Eddie Jones’s men were short of inspiration, leaving the coach with much to ponder in terms of personnel and preparationThe battle was lost and the war long gone with barely a shot fired in anger until the closing stages. Thus did England unravel in Paris to the extent they are now at their lowest ebb under Eddie Jones. A late glimpse of what Owen Farrell can do when he is let off the leash may make for a silver lining, if he is given free rein from fly-half in the future. But make no mistake, the clouds looming over English heads have blackened.England were beaten by an underrated French side who were thrown together at the start of the championship...
Six Nations collision in Paris to be a huge struggle for France but England must not allow them to be in with a sniff late onI know precisely what it’s like to play against a France team in the mood. It may be 11 years ago now but I can still vividly remember being part of the All Blacks side who lost the 2007 World Cup quarter‑final against the French.It was as if they grew another leg, arm, heart – it was wave after wave and it was unstoppable. There were blue shirts everywhere and it didn’t matter how hard we tried, there was nothing we could do. I’m sure it was a great spectacle but not so good for...
Maro Itoje is not looking his freshest in the Six Nations and Mako Vunipola has also gone quiet after the exacting tour to New ZealandOne of the most interesting sequences in sport is threatening to repeat itself yet again. Every four years, during the Six (or Five) Nations season immediately following a British and Irish Lions tour, it is as if lead weights have been attached to the legs of one nation and restorative oxygen pumped into the dressing-rooms of the rest.Spot the common theme in the following list of champions in post-Lions years since the late 1960s: France, Wales, no winner, Wales, Wales, France, Scotland, Scotland, Wales, France, France, France, France, Ireland. It is necessary to spool back 55...
Can anyone unseat Ireland at the top? Who will make the difference in the final two rounds? And can Italy win a game?Ireland will claim a first Six Nations title since 2015 if they achieve a bonus-point victory over Scotland and England fail to do so in Paris. There was certainly an element of fortune to their victory against France but, as seen in recent years, away wins anywhere but Rome are at a premium – and they followed it up with an emphatic win over Italy and a powerful performance against Wales. Andy Farrell will not be happy with the six tries conceded in those matches but perhaps the most impressive thing about Ireland is how they have coped...
Hamish Watson was outstanding in Scotland’s win and the visitors must hope Sam Underhill can be that kind of playerAs a contrast to England’s repeated failure to find a successor at openside flanker to Neil Back one has only to look at how New Zealand coped with Richie McCaw’s retirement. McCaw called it a day after the 2015 World Cup with 148 caps but there, ready to take up the mantle, was Sam Cane with more than 30 himself.The thing with opensides such as that is there has to be a leader of the pack to encourage others to follow. For New Zealand it was McCaw, for Australia it is now Michael Hooper but England have not had one since...