England fail to deliver the 'brutal physicality' Eddie Jones promised - BIG MATCH VERDICT
England were given a lesson in 'brutal physicality' after Eddie Jones' bullish words in a nightmare start to the Six Nations.
Six Nations: England 'didn’t match' France 'intensity' says Jones
The dark warnings of impending English brutality from Eddie Jones rebounded spectacularly at the Stade de France as a fired-up French side rammed his words down the England coach's throat in their Six Nations opener. Jonny May's one-man show in attack for England in the second half gave the scoreline a little gloss as they fought their way back from 24-0 down but there was no doubt France deservedly launched the Fabien Galthie era with victory.
Maybe that should be the Shaun Edwards era. All the hallmarks of the former Wales defence coach were on show as a destructive and disciplined performance as England, without the Vunipola brothers or Manu Tuilagi – who went off in the 16th minute – were the ones sent into reverse by Gael Fickou and Co.
The experiment of playing Tom Curry at No 8 did not work and with George Furbank enduring an uncomfortable debut it was far from Jones's finest hour as England coach.
Two tries from new captain Charles Ollivon, both created by the promptings of outstanding scrum-half Antoine Dupont, either side of half time effectively decided the issue. If there was a doubt about the first because of a possible knock-on in the build-up then May was badly at fault for switching off.
The Leicester wing made amends with two superb individual finishes in the second half but with Vincent Rattez having touched down early on from a superb inside pass by Romain Ntamack England had too much to do to haul France back.
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Six Nations 2020 fixtures
Week One
Wales 42-0 Italy
Ireland 19-12 Scotland - KO 4:45pm on Saturday, February 1 - Aviva Stadium, Dublin
France 24-17 England - KO 3pm on Sunday, February 2 - Stade de France, Paris
Week two
Ireland vs Wales - KO 2:15pm on Saturday, February 8 - Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Scotland vs England - KO 4:45pm on Saturday, February 8 - BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh
France vs Italy - KO 3pm on Sunday, February 9 - Stade de France, Paris
Week three
Italy vs Scotland - KO 2:15pm on Saturday, February 22 - Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Wales vs France - KO 4:45pm on Saturday, February 22 - Principality Stadium, Cardiff
England vs Ireland - KO 3pm on Sunday, February 23 - Twickenham, London
Week four
Ireland vs Italy - KO 2:15pm on Saturday, March 7 - Aviva Stadium, Dublin
England vs Wales - KO 4:45pm on Saturday, March 7 - Twickenham, London
Scotland vs France - KO 3pm on Sunday, March 8 - BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Week five
Wales vs Scotland - KO 2:15pm on Saturday, March 14 - Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Italy vs England - KO 4:45pm on Saturday, March 14 - Stadio Olimpico, Rome
France vs Ireland - KO 8pm on Saturday, March 14 - Stade de France, Paris
Six Nations: England need strong scrummage says pundit
They dominated the scrum but, blitzed at the breakdown and smashed in the tackle, they were comfortably second best against a youthful but ultra-committed French side.
Dupont's late shuddering tackle on Willi Heinz, which set off chants of his name around the stadium, put the full stop on France's performance.
About the only thing Dupont did wrong was to misread the clock and kick the ball dead early allowing Owen Farrell to salvage a losing bonus point with the last kick but they were slim pickings from a chastening afternoon.
The World Cup finalists head for Murrayfield on Saturday with their tails between their legs, their big mouths zipped shut and with an awful lot to put right.