At times it was brutal to watch. Do not be fooled by England’s late rally, this was a masterclass from France, utterly unfazed by Eddie Jones’s pre-match comments. Their heroes were many: Antoine Dupont, the swashbuckling scrum-half, Charles Ollivon, the colossal captain and the irrepressible Bernard le Roux to name just three. Chapeau too to Shaun Edwards, for France’s new defence coach left an indelible mark on this match.
On social media former players from both sides were lining up to laud Edwards’ impact. Serge Betsen said that we could see his “foot print” - You sense he meant fingerprints but given the way France trampled all over England in the first half, perhaps not. Edwards will be most pleased with the defensive efforts either side of half-time. On both occasions England laid siege to the French line. On the second they had two scrum penalties but could not find a way through. There was another too, with 10 minutes to go and England desperately pushing for the most unlikely of comebacks. Take nothing away from Edwards’ colleagues because it would be trite to pick the one Englishmen in the ranks and give him all the credit but it remains a mystery why he has never been employed by the Rugby Football Union.
Related: France onslaught leaves England licking their wounds in Six Nations opener
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