The close defeat to France as told in increments

[Digby]

1st Minute - England kick off to the left, Manu and Underhill chase and scrag Blue 8, but both then fall off the tackle and allow France to recover a few metre. France run another phase before Dupont kicks up over halfway but not into touch. Furbank fields the ball and it's passed inside to May. May is half tackled and then a tackle is completed by Blue 8 who makes no attempt to release and slows the ball nicely. Ford puts up an up and under, but it's 2m too far and claimed in the 22 under no real pressure for the mark.

[Digby]

2nd minute -

Terrifc kick into touch from France. Itoje wins the line out under pressure. We try to maul but can't get going, Youngs kicks away and as with our first it's a few metres too far and taken by Blue 11 who evades the single chaser but carries the ball back too close to the touchline and is shoved out

[Digby]

3rd minute -

Didn't see the lineout as the director wanted a close up of Itoje's thighs, but England do win it and show the full breadth of our imagination, which is to say the ball is brought out to Manu in midfield and Manu wins contact. But having won contact the ball is very very slow, because it turns out just about every England forward is stood in one pod just to the side of that ruck and they attempt to set a maul. It's not actually a bad idea from England, though I don't see why you'd only try it once, and in this instance it doesn't really work. Ford prods the ball down the left touchline and it just finds grass before going out for a French lineout just outside their 22

[Digby]

4th minute -

I thought watching line Ewels gets up well at the lineout to put pressure on Ollivon, but actually it's just a bad slap back on the French side which Underhill is first too makes a few metres and England have quick ball in the French 22. We don't transition well, initially we try to work the shoreside but most of the players are wrapping around and then Ewels cuts a hard line on the shortside which you don't see all the time. France get the ball clear when Curry can't take a pressure pass from Ford and France hack upfield, England carry back and then there's another handling error with Sinckler trying perhaps to force the play.

France on receiving the ball make some very easy metres through Youngs as our guard, I think in part because on losing the ball a good number of our forwards are seagulling asking for a knock on by France, they're not wrapping around and Youngs is exposed at guard. France then just punt the ball up the middle of the pitch. It's possible Furbank could be brave and take the ball on the full, but hesitates and it bounces into our 22 where he gathers, that's possibly a bit harsh on Furbank, maybe

[Digby]

Minute 5 -
A reasonable kick into touch from Furbank just over our 10m line

A good claim in the lineout under pressure from Itoje, but not the best passing down or passing out to Vakatawa. But there is depth on the French attack and with the England defence narrow they're already turning and drifting by the time the ball reaches Vakatawa. There isn't much space between Farrell and Tuilagi but that's where Vakatawa heads and Farrell makes a right shoulder high grab whilst running left and is thus carried a few metres down field on the back of Vakatawa rather than making a tackle, Farrell is giving away a lot in power in fairness, but he does in theory have a left shoulder.

France run another play where Underhill knocks back Blue 1 (Baille) but France recover nicely working the shoreside. First Dupont sends out a really flat pass for Alldritt to run onto which just increases the pressure on England and then Dupont sends Thomas clear into a hole vacated by Itoje, possibly Itoje trying to correct that shift in momentum to France that Dupont creates, on another day Underhill might get across to close the hole on Thomas, but this isn't that day

Furbank does get Thomas down just, and Ford might be able to get over the ball and slow the play, he probably wouldn't as he doesn't tend to stick his head in but in any event he gets well nicely taken out by George making it a moot point

Dupont tries to pass the ball out but Itoje is there to see the ball spilled loose, Itoje looks very offside and very worthy of a yellow, the ball is bobbling on the floor as the minute ends with France looking likely to reclaim.

[Digby]

I now have to go for a coffee. Probably not the first interlude, and it will not lower the standard of posting if there are no updates for a period

[Puja]

I now have to go for a coffee. Probably not the first interlude, and it will not lower the standard of posting if there are no updates for a period

I appreciate you doing this, cause gods only know that I'm not going to watch that turd again.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Ditto

[Mr Mwenda]

Thritto

[Digby]

Minute 6-

England defend the shortside looking rather like they're not onside, bar that it's basically 5 on 5 and more specifically Sickler Vs Fickou, Sinckler tells May to stay wide and does get Fickou down but it costs ground, hardly Kyle's fault he doesn't have the pace to defence Fickou. A couple of phases later, and still working short a simple inside ball from Ntamack to Rattez allows France to go over for the try. I wondered on Saturday if the French prop ahead of the play and in front of Youngs might have been giving Youngs more problems than actually I think are the case, we were scrambling but I'd want Youngs to be making that tackle.

[Digby]

Minute 7 -

Conversion knocked over


Minute 8 -

Great kick off from Ford right over the touchline. It's claimed by France but England shove the carrier out for an attacking lineout in the French 22. France should have done a better job blocking, and maybe even gotten someone outside the catcher so they could help shove him infield.

England win the lineout through Itoje jumping at the middle. And the ball is moved wide to Tuilagi who initially wins contact. But then as he's ganged up on Manu gets run backwards, Underhill isn't clearing the French players, nobody else is even bothering to try. Got to think the team knew the move was to pass to Manu, everyone probably suspected that call, so just bad support play which promptly costs us Itoje and Daly on the ground to protect the ball that we should have been able to clear quickly.

I think basically Underhill has to do better here, the 7 has to protect ball off 1st phase

[Digby]

Minute 9

England have a centre field ruck after Ewels rumbles maybe a metre. But we've got more players on the floor than France so our options should be covered.

However Rattez makes a bad (and needless) read and comes in to cover Curry and Farrell, maybe Ford sees this or maybe he's passing to Furbank anyway but Ford does put Furbank into a hole, and Furbank drops the ball blowing a 2 on 1 as I don't think the fullback could have covered across. The ball is a touch low and a touch behind Furbank, but good players don't drop those

France hack the ball clear for a lineout just beyond their 10m line

England shorten the lineout, whether because they're under pressure from France in the lineout or they just want the soft hands of Marler in midfield is one of life's great debates. The shortened lineout has a dummy move which seems to result in Underhill being late to lift Ewels, and Lawes deciding to lift from a strange squatting stanc, upshot is Ewels is comfortably below the ball and whilst getting a hand to the ball it's deflected away from Youngs.

The loose ball is grasped by their hooker who surges upfield, our hooker is sea gulling to the ref in the hope we get a whistle to rescue our shit lineout. Ford gets Marchand down. And then Itoje leaps at Dupont and forces a knock on

As an aside the slowest forward back from the cocked up lineout was Lawes

[Digby]

Minute 10 -

England are going forwards in the scrum, but the ball isn't hooked back straight. The scrum slews, probably due to France 3 scrumming on an angle Julian White would approve of, and the ball comes out between Underhill and Curry, and with Underhill having a wide position on the outside the ball is left in no man's land

Youngs tries to gather the ball but he's slower to react than Dupont, also Youngs is trying to gather and Dupont is only trying to hack at the ball which is a much quicker action. Ollivand is there to gather the ricocheting ball, made easier as he'd well and truly wandered off the scrum, against which his 3 didn't leave him much to be bound onto

[Digby]

Minute 11 -

England get very lucky as Fickou tries to kick ahead for a chase and just wellies the ball off the pitch, 'twas a good idea but horribly executed and England are back with a scrum in a very similar space

[Digby]

Minute 12 -

The French 3 is on another interesting angle, but this time he seems to have slipped his bind to his hooker and rather than scrummage with a flat back is at right angles to the ground. France do slightly get the right shoulder of the scrum up so maybe that works for a prop even if to me it looks like it wouldn't.

Youngs gathers and sends a slow pass to Ford, perhaps the conditions, and Ford puts up a high kick. A decent enough kick from Ford and reasonably chased but well claimed by Bouthier at the back for France.

Dupont goes to kick clear but he's a bit slow and Curry is there to put pressure on the ball, but sadly Curry only deflects the ball into touch so in essence Curry is punished for his good work.

[Digby]

Minute 13

France win the lineout and pass along the line Thomas gets the ball away just prior to being clattered by Manu. If Manu stops that ball going down the line it's a good decision, as is he's merely taken a defender out of the line.

Rattez with the ball and he cuts inside Farrell, far too easily it seems, Farrell isn't the last defender so why he's going so hard at the touchline I don't quite know. Ford gets through onto Dupont, George tries to get at the ball but France do well to protect the ball, and then carry for a few inches winning contact against Ewels

Ntamack puts up a bomb which France reclaim winning the aerial battle with Daly. I was a bit annoyed on Saturday as I clocked Blue shirts ahead of the kicker, but it's only clearly Vakatawa and whilst he's moving forwards he's not really doing anything (no surprise there)

France work the shortside with Ollivon and then Fickou to end the minute

[Digby]

Minute 14 -

Teams often don't work the shortside 'cause if you get scragged wide it's a horrible place to play out of. But France have players like Vakatawa which helps get out of tight places and he he bumps Farrell evades Sinckler who tried to help Farrell and is then ridden down by Itoje and Youngs. Vakatawa hasn't in truth really gone anywhere but England have 4 defenders on the floor all of a sudden.

Ollivon picks the ball up and gets the ball away to Dupon as Curry tackles him. Marler and Ewels have Dupon ahead of them and they almost buy he's shifting the ball back to Blue 3 as he breaks between them. 3 French players go off their feet supporting Dupon. Nothing doing with Nigel, but it doesn't excuse the bad discipline in response from England creeping up the side of rucks and trying to get hands in where they don't belong. France can't force an advantage to elect to take their shot for 3 points

[Digby]

Minute 15

Nothing happens, unless one counts Nigel stopping the clock to tell the England players they have to go behind the try line. He's technically correct but I doubt Ntamack had noticed, whereas I suspect Ntamack did notice Nigel stopping the game to have a moment on camera.

[Digby]

Minute 16 -

A decent kick knocked over by Ntamack, especially after Nige's interjection.


In the last two minutes the only thing that's happened is one penalty kick at goal, woeful value for money.

[Digby]

Minute 17 -

France nicely block the chasers from the kick off, but if anything Nigel is more worried about Daly getting tight (level) with Ford at kick off. At the next phase Itoje rips the ball clean away from Baille

Not sure what Youngs is trying to do passing from the base, but I'm guessing he's not hoping we'll be batting the ball back over our heads down the line. England haven't transitioned well onto attack, and France don't transition well into defence, they try to press but cannot get at the ball and Lawes carries into a hole. We're stressing the French defence, but our play isn't quite joined up. For instance just before Lawes starts to make his carry Farrell is working back off Lawes to create depth, but then once Lawes starts to run forwards Farrell is suddenly not an option as they're going in different directions. In part it's just one of those things. But for sure there's nothing brutal about England

[Digby]

Minute 18 -

England carry back into the France 22 with Curry. For me Itoje goes straight off his feet, but he is reaching over Ollivon and if he waits to clear the player on the floor he'll be beaten to the ball, and anyway Nice doesn't care about players going off their feet.

England keep the ball for the minute, some okay runs, some okay clearing out and some okay passing from the base, but none of it linked in succession so there's no pace to our game, and we're shorn of carriers. So we spend the minute working about 10m backwards

[Digby]

Minute 19

Bored of going backwards we send up a high kick into the French 22, it's far too long and France take an easy mark and punt the ball back up over halfway. Ford throws in quickly for Furbank, Furbank runs towards the line and drinks ahead, too far ahead as Dupont claims and evades Furbank. On the following phase George makes the tackle and Itoje tries to rip the ball but France get the ball to ground, and Itoje than back heels it out of the ruck on the French side but Blue 8 is able to secure the loose ball. Nigel says the ball was stolen by white and then won back by France, I get he can miss what happens, but why invent what happened?

[Digby]

Minute 20 -

Itoje, great workmate if nothing else, gets to the Dupont box kick, but as with Curry it's only a deflection. This is the ball that might be knocked back by Lawes or might be knocked on by France, I can't tell but I can't say the try being awarded bothers me much.

One minor query, Blue 5 is ahead of the kicker and chases ahead, and he's perhaps close enough he's material. But as Itoje gets a hand to the ball does it matter Blue 5 was previously ahead of the kicker?

I'd say it's a nicely finished try from France but given England don't play to the whistle it's a basic run in. May has done some daft stuff in his time, this is right up there.

[Digby]

Minute 21 -

Ntamack makes another good kick at goal.

England restart, this one is a bit too deep.

[Digby]

Minute 22 -

Dupont kicks clear but not into touch, France less worried about fitness than can be the case. Maybe they still have the benefits of their WC camp.

Furbank puts up a high (medium) kick and chases. France cannot catch cleanly but the ball goes backwards on France's side. France clear into the England 22, Ford clears down the left touchline but the ball stays infield. France kick back into the England 22