

as his foil. You can use it or put

the ball behind him. He has front

foot options. -- I think George Ford

is at his best.

is at his best.

Philippe, there has

been no consistency of selection for

France at half-back and especially

at Number Ten. Would you have picked

trim Duque today?

I think the only

challenge is Francois Trinh Duc. I

think he will keep the ball today.

If it is a kicking game it

If it is a kicking game it will be

mushy makes no.

The problem is with

most of the tens of France, they

have not made a statement saying,

coach pick me, you can't it

normally, that is why there has

always been so much chop and change.

Maxime Machenaud is playing really

well but they need to find the

Number Ten who is a Farrell or a

Ford.

If you were the coach of

France, would you, after the

incident in Edinburgh where seven

players went out drinking until

late, would you have dropped them

until one match and welcome them

back in or said no, that is too bad,

you cannot be part of mice Quad?

To

be honest, it is difficult because I

did know what is happening to this

nine, but I think Teddy Thomas, he

is a winner, and when you play

England, you need guys like him. I

am not the coach at the moment and I

don't know what is happening during

this night so it is a very difficult

thing to make a decision when you

are outside this squad.

Teddy Thomas

is a guy who can score you a try so

to keep him out of the team, well,

that is the coach's call and fair

play to him.

We will move on to

England. We have seen in the

inconsistency of Scotland losing in

Cardiff, being so impressive at

Murrayfield and obviously losing out

the Aviva Stadium, why is it so much

harder in the Six Nations to win

away from home? What is it in the

environment, the refereeing

officials, why is it so hard in this

Championship now to win away from

home?

I think passion and emotion

has role to play in coaching. Guys

have to be mentally prepared.

Passion and emotion still plays a

big role. Passion and emotion is

highest at home when you are

defending your home turf and that

has a role to play in Rugby.

We can

move on to England. All of the

headlines are courted and controlled

in many ways, not by the players but

by the coach. Eddie Jones is the

face of English rugby at the moment

and he was putting on a brave and

defiant face when he spoke earlier

this week to Sonja McLaughlan.

This

is a huge week for England. Eddie

Jones will be furious that this

performance.

I think it will be the

biggest test of Eddie Jones'

coaching career.

This extraordinary

match. England are stunned. They

have rarely tasted defeat.

Eddie,

what are you like when you lose?

Well, I hate losing! And I

especially hate losing to a team we

should not have lost too.

You

described the preparation as

intense, was it too intense?

I think

it actually lacked intensity. I

think we over intellectualised the

game. Tactically, we thought we knew

how to play against Scotland and we

needed to roll up the sleeves more

and get stuck in.

On reflection,

where England in the right frame of

mind?

Know, and that is my fault. We

did not get in the psychological

state we needed to be and that is my

responsibility.

Wide?

If I knew, I

would have 100% winning record but I

don't and I am not that clever?

How

do you set about changing that if

you don't know why it went wrong in

the first place?

We have 124 from 26

games so I think we are above

average.

What is the biggest thing

you have learned from the Scotland

game?

It goes back to preparation.

For my sins, I did not get the

preparation right. I did not get

them psychologically right for the

game.

How can you tell?

You can

never tell because it is not an

exact science.

That must be

frustrating as a coach because you

think you have done everything you

can do but the players don't turn

up?

That is why we do it. I trust my

players, I love my players but they

are human and things get to them.

Sometimes the situation makes it

difficult for them to perform and we

understand that.

Scotland played

with real verve and imagination and

skill in attack. Are you concerned

that that is missing from England's

game?

No.

Outscored by three tries

to one and the way Scotland played,

do you think England can play in the

same manner?

I don't think we need

to play like that? Because we are

England, not Scotland. We don't have

the same players, the same skill as

Scotland and we have other

attributes which are equally

important in Test match rugby.

You

think you don't have the same scale

as Scotland?

I'm saying we have a

different skill set. We have

different players to Scotland. We

want to play like England, we don't

want to play like Scotland.

England

were ahead on territory, possession,

meters made, carries, I concerned

they

they could not turn that into a

victory?

Of course I am concerned, I

am disappointed. That does not mean

we throw everything out of the Bath.

We have had a bad game and we will

rectify that.

Do you think that that

defeat could be a positive catalyst

for change for the team or are you

confident with the environment you

have?

If you Reid what the clever

people say, it is Doomsday, the

world will end. English rugby will

fall at Twickenham and you will

never see it again. So I am not

sure.

Widely Reid it?

If I don't,

someone else will tell me.

But if

you don't look at it, you will not

have to worry about it.

But I do. It

affects my players. And of course

the players know about it, someone

tells them. It is their mother or

their wife or their girlfriend or

their mates will tell them. The

media affects what we do massively.

There is an unrealistic and about

how good we are and none realism

about how bad we are now. And quite

frankly we are somewhere in the

middle.

And they parted friends at the end

of it. Martin, when you hear that,

what is your take on how Eddie Jones

is responding to what is happening

at Murrayfield?

In between being

Eddie Jones, he is making the right

points. You are never as great as

you say you are when you're winning

and not as bad when you are losing.

It is not just his fault, he is

taking the pressure off the players.

The players need to make sure they

are there. But it happens. I have

been in many teams where it has

happened and you have been flat on

the day. The thing now is we have to

turn it around and come out today

and put those things right. If you

get the mental side right, a lot of

it will sort themselves out.

Your

team would have gone through that as

well in pursuit of winning the World

Cup in 2003. You would have had some

high-profile defeats?

Absolutely.

The very best teams, when they have

those flat days, they still play at

a level. The thing for England as

they conceded three tries. You may

concede one and be down at half-time

but then come back. There is

concerned there and they should be.

There is a lot of angst.

Where

England struggle as having the guys

in the team who are really good at

consistently good so if two or three

drop-off, those are three are

playing at a level that makes the

rest of the team rise up to them.

You look at Ireland. I would not say

they have loads of world-class

players in there, apart from Sexton

and Murray who are pushing for

honours in that department. The rest

of the other 13 and the eight on the

bench are very good international

players who play so well every week

and are so well drilled. England

have not yet got that. You have

Farrell, Billy Vunipola when he is

there, Itoje was last year but has

not reached those levels this time

round.

You mention Farrell as a

world-class player and he is captain

for the first time today. Is this a

burden he doesn't need, Martin, or

is it something that will spur him

to greater Heights?

You have Chris

Robshaw who has captained England

more than anyone who needs the guys

to come and do their jobs.

We hope

it is too much because he is also

the kicking so I hope he will do a

good job of captain.

One of the

points that makes Owen Farrell

world-class is his mental strength.

He is able to put disappointment

behind him and carry on. His tackle

rate in the Six Nations is appalling

that you would not think that from

the outside because his presence and

profile is so huge. In a form and is

against Scotland, he was England's

best player.

I'm sure you two would

disagree because he played in the

second row, but isn't it easier for

him to captain the side from centre

because he can see the bigger

picture. If you are Dylan Hartley in

the front row where things are

happening and you have got your head

in the ground.

He is in charge of

that anyway. He is carrying

responsibility for strategy. You're

not calling the shots minute by

minute from the forward pack, but

you can be more in charge of that

emotional side with the forwards. He

needs those guys up front. Whoever

has the responsibility. But even the

guys at the front, Courtney Lawes,

Joe Launchbury, if you are leading

around Paris smashing people, that

is leadership.

I was on a Lions tour

five years ago when he was only 21,

and he was a leader then. He was

bossing people around the pitch,

raising standards, demanding more of

the people. His farm or experience

now and I think he is well able for

the responsibility.

the responsibility.

And Philippe,

tell us about a captaincy point of

view for France?

Guilhem Guirado is

a good leader. And I think Mathieu

Bastareaud and full slaughtering

took. I think he can be a big help

but the key for me is the ruck.

but the key for me is the ruck.

Paul

was talking about the passion and

the involvement of the fans for the

home team, the spectators here, what

are they expecting, what

realistically are the fans

expecting?

They expect the guys, if

the French team have a good start,

I'm sure the club will be crazy and

will follow the other teams. I hope

we take the score straightaway.

Martin spoke a few minutes ago about

the definition of leadership, going

round Paris bashing people. That

sums up the peculiar relationship

these two countries have.

Wesley Fofana! Greenwood chasing

Robinson.

This is typical avenger.

That is

just out of this world.

Sensational!

That is the Grand Slam

moment for England!

moment for England!

Oh, dear. The

French seem to have lost all

self-control.

Misses Le Crunch in any language you

want.

I have to say the weather here

yesterday was pretty drizzly and it

was awful. We were expecting a

different environment for the match

but it is beautiful now. It is a

great day for rugby but you still

have to defend. Where were England

deficient against Scotland and what

will they have to correct today?

Their heads were not in the game.

You have to concentrate. Hughes is

disconnected from Lawes. Scotland

getting behind. You think sharpen

up, let's get wider and stronger and

get together. A big part of defence

is communication. Once you lose

that, you lose that disconnect.

There is a good flat line but two

players, Lawes and Farrell decide to

go up and they are leading the

doglegs. Clever teams that like to

pass and get in there, look here,

this is from a kick, Danny Care

knocked it long there. You should be

in a flat line coming together,

squeezing the defence, making them

kick, rather than giving them the

space to run yards and yards. There

is still a disconnect and that means

you have to talk more. Two runners

come up and create that disconnect

and again, thin Russell against

Wales was not making waves passes

against England he did, and against

Ireland, it has not gone Scotland's

way. If you are not defending well,

it sets the pattern in your game. It

is one of the reasons why Jonathan

Chase has been left out today.

Jonathan had to follow him in and he

stayed out in No Man's Land.

They talked about how to beat

Scotland, we turned up and win the

game. That is lethal in rugby at any

level particularly away from home.

If you don't get it right, Scotland

grew as a team, and if they don't do

it today, France will grow.

I don't

see France breaking out of their own

22 and throwing those long passes,

but I did not expect Russell to play

well against England!

But France are

one out, one out.

I cannot expect

them to play an expansive game

overnight with so little experience.

I think they still had it in them

than if they take the turnover they

can counterattack and go Bulls up I

would be fearful today. I have

memories of being here chasing

Frenchman around the field.

That is

when they were decent!

Have France

still got it in them?

I think so, we

have great players but we just need

confidence. The win against Italy

was huge for us.

Serge Betsen, the

great French flanker, was very

critical yesterday of

great French flanker, was very

critical yesterday of the selection

of Eddie Jones of the England back

row, staggered that these three had

been maintained. Were you surprised,

Paul?

been maintained. Were you surprised,

Paul? They were criticised in

Scotland because of a deficiency at

the breakdown.

I don't think it's

down to the back row, England are

willing to sacrifice the numbers

they put into the ruck and that

caused them problems, that and a few

bad habits. These were some of the

rucks from the Scottish game.

bad habits. These were some of the

rucks from the Scottish game. Joe

Launchbury turns his head, Wilson

does not need a second invitation.

This was a big turnover, a big

moment in the game for Scotland.

Nigel Owens gave the scrum to

Scotland. Owen Farrell and Anthony

Watson have no interest in the ruck,

Chris Robshaw is trying to do it on

his own and John Barclay get the

penalty and another big

psychological moment. Again they go

in with one, Itoje, Launchbury comes

into later. John Barclay with

another big moment. This was England

on the attack, five metres out from

the line, Robshaw cleans it well but

he leaves George Ford on his own.

They end up with two on one, Richie

Gray and Tommy Seymour and they blow

him off the ball, turning over

possession five metres from your own

line like

possession five metres from your own

line like that is suicidal stuff.

That is where they did the job and I

think it helped Ireland today

because they were forewarned at the

breakdown for the game against

Scotland.

The key thing is to win

the ball with the minimum players in

the ruck as quick as you can. If

they are doing something different

you have to adapt and England did

not do that well enough. France

could do the same and England have

to be ready for it. Also, if France

don't do it, they don't have to

overcommit. They have to adapt to

the opposition. It's all right

having a planned but you have to

change it if do.

If we go forward

from the back row, Maro Itoje was

the shooting star of European rugby

never mind English

the shooting star of European rugby

never mind English rugby last news

addicts difficult second season

syndrome if you like as a wanted

man. Why is it?

There

syndrome if you like as a wanted

man. Why is it?

There is a

perception he's not playing as well

and some of it is England not

playing as well. I not a big stats

man but the biggest change is the

amount of turnovers he is winning

and penalties giving away. Maybe

they have told him that and he is

holding back. That is the hardest

thing as a forward, when to go in

and when not to. This shows him that

all those bits add up. If he can

have to or three turnovers like

that, stealing the line-out and the

tackle and inspire England it will

be good but the rest of them have to

do it, Launchbury and Lawes and

Robshaw Andy Hughes, they all need

to stand up.

He is a great player.

-- and Nathan Hughes for that you

would like in the French team, a

fantastic athlete.

You would like

him in the French team but if you

look at the English back three to

date with the potential they had to

throw the ball around with it almost

feels like a French back three.

You

throw the ball around with it almost

feels like a French back three.

You

look at the teams, the big

difference to the back three. The

back three of England is quick with

flair and Elliot Daly is back, he is

fantastic for Wasps and for England.

Our back three need to perform very

well today.

Elliot Daly

Our back three need to perform very

well today.

Elliot Daly for me is

the best northern hemisphere back.

His skill set sets him apart because

he can do the basics very well and

he has that flair also he can knock

the ball through the posts from 55

metres, he can chip, he has vision

and the speed to run through the

tackle, intelligence and the skill

set to put the money else through

the gap. I believe he is

inspirational. This guy can change

the tone of the game initial space

of time and in small gaps. -- in a

short space of time.

Maybe he is a

little bit rusty having not played

since November.

Three weeks ago Mike

Brown was Eddie Jones's superhero,

untouchable at full-back and now he

is out of the team. Were you

surprised by that?

After a game like

that anybody is droppable. You get

what Mike does, with Anthony you

have more pace. It is probably right

he gets a look in a big

international. It is tough on Mike

at that is what happens when you

lose, guys get dropped also the rest

of the team should say, we have got

a guy dropped, let's go and perform.

You mentioned the Lyons on many

occasions, Jamie George was the

Lions hooker but effectively second

choice for England because of Dylan

Hartley being captain but he now

gets his opportunity with Dylan

Hartley injured. If he makes a big

statement today, what does it mean

for the dynamic of captaincy and

front row and England altogether?

It

makes it difficult for Eddie Jones,

it makes it difficult decisions

around selection. He has waited a

long time for his opportunity, a

fantastic player and really well

coached. I think the best coaching

in Europe at the moment is happening

at Saracens. Excellent at said Pete

and good scrummager and Thrower,

dynamic around the field as well --

at set piece. It looks like a great

service so it should suit him.

You're both played here on many

occasions, tell us about playing at

the Stade de France. Is it different

to other venues and if so, wider

question of it is always different

for France, but maybe it is

different and the atmosphere is

different.

With due respect, it always felt the

biggest game, France away from home,

you have got to be at your absolute

best or you could get a pasting.

The

forwards know it especially, they

are always well up for it. We used

to be intimidated by the flair of

the French. Later in my career, the

French crowd, it makes you intent

and pumped up and that is what

England need because they were so

slow off the mark against Scotland.

They have to play with more speed

and constructs better and they have

to be more solid and this game could

be right for them if they get

involved in the atmosphere and

accept it.

What is your take on what

might happen, Paul?

I fancy England.

I don't think the Top 14 prepares

French players properly for Six

Nations rugby. From a fitness point

of view, a discipline point of view

and tactically. They will bring the

Passion and emotion but I don't

think the French players at the

fitness or discipline to follow

through with it.

Tumultuous

reception for the two teams here at

the Stade de France.

the Stade de France. 80,000 red,

white and blue flags have been

handed to the spectators and it is

just a glorious almost a balmy

evening here. It is almost 20 years

ago today that the Stade de France

was opened and five days after it in

operation France played England in

the Five Nations and France won

24-17 and went on to win the Grand

Slam with Jerry and Martin playing

in that game. But huge questions now

for both teams can England recover

from the Murrayfield mauling at if

they are still to be contenders for

the championship, they need a bonus

point victory. And somewhere inside

this French team, is there looking a

collective will to relight the

French rugby fire? Let's hope it is

going to be a tasty tea-time in

Paris. After the anthems commentary

will come from Paul O'Connell, Brian

Moore and Eddie Butler.

# God save our gracious Queen

# Long live our noble Queen

# God save the Queen

# Send her victorious

# Happy and glorious

# Long to reign over us

# God save the Queen #.

# Allons enfants de la Patrie

# Le jour de gloire est arrive

# Contre nous de la tyrannie

# L'etendard sanglant est leve

# L'etendard sanglant est leve

# Entendez-vous dans les campagnes

# Mugir ces feroces soldats

# Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras

# Egorger vos fils, vos compagnes

# Aux armes, citoyens

# Formez vos bataillons

# Marchons, marchons

# Qu'un sang impur

# Abreuve nos sillons #.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

COMMENTATOR: Good evening and

welcome to the Stade de France. A

rousing set of renditions of the

anthems. France have left well alone

up front, watch out for Yacouba

Camara in the line-up, Guilhem

Guirado as a tackler and Jefferson

Poirot over the ball at the

breakdown. And keep an eye on

Mathieu Bastareaud in the centre, he

is hard to miss, or is it a day for

other players to step up like the

hard running Remy Grosso?

At hooker Jamie George replaces the

injured Dylan Hartley. The general

instructions to all of the forwards

after the Scotland game, roll up

your sleeves and rip into it. Ben

Te'o comes into the centre, not

quite the size of Bastareaud but

large enough. Anthony Watson at

full-back and Elliot Daly back after

injury in December. Owen Farrell is

the England captain. Mike Brown

takes his place on the bench. Good

afternoon, Brian Moore. It is the

crunch and it has a heavyweight

feeling.

It is almost springtime in

Paris and technical things will

unfold but this is the real question

for England, where is your head and

heart today? Are they in the right

place? If they are, there is a

chance, if they are not big to be a

difficult experience.

A reverse of

the normal question, which England

will turn up? The charity kick-off

something of a tradition here in

France. Ben Te'o back in the centre,

Jaco Peyper is the referee today.

One team had suffered a rare defeat

under Eddie Jones, England, and a

team that enjoyed a rare victory in

the last round, France. England need

a bonus point win to stay in

contention for the title. France are

on a longer road to recovery, just

to win back the affections of their

public.

public. But whatever those contrasts

in the current fortunes, it still

has the feel of the England- France

games of old, when you were out

there, Brian. They were some of the

hottest properties and hottest

atmospheres.

They worked but those

are passed now and probably quite

rightly. What I want to see today is

a highly disciplined performance

from England.

Do they go for it from

the word go?

The first 20 minutes in

Paris you want to be relatively

quiet in terms of the opposition

crowd for the don't give France

anything, settle into the game.

But obviously if the opportunity

presents itself, let it go.

Francois

Trinh-Duc gets us underway.

Elliot Daly, was the taken high? --

was he taken? Nothing from the

referee, England in their own 22

with Danny Care.

with Danny Care. Hugo Bonneval the

French full-back gathering safely.

Paul Gabrillagues from the second

row involved. Wenceslas Lauret at

the halfway line, Mako Vunipola has

been given the responsible at the

four leading the forwards today.

That is a brilliant pass out of the

tackle, France on the surge and it

is a long pass... Into touch but...

It was lost forward.

We go all the

way back. To the French half.

It was

only a couple of yards forward!

only a couple of yards forward! The

crowd are booing because they have

not seen the replay.

Forward pass,

England will have the pudding at the

scrummage, that is the long and

short of it. -- will have the

put-in.

This is an area in which

England have been frankly

disappointing thus far. It has been

a long time since England have had a

dominant set piece. Here we go. Only

a couple of yards!

The French front five are very

strong.

They reckon Rabah Slimani is

the grandest tight head of the

current game. Poirot on the

loosehead side will be attacking Dan

Cole. On the far side. Jamie George

of course starting for England

today.

Penalty to England.

Slimani has to

be happy about that, he was at an

angle but so was Mako Vunipola. It

depends which went in first for the

inevitably given the proximity, if

your opponent turns in you will have

to follow because you are bodily

bound. While you can make cases

against both...

against both... Both of them in at

an angle and I must admit that I'm

struggling at the moment to decide

which one.

You used to inhabit that

area, Brian.

Yes, it was fairly warm

and cosy. Dangerous at times.

Rabah

Slimani and this is Owen Farrell,

captain today and placekicker.

Beautifully struck, England take an

early lead and Paul O'Connell has

shot up from ground level.

Hello,

Eddie. I think guesswork at the

scrum, hard to tell who's fault it

is and who goes down first but still

a big moment for England to get the

first penalty and a lead.

Francois

Trinh-Duc, and the grass looks in

good condition, not always the case

here at the Stade de France. England

make ground from the restart,

Machenaud senses a turnover. Mako

Vunipola on a one-man mission to

secure the ball for England. He has

done very well because he has won

the penalty.

And that could have

been another problem for England,

very similar to the Scotland game

where they got isolated. On that

occasion they were given the benefit

of the doubt.

A lot of players in

the French team are very good in the

ruck, very good at poaching and

getting locked on the ball but they

need to have the discipline to let

it go at times and pick and choose

their moments. It is something they

don't do very well in the Top 14 and

you don't get away with it in the

Six Nations.

Elliot Daly off his

wing.

Vunipola with a good pass, strength

from Ben Te'o in the centre. Mathieu

Bastareaud left on the ground. Jonny

May switches to the right-wing

today.

Inside the French 22. Courtney

Lawes.

England quite happy to come at

France around the fringes, straight

through the breakdown. Courtney

Lawes again. Joe Launchbury on his

shoulder, Maro Itoje over the ball.

Anthony Watson on the switch with

Jonny May on the 22.

Good passing and off-loading by the

tight England forwards, Chris

Robshaw from the back row goes to

ground.

Nathan Hughes. Another yard gained

beyond where he first made contact.

Vahaamahina got hands on it and it

has broken down for England but

Anthony Watson has a chance to

launch from the halfway line.

Guirado clamps over the ball. Cannot

stop England keeping possession.

No attempt to get the pass away this

time from Launchbury.

time from Launchbury. Bonneval

against Jonny May. That is a fairly

loose pass and Robshaw sees as the

ball. -- he seizes the ball.

Vunipola tackled by Camara.

It has been a theme of the

afternoon, plenty of this in Dublin

and congratulations to Ireland on

their bonus point win, Paul.

It was

an excellent win, Scotland butchered

a few chances which hurt their

belief a bit. It could have been a

much narrower margin and they could

have been in the game but towards

the end they were well out of it. I

think the performance last week at

Murrayfield, Ireland were forewarned

at the breakdown and they were ready

for the Scottish energy there.

England may have been forewarned at

the breakdown by Mathieu Bastareaud

because whatever he does not do as a

20 stone centre in terms of ballet

dancing he is a very strong man. He

has significant presence at the

breakdown. That was a good defensive

set from France because England had

a lot of possession and did not

really make much ground and France

have driven them backwards.

Itoje

gets hands to the ball and poaches

the French line-out so England back

in possession, plenty of this in the

opening eight minutes.

Well taken by Remy Grosso.

Francois Trinh-Duc for France.

Gabrillagues was almost facing his

own line when he took that.

Machenaud goes on the aerial route

and that has gone wrong again for

France. They are just being a bit

too methodical at the moment.

You

can have good or bad fortune from a

charge down. No real control on that

occasion they did not bounce for

England. More worrying for France

was the pass inside from Bonneval

who just hurled the ball seemingly

without regard.

Courtney Lawes won

the first stolen line-out, Maro

Itoje with that one.

Itoje again.

It is all defensive work for France.

George Ford buries himself with the

forwards again, Dan Cole playing

outside-half. Anthony Watson. The

slightest opportunity but no, say

the French defenders. Barral tried

to inject pace and determination.

This is Launchbury. -- Farrell.

This is Launchbury. -- Farrell. And

again it seems that Jaco Peyper is

going to demand instant release.

You

have got to get into the right body

position to take the man off the

ball, whether you do it by rolling

him or getting your shoulders

underneath, but you only get one

chance and you have to do it

quickly. If you get the initial

contact wrong, that is the result

was the best thing to do is to get

it done before it becomes a ruck.

But by the time these French players

get locks on the ball it is

difficult to get them off. Excellent

pressure on the French line-out.

Having Lawes in the back row who is

effectively a second row means they

can put a lot of pressure on the

French line-out.

That will be

difficult to affect, the clear out,

without rolling the player.

That is

Courtney Lawes again who has stolen

the French throw and France

seemingly cannot get their hands on

the ball at the moment. This is the

power and pace Ben Te'o. Advantage

England.

We had this in the Scottish game and

France against Scotland as well for

them if you're patient enough, the

French players will give you

opportunities, penalties, turning

the ball over and that is all

England have to do. Super thick, ten

metres out. Often that could be 22

metres out -- super kick. An

opportunity for the English forwards

to walk in and try to drive the

French over the line.

French over the line.

Vunipola comes

away with it. Ben Te'o takes on

Bastareaud. And delivers for Danny

Care. They go wide, it has gone

loose and France steal the ball with

Remy Grosso coming away with it.

England scurry back, good defensive

operation. Yacouba Camara, he had

had an excellent Six Nations so far

and this is one of the reasons, not

just a line-out jumper but good on

the ball. Bastareaud with a good

pass do Doumayrou. Owen Farrell

scrag is him.

Marco Tauleigne, the number eight.

Machenaud waiting. Trying to make

the point that England are lying on

the ball. The captain, Guirado. And

the giant Vahaamahina.

Doumayrou again. England trying to

go high to prevent the pass from the

tackle. Slimani has lost it. Danny

Care, will he keep it in field?

Bonneval is on his own. That is a

brilliant pick-up by Chris Robshaw.

The crowd don't like what happens to

Bonneval who is down on the ground.

I have to say, what a scoop off the

ground by the former England

captain.

It was, great dexterity.

Something and nothing.

Turnover by

England. They just can't give those

opportunities to France. I thought

the French attack was really good,

eventually nullified by a brilliant,

low chop tackle by Courtney Lawes

which is his specialty.

which is his specialty.

That is the

sort of thing that sticks on the

training ground and not under

pressure. For all that Camara does

here, and all the metres he makes,

that ball after the initial contact

needs to be moved into space, not

for players to run into.

A change

for France. Hugo Bonneval has to go

off. Gael Fickou comes on. They had

not lost any pace.

Jacques Brunel with the moustache in

the middle. Recalled to coach France

just when he might have been

slipping out of the limelight.

Penalty to France.

An important

line-out here to France. They have

lost three in a row. They have to do

something simple.

They looked to the

middle, then they went long.

Something a little bit simpler. They

just have to keep it simple and wait

for England to give them an

opportunity. Don't force it, wait

until England give them an

opportunity.

Tauleigne wins for France. Does an

about turn to provide possession for

Machenaud. And a nice pick-up by

Camara. Robshaw makes the tackle.

Camara. Robshaw makes the tackle.

I

don't think Jaco Peyper wanted to

give another penalty away at the

breakdown. There have been so many.

It is a good position for scrum,

Brian?

Both sides are open.

This is Jefferson Poirot.

Bastareaud

is such a big threat. You can't not

cover him. If they overcome it and

you are sensible, there should be

space.

Ben Te'o swapped with George

Ford. It was Bastareaud against

Ford.

That is wise.

Do you imagine

France will go for another

scrummage?

I would think so.

The French half-backs, Maxime

Machenaud and Francois Trinh Duc.

Just watching Francois Trinh Duc go

quite a long way which makes it

think it might come to Bastareaud.

And interesting call from an English

back saying we are giving a kick

away.

He looks for Machenaud. It was

overdone.

That was never going to

work because of the sweeping system

in operation.

We are underway

immediately. Danny Care who was the

sweeper looks up. Oh and Farrell

leads the charge. I missed

clearance. Courtney Lawes. -- Owain

Farrell.

Vunipola has had a lot of

possession.

Little bit slowed up then. Here

comes Joe Launchbury.

comes Joe Launchbury. Guirado over

the ball and he wins the penalty for

France.

This is something England

will have to deal with all day. The

England front row are excellent at

the ruck. They are very big men.

Once they get locked on that is

impossible to move them. You need to

target those guys. That's scrum

attack from France was so

disappointing. They are ten metres

from the England line and they go

for a 50-50 ball. If they hang onto

the ball, they may not score a try

but at least they have a shot at a

penalty or at least some points on

the board.

the board. They have got to offer

something better than that for the

attack.

Do you think they were going

for the double bluff?

No, I don't

think so. It was just a poor

tactical option, to be fair.

This

area has not gone well for France

either.

either. Robshaw was on it. He slaps

his hands together. So close.

It is

one of the things that Robshaw maybe

gets criticism for. He does make

intercepts. He blocks down kickers

and he does add a few poachers.

He

is a phenomenally hard-working

player.

He contributes a lot more

than just breakdowns at the ruck. He

is a very clever player. He does not

get as much credit as he deserves.

France would have been in trouble.

Trinh Duc has gone right behind the

scrummage. He goes into an

unorthodox position waiting for the

release from the scrummage. Again,

it is a penalty against France. The

line-out is not going well and the

scrum is not going well.

scrum is not going well.

Slimani

penalised for dropping.

He is

obviously a highly rated prop in the

Top 14 but I do think his struggles

in the Six Nations.

in the Six Nations.

Elliot Daly back

in the game.

Vunipola is well out and angled

there. That is what Slimani is

complaining about.

Elliot Daly, it is high. And very

long as well. A brilliant kick by

Elliot Daly. Welcome back to the

international scene. Elliot Daly's

penalty puts England 6-0 ahead.

A

massive weapon for a team to have.

To get a penalty five metres in your

own half and

own half and to get three points out

of it, so important.

Two penalties

conceded.

Courtney Lawes tries to make an

extra half yard. George Ford,

Farrell with the kicking option.

Camara, gone loose. Now it is in the

hands of Benjamin Fall. Jamie George

house to make a second tackle on the

French wing. France is now looking

for the off-loads from their

forwards.

This is Lauret. You have to be

careful here because play approaches

an injured player. Mathieu

Bastareaud. It is a foul. Making

Hughes still down. -- Nathan Hughes.

France have gone seven aside all of

a sudden.

Guirado, twists, turns, delivers

again for Machenaud. Problem is that

the set piece. But Burns France are

penalty.

That is what the pace of

Gael Fickou does. When he makes that

break, he advances the opposition,

back foot, dead ball, offside. That

does not look good at all bad.

England cannot recreate and then

they get penalised.

they get penalised. When Bastareaud

takes the ball forward, eventually

he gets brought down, but the

backline and the back foot defence

have time to reorganise. When you

take it forward with pace like Gael

Fickou did, then people cut corners

and they get caught as they did

there.

Sam Simmons waits and looks

on as Nathan Hughes tries to put

some weight on. Oh, no, it is not

good. He is coming off. He had a

long battle to get himself back into

the game and it has come to naught.

Nathan Hughes goes off and on comes

Sam Simmons who is a very different

kind of player. Very quick out in

the wider channels.

He is dextrous

and as we have shown when he put

Jack Nowell away for a try against

Italy, a good footballer.

It is a

very muted atmosphere here. It is as

if the crowd are waiting for the

French team to serve something up.

They are here to watch and not

support the team. It is a nervous

lacking in confidence type of crowd.

When you look at the standard and

the style of play, there is not much

to cheer about.

Maxime Machenaud,

before this game started,

statistically the most accurate

kicker. Strangely, Owen Farrell was

the least accurate.

Machenaud puts France on the board.

His stats only improve.

In Ireland, the tradition is dead

silence which I think its more

off-putting for a kicker.

Machenaud

was the player coming forward and he

had every right to claim it, but it

was nearly a moment Twenty20 players

and the ball collided. This is

Poirot the prop, inside his own 22.

-- nearly a moment when two players

collided.

Good clearance.

You have to say irrespective of the

possession and the number of phases

they had, England have not created

much.

It is still in play. Grosso has to

get back quickly. That ball had a

little bit of spin on it. He kept

his eye on it well, the left-winger.

That is the first time we have seen

France really stretched.

The French of is slow at the

kick-off.

Launchbury goes up well.

Sam Simmonds now in possession.

Gabrillagues has given away a

penalty for collapsing the maul.

Advantage still being played as

Jamie George takes on Bastareaud.

That is what they call a coach

killer. No real danger there. No

need to do that. When you are only

three points down, and the game has

not been a big scoring game, and

this could be the difference, that

sort of ill discipline must be

infuriated for a coach.

In Rugby, it

is inevitable you will give away a

few penalties, it is impossible not

to. I think the French seem to give

away so many unnecessary penalties.

I understand Farrell's numbers have

not been amazing this season but by

and large he is an excellent kicker

and Elliot Daly is an excellent

long-range cooker. You cannot give

away those penalties. I think it

goes back to the Top 14 and the

habits the French players bring back

into the Championship.

Very sweetly struck. Not many

minutes after France scored their

that list points, England keep their

lead at six.

Launchbury again. A different type

of catch but just as secure.

Marco are macro, takes on Jonny May.

Courtney Lawes clattered off there.

So we have an advantage for offside.

France with a free play now... Oh,

dear. It lacks a certain continuity

at the moment.

Yes, penalty count

now, 6-5 in France's favour and it

is very stop start. France have

struggled at the line-out. Whenever

they have got these penalties and an

opportunity down they have not been

able to make it count.

There is slow getting into the

line-out, the French.

Where do we

throw this one?

Just keep it simple

and get it to the front. If it has

collapsed and it is on the ground,

at least if you have possession, you

have a chance.

They have kept it

simple again. Here it comes, Mathieu

Bastareaud on the charge. It does

take two to hold him down. Jamie

George with the tackle. Ben Te'o.

Machenaud goes digging. Camara.

Machenaud goes digging. Camara. Neat

footwork by Tauleigne again.

Trinh-Duc gives it pace and finds

Benjamin Fall.

Benjamin Fall. Picked up by France.

The crowd tells you ever think.

The crowd tells you ever think. The

captain twists, turns. Pushes it

back. Machenaud has to play it

quickly. Hesitation. It is a simple

knock-on. What a disappointment.

They were playing a penalty

advantage, but even so, Brian.

The

lack of communication.

lack of communication. Machenaud

wanting it to go forward but not

paying attention to the ball at his

feet. And again, what France is

trying to do is very limited, very

powerful, very difficult to stop

unless you are an international

defence and are set.

I dead think

the tackle was bad, I thought it was

simple and effective, they did not

force any off-loads.

The crowd have

just seen Maro Itoje's tackle.

A

nice simple line-out from France

there. Go to the front, the tall

man.

man.

That his Mathieu Bastareaud in

slow motion, attacking the Ford

Farrell channel which is supposed to

be the weakest access in the English

defence. Funnily enough, it turns

out not to be so.

Machenaud. Precision itself. It was

close. Just a reminder to make the

big showdown, England Ireland in the

last round, the title decider,

England have to get a bonus point

here.

They do, but they should not

be concentrating on anything other

than winning this game.

I called Mathieu Bastareaud Mario, I

apologise, that was my fault.

I have

heard you say worse!

It is a chance for Sam Simmonds to

launch something. He goes by the

Anthony Watson route who sets off,

the searing pace of England's

fullback. George Ford did very well

to make something out of that. Here

goes Ben Te'o. He runs into

Bastareaud.

Jonny May with Anthony Watson. That

was a brilliant tackle by Machenaud.

Danny Care. Watson on his shoulder.

That was Guilhem Guirado, the

competition's leading tackler who

brought down the wing. George Ford.

Jonny May in the heart of midfield.

It has broken down. Camara comes

away with it. Laurent waits, leaves

it. Another penalty advantage for

France. Grosso, who has got a huge

hand off if he gets a bit of

freedom. I thought they had stolen

it but they were not playing the

penalty advantage so the penalty

fest continues.

England have given

France plenty of opportunities to

get into their half and get into

their pressure area. They seem to be

struggling at the ruck where never

France get a little bit of quick

ball. You would love to see France

kick this into the corner and try

and play a little bit. A great

pick-up by Jamie George. Excellent

pick-up. This is the tackle here

from Machenaud. Jonny May, it was

fairly obvious he was going to run

hard and straight straightaway. A

really good tackle.

And the tackler picks himself up,

looks at the posts, quite a long way

away and says that is for me. Two

out of two so far.

This to level the scores. We are all

square.

square.

Well, England find

themselves with a narrow lead, but

really with the second half, when

they get back out here, they need to

up the tempo of the game.

They

really need to switch France in

terms of the pace on the ball. With

this sort of tempo, France will

always be in the game.

Bastareaud tried to launch himself

at George Ford. Courtney Lawes was

hanging on. Just went forward from

the number seven.

This could be

England's last territorial advantage

of the half, so they really need to

plan to come out of this possession

from the scrum with at least three

points.

Elliot Daly is hobbling

away, still limping. This is Camara

just knocking on. I suppose it would

have been an overlap.

have been an overlap.

I know we want

to see the France of old, but there

was no need for them to create

anything in that part of the pitch.

You have to play the game as much as

you can in your half of the pitch.

There is no need to be going back

and across in front of a team like

England and put your skill set under

pressure.

Elliot Daly has taken a

position right hand the scrum. Maybe

he was limping for bluff purposes.

Vunipola did start off straight,

Slimani on the contact. Narrowing

down again.

The reason he does that from tight

head, if you can bet your right

shoulder down, it takes all the

shove and all the weight over your

left shoulder. It is a very, very

strong position. It anchors the

scrum.

The French back row will be

worrying about staying down on this

scrum too long. Everybody is

claiming the penalty. Guilhem

Guirado in particular. Of what them

all, he has the right as captain.

This is being reset. There is a

penalty in every scrum. It takes a

lot of momentum out of the game.

Third time lucky, hopefully, for

this scrum.

If you watch at the top

of your screen, see if the players

are straight parallel to the

touchline. They wed be, I guarantee

you later on.

Good so far.

And as

the shove comes on, you can see they

have twisted.

As a rule of thumb, if

the tight head tends to be the one

who goes in first under pressure?

Generally. From a loosehead point of

view, if you are in the second row

and you have nothing left to push,

it is not an advantage as position.

If the second row has nothing to

push any, there is no real

advantage. The advantage of a

loosehead going out is if he gets

under the right shoulder of the

tight head or drives straight

across, but just to do it very

slowly brings nothing. It actually

brings quite a lot of pain to the

hooker.

The referee needs to

penalised some of the early and

often.

He should say if you don't

get this right, you could both go

off and we will get two people who

can do it right.

And we play on.

Elliot Daly picks it up. Does not

get over the advantage line. George

Ford, Ben Te'o. Outside him, England

know they must regroup quickly. Here

comes Courtney Lawes. It has gone

loose. France with a chance to break

out now. Doumayrou with Bastareaud

and support. That was not one of his

best. On that note... That is the

end of the first half. The score at

half-time, and it has been a funny

one, 9-9.

Not a great spectacle that you can't

take your eyes off it which might be

contradictory but it is coming down

to who can kick the penalties at the

moment. Elliot Daly with that

amazing strike from inside his own

half. Machenaud has kept kicking the

ball over while England have

infringed, especially at the

breakdown. Farrell with a third,

Machenaud with two more and we are

level pegging at half-time.

It is like we are five rounds into a

ten round boxing competition and

everybody has landed the same amount

of punches and you can't tell who is

in the ascendancy. Martin Johnson?

of punches and you can't tell who is

in the ascendancy. Martin Johnson?

Scrappy game, England are not

particularly fluent and France are

getting some of their best

opportunities when England turn it

over. I thought we should have just

dropped the goal, get off the field

with the advantage. We're not

getting over the gain line when

we're attacking and running out of

fluency because they are good

defenders and good at the breakdown.

Our line-out is in the ascendancy,

we can put them under pressure that

way.

Before we talk specifics,

Veretout that England did not come

into this match they would have

known that island won with a bonus

point, Inler have come into the

match to win the game and not

thinking about the bonus point.

There only concern is the victory,

then the performance and then the

bonus point and you're still in with

a shout. I think the England attack

is so passive. There is no great

direction, no force and intensity in

the game. If I'm Eddie Jones, that's

what I'm telling the team at

half-time. We talked about this, you

were mentally off the pace against

Scotland. You haven't come here with

a lot of intensity so far, your

execution has been pretty sad as

well.

What about France?

To be

honest we looked more dangerous with

England -- of an England with the

ball. We lost three line-ups,

penalised twice in the scrum so we

need more ball but in attack, we

look good, and in the ruck we are

faster. When we have some quick ball

we looked dangerous. I don't know if

we can carry this tempo for 80

minutes.

We can focus on specific

we can carry this tempo for 80

minutes.

We can focus on specific

areas like the breakdown which was

the big talking point at Murrayfield

and again here where England have

conceded a barrel load of penalties.

Why?

It is a result of the function

of the attack, Launchbury is by

himself. We were a bit slow to get

there and he does not have support.

When you let someone get over the

ball, particularly someone like

Bastareaud, it is difficult to get

him out of there.

England at the

breakdown tend to go in, teams have

pods of three or two and England

generally go in with two. As Paul

O'Connell said before the game, if

you only have two you are relying on

one man to clear out so brilliantly.

It is difficult in today's game.

And

the support is too far away. We have

a lot of guys good in the breakdown

and if you are too far to clean, it

is finished.

For people who

For people who are not regular

watchers of rugby but who know the

game enough, they will look at the

England backs and go forward, good

player, Farrell, outstanding, and

they know that Brown has been

dropped because we have this dynamic

backstreet -- George Ford, good

player. Why is the England back

three do so in it?

player. Why is the England back

three do so in it?

They like to get

into positions where they can use

the access of Ford and Farrell to

great effect. Your first Cole and he

is not runout as using the ball

well! -- not renowned. They are

rushing it a bit here, Owen Farrell

is normally accurate but inaccurate

there. What disappoints me more

about this England team at the

moment, and a lot of international

teams are guilty of it, but look how

far they are running across, the

concentration of defenders. If they

strike up and the outside guys come

in on a short line there are so many

gaps. If you are a wind up on the

outside you can go into one of those

gaps -- you are a winger. It makes

it easy for you to be Shepherd

gaps -- you are a winger. It makes

it easy for you to be Shepherd at a

cost to the touchline. The execution

is very amateurish at the moment.

Normally they are precise in the

first phase. But they don't arrive

to go forward with a quick ball. And

also in attack, some them there are

five in the ruck, sometimes one.

Because they are on the back foot

and also because the French team are

strong in defence at the moment.

England scored a brilliant try

against Scotland from the set piece,

Farrell at scrum-half, they went to

the middle, quick ball and back to

Farrell and he ghosted past

Gilchrist. They have the

intelligence and the wherewithal to

do it but they are not applying

themselves. It is disappointing when

you have the excitement of May, the

brilliance of Elliot Daly and the

pace of Watson and Te'o to

straighten it up and give you space.

If it's two nervous teams as well?

England off the back of the Scotland

defeat, France have lost three in a

row here at Stade de France and have

an appalling record in the past

couple of years and they know how

important it is to win.

I think it

is two tense teams but you have to

execute and get into the game.

France have a good defence, not a

great team but very good

defensively. England could use their

kicking game early more and have a

line-out drive for some variation.

It is the same thing and France are

getting up and making tackles and it

is not difficult to see where they

are coming from and they're getting

turnovers. England have to very it.

And with more intensity. Both teams

are plodding.

The game is in marked

contrast to the game in Dublin where

Ireland and Scotland had so much

invention and innovation. What about

the error was France are making in

simple positions sometimes?

the error was France are making in

simple positions sometimes?

One time

they had a scrum in midfield close

to the line. And this was terrible,

50-50, you have to keep the ball.

You must never give it like this. We

need one extra forward to give some

time to Machenaud. We need to be a

bit more patient. We are in the

strike zone here. We dropped the

ball. Then we are in the England 22.

Too many small mistakes. But to be

honest, normally when you do this

against England you are 20 points

behind. They make these mistakes but

at the moment it is a draw also it

is hope for the French team in the

second half.

England Mane three line-ups on the

French throw in succession so is

that brilliant from England or poor

from France? -- England won three

line-outs.

It was good analysis and

good execution. There were not

lucky, they were in the right place.

They have done

lucky, they were in the right place.

They have done their analysis and

picked the right line-outs. When

they forced France to throw to the

front, they're not giving them that

back ball to attack. It kept England

in the game, the set piece turnovers

and scrum penalties.

Another

question we

and scrum penalties.

Another

question we must ask, in the run-up

to this matter, if Dylan Hartley

have been playing we would have been

talking about him going off after 55

minutes and Jamie George coming but

with George starting, interesting

see how long he plays with the Eddie

Jones philosophy of rotating

players.

Eddie Jones does not

believe any front row can last the

full 80 minutes. They all change

most of the time. I think Jamie

George is that a young man, we have

seen him play so brilliantly on the

Lions tour and most of the time when

he has come on he has been one of

those finishers who has had an

impact but he has to do it from the

off now. The weather England are

playing, nobody is playing well,

nobody has the energy -- the wake in

the Na playing. Nobody has the

explosion to show they can do

something with a bald -- of the way

England are playing.

I think England have some good

options on the bench, Sinckler when

he comes on at tight head. I would

leave Jamie George on because he

needs to play and you need to find

out... If we detach ourselves from

right here and right now, a year

away from the World Cup we have to

find out about these guys so I would