Two tries from Anthony Watson and one from Johnny May helped England to a 19-14 victory over France in their first World Cup warm-up game at Twickenham on Saturday night.
So with a home World Cup just a month away, what did we learn from this game?
1. England’s wingers on flying form
The real positive of the night as far as England are concerned is the attacking play of wingers Anthony Watson and Jonny May. Watson finished both of his tries with aplomb, while May scored one and could have had another two.
Brilliant assist, brilliant try for England! Live on SS1 now. Brought to you by @O2sports and #WearTheRose. http://t.co/7q6CKL0PhW
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) August 15, 2015
England’s World Cup pool is filled with world-class wingers. Wales have George North and Australia boast Adam Ashley-Cooper – while top-class wingers account for 40% of all Fijian exports. If they are to have any chance of getting out the group, the England need their wingers to play out of their skins.
Watson and May were both impressive in attack but they looked vulnerable at times in defence, as they played a very narrow line. This kind of defence can be very effective in shutting down play quickly and putting pressure on the opposition. But while it worked well against a disjointed French team, it might not be the best way to defend a team with the passing ability of Australia or the organisation of Wales.
2. Burgess impresses – but has he done enough?
It’s always interesting to see how well a rugby league convert does once they made the switch to union. While Sam Burgess will never be Jason Robinson, he did show some flashes to justify his call up to the squad.
As you would expect of any former rugby league player, Burgess was particularly strong defensively – making some strong tackles and generally smashing into any French player who was brave enough to come his way. But his silly yellow card will lose him marks in the eyes of Stuart Lancaster.
A Sam Burgess special https://t.co/HpKKDjtBiL
— John Davidson (@johnnyddavidson) August 15, 2015
So has he done enough to win a place in the 31-man squad? At the end of the day, his inexperience in union might cost him – and it’s not like England are stuggling for centres at the moment. Lancaster seems to trust Billy Twelvetrees, while Luther Burrell and Jonathan Joseph look to be nailed on for the final squad. Throw in Owen Farrell as cover at centre and Burgess looks to be the odd man out.
3. The halfback situation.
Going into the World Cup, there remains a slight question mark over who will start at outhalf – Owen Farrell or George Ford. This game has probably put that question to bed as Lancaster looks to trust the older of the two more, leaving Ford as an exciting prospect for the years to come.
One position that is a little less clear is scrumhalf. Richard Wigglesworth started the game and played well enough to go relatively unnoticed and was replaced by Danny Care after 52 minutes.
Care’s introduction coincided with France’s improved play. So while it may be harsh to directly compare the two, Care certainly seemed to struggle under the pressure of the French pack. When England needed leadership to close out the game, Care was unable to provide it.
4. Indiscipline could cost England
One of the most worrying things in the game for England was the concession of two unnecessary yellow cards for debutants Burgess and Calum Clark. Lancaster will be particularly frustrated with this as he has emphasised the importance of discipline throughout his tenure as coach.
Clark shown yellow for rolling French player illegally. Burgess was first England play to be carded on debut. Clark second. Via @Stu_Farmer
— Rugby World (@Rugbyworldmag) August 15, 2015
Still, Lancaster can take some positives from the fact that the English defense held out for a combined 17 minutes with 14 men before conceding a try after Fulgence Ouedraogo grounded the ball at the back of a French maul.
But England must know that they will be punished against better opposition if they have to spend 10 minutes or more with a man down. France’s strong finish can partly be attributed to the tiredness of the English players who had to make up that extra ground for a quarter of the game.
5. France still lacking la va-va-voom
One of the saddest things for the neutral rugby fan over the last five years has been the decline of the French national team. Despite somehow making it to the final at the last World Cup, the French have been awful for half a decade now.
Tonight’s performance showed flashes of the old greatness – but it also showed the flaws that have dragged them down to closer to Fiji than Wales in terms of world ranking points. After dominating the opening few minutes of the game, they quickly fell apart and allowed Watson to skip over for two quick tries.
In particular, the defending was atrocious for Watson’s second try. While it was a lovely move by England, it was all made possible by a lack of communication – as the all French defenders go for May and leave Watson free to run in for another try.
Anthony Watson! What a move, what a try. Live on SS1. Keep tweeting your support with #WearTheRose and @O2sports http://t.co/3QtU9lFl84
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) August 15, 2015
