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England charge on Six Nations title is rebuffed by France resistance England charge on Six Nations title is rebuffed by France resistance
(about 2 hours later)
England miss out on the Six Nations again after a madcap encounter left them six points short of first place. Both teams scored a record of number of points in the fixture here on a final day in the Six Nations as thrilling and daring as most of what had gone on before had been unexciting, like the Keystone Cops adapting War and Peace. A remarkable final day of what had been an unremarkable tournament went down to the final minute as England drove a maul to France’s line in search of the six points they needed to secure a first title in four years. Down the maul went and up went the arms of the England players as they looked to the referee, Nigel Owens, in the hope that he would be signalling a penalty try.
England, the most adventurous team throughout, scored seven tries but conceded five. When the disappointment eases they can reflect on a tournament in which they made great strides – and the title was in reach until the very end, virtually every England player joining a rolling maul in the final minute that stalled just before reaching its destination. It was an England player, Billy Twelvetrees, who was eventually penalised for sealing off as the countdown clock reached zero. Even then a madcap day was not done with folly and frolic as France, on their own line, 20 points down and with nothing at all to gain, tapped and ran. Starting with the lunchtime riot in Rome, the afternoon had so shattered perceptions and stereotypes with its ambition and try-scoring that it was as if the Keystone Cops had been asked to adapt War and Peace for the big screen.
Ireland’s victory over Scotland meant England had to win by 26 points to take the title, something they had not managed against France here in the Six Nations since 2001. Whereas Ireland, and Wales before them in Rome, were playing manifestly inferior opponents, the World Cup hosts were up against a side high on ability and experience that had conceded two tries in five Test matches without finding collective understanding in attack. Each game had a decisive twist in its closing moments: Wales would have won the title had they taken a try-scoring opportunity rather than giving one away: Ireland would have lost it had Stuart Hogg’s claim for a try been upheld and a conversion followed; England, whose cause looked to be forlorn when they conceded a second try with James Haskell in the sin-bin for tripping Jules Plisson and needed two converted tries to win in the final six minutes, were a refereeing decision away from a notable achievement.
It seemed England had to be patient, but it took them 90 seconds to score their first try after running the kick-off from their own 22 had ended in a France scrum when Luther Burrell spilled the ball in contact. Les Bleus tried to move slow, disrupted ball and Jules Plisson threw a shocking flat pass to Gaël Fickou that went to ground. The drama was played out over seven hours. Had the three matches started simultaneously and the finales been the same, Einstein’s ghost would have had to be summoned to instantly compute the mathematics. Everything came down to the last part of the final act: there were 90 seconds to go when England were awarded a penalty at a scrum in France’s half and, with three points no use, kicked to touch.
Jonathan Joseph picked up and found Mike Brown outside him. The full-back veered inside for George Ford to loop around and skip towards the line before supplying his half-back colleague, Ben Youngs, with the scoring pass. Ford converted but was then wide with a long-range penalty after England had again got on top at a scrum. England had started strongly but fell apart for 20 minutes, reassembled themselves and ultimately managed to put themselves in a position to win the title. The crowd had been loud all game but, for the first time, hope had been replaced by expectation. Rolling mauls were England’s thing and – once the throw from Tom Youngs, unlike two others in the visitors’ 22 earlier in the final quarter, was collected and the drive put in gear – France went into reverse. Most of the players in white joined in and, at the point when whoever was in possession of the ball was thinking about reaching out for glory, the maul went down.
England were playing at a pace too fast for France. Plisson’s poor pass to the onrushing Bernard Le Roux gave the hosts another chance to scavenge, but Burrell had too far to reach as he bent down to pick up the ball and knocked on. It was an expensive mistake. Owens, not known for a reluctance to make big decisions, let play go on before penalising Twelvetrees for trying to prevent France from getting at the ball.
France roused themselves, first through a Plisson penalty after Thierry Dusautoir had forced Ford to hold on after a tackle and then through his half-back partner, Sébastien Tillous-Borde who scampered away from a ruck after England had been turned over and had no defenders in position other than the prop Dan Cole. France were ahead: never mind the title, England had a match to win. England had scored more points against France than ever before, taking their try tally for the tournament to 18 and looking like a team capable of making an impact in the World Cup – combining power up front with pace and panache. But competition is about winning and it was another case of Lancaster’s bombers.
They were playing with a sloppiness unbecoming of champions. Courtney Lawes fumbled, France counterattacked and Noa Nakaitaci finished off from 40 metres, although in his attempt to narrow the conversion for Plisson was hurried by Youngs into touching down at the same time as he put a foot over the dead-ball line. It took three minutes for the television match official to rule that the try was legitimate, but the more the incident was replayed the more dubious the score looked. Strength is built through adversity and there was much for England to take from the game. A year ago, Ben Youngs was playing for Leicester having been reduced to his country’s third-choice scrum-half. He opened the tournament by creating faultlines in Wales’s defence and gave England the ideal start here with a try in the second-minute after Jonathan Joseph had helped himself to a loose ball.
England were by now playing with scrambled heads. Their head coach, Stuart Lancaster, had said all week that he had had enough of finishing second and that looked about to change, if not in the way he envisaged with Wales the more likely runners-up. They were fortunate Plisson was showing why he started the year as his country’s third-choice outside-half. He had a kick charged down by Joe Marler before missing two penalties that were low on the difficulty scale. England squandered the start Youngs gave them, caught between chasing a target that was larger than they had expected, and playing for territory. They conceded possession at a ruck on France’s 10-metre line and Sébastien Tillous-Borde found himself with the prop Dan Cole for company on his 60-metre run to the line before the wing Noa Nakaitaci had a run-in which he nearly blew by going too close to the posts and being pushed out of play by Youngs.
Ford showed how from 45 metres after another scrum ended in a penalty but his side trailed by five points 10 minutes before the interval with France looking, if not comfortable, far from discomfited. England then won a turnover just inside their own half and Youngs set off, defenders trailing the scrum-half as he made his way to the France 22 where he found Ford who was tackled just short of the line by Yoann Maestri. France led 15-7 and England were fortunate Plisson was profligate from the tee, leaving eight points there. George Ford, after pushing an early long-range penalty wide, kicked his next two and added seven conversions out of seven.
James Haskell appeared to have knocked on, but the ball came off his right shin, and the flanker picked up to give Anthony Watson the task of making the catch to score. Ford’s conversion from wide out restored England’s lead before Youngs, who a year ago played for his club, Leicester, during the Six Nations, provided the inspiration his side needed. It was tries that England needed and France, the Scrooges of the tournament, suddenly found joy in giving them – Anthony Watson finished a counterattack sparked by Youngs’ 40m break before the scrum-half, after Ford’s clearance had been charged down by Gaël Fickou, took a quick throw to Joseph, even though the centre was standing behind his own line. Off he went, over the 22 line, 10-metre line and beyond, kicking towards the France line where Bernard Le Roux was penalised for killing the ball and Youngs tapped, went and scored.
Youngs took a throw-in quickly, throwing to Joseph, who was standing behind his own line. England led 27-15 at half-time, nearly halfway there, and the interval instruction seemed to be to calm down and play more for position. Theory is one thing, practice another and when Ford put out a kick on the full one minute after the restart, France roused themselves and Guilhem Guirado’s pass out of the back of his hand gave Maxime Mermoz a try under the posts.
The centre’s only thought was to run, which he kept on doing, over the 22, 10-metre line and halfway before kicking towards the France line with the outside of his right foot. Le Roux was the first to the ball, but after being challenged by Burrell, he held on and was penalised. Youngs took it quickly and his second try followed. A pattern was established of one side scoring after the other as a mad match went completely crazy. Ben Youngs spotted a prop guarding a ruck and jogged past him to send in Ford; Rory Kockott kicked a penalty after Billy Vunipola failed to roll away; Nowell stepped out of trouble for his first try: Mermoz’s delayed pass to Nakaitaci set up a try for Vincent Debaty; Billy Vunipola forced his way over; then Benjamin Kayser did the same.
Ford ended the half with a penalty and at 27-15 ahead, England were nearly halfway to their target. Two minutes into the second half, they had a lot more to do as France, playing with a freedom long absent, scored their third try through Guilhem Guirado’s pass out of the back of his hand to Maxime Mermoz. Nowell’s second try seemed to tilt the match towards England, as if they were touched by destiny. France, if not looking shot, found themselves having to give more at a time when it looked as if they had done enough.
Then it went completely crazy. Youngs spotted a prop guarding a ruck and jogged past him to send in Ford; Rory Kockott kicked a penalty after Billy Vunipola failed to roll away; Jack Nowell stepped out of trouble for his first try: Mermoz’s delayed pass to Nakaitaci set up a try for Vincent Debaty; Billy Vunipola forced his way over; then Benjamin Kayser did the same. Two threes was all England needed, but in the end it was a case of Twelvetrees and the case of the refereeing decision that could have gone either way. Given the history of World Cups, it should be different come the autumn.
It was like a tennis rally. Haskell was in the sin-bin for tripping Plisson and when they were back up to 15, England pulled within six points of the title as Nowell scored his second try. England had the opportunity to get the try they needed when France were penalised at a scrum 90 seconds from time. ENGLAND Brown; Watson (Cipriani 62), Joseph, Burrell (Twelvetrees 71), Nowell; Ford, B Youngs (Wigglesworth 71); Marler (M Vunipola 62), Hartley (T Youngs 53), Cole (Brookes 62), Parling (Easter 67), Lawes, Haskell (Wood 67), Robshaw (capt), B Vunipola Sin-bin Haskell 57 Tries B Youngs 2, Watson, Ford, Nowell 2, Vunipola Cons Ford 7 Pens Ford 2
Ford kicked to touch, England won the ball and virtually every player joined a rolling maul that collapsed as it got to the line. There was no penalty, but Billy Twelvetrees was blown for sealing off. France, not realising the countdown clock had reached zero, tapped and went before Kockott brought an end to the madness. FRANCE Spedding; Huget, Fickou, Mermoz (Bastareaud 71), Nakaitaci; Plisson, Tillous-Borde (Kockott 47); Debaty (Atonio 60), Guirado (Kayser 47), Mas (Slimani 47), Flanquart, Maestri (Taofifenua 67), Dusautior (capt), Goujon (Chouly 62), Le Roux Tries Tillous-Borde, Nakaiaci. Mermoz, Debaty, Kayser Cons Plisson 2 Pens Plisson, Kockott
Twickenham 82,319 Game rating 9/10 Referee Nigel Owens (Wales)