David Flatman: England must find their brute force after grinding out France win

Making England tick: Replacement Ben Te'o goes over for the decisive try
Getty Images
David Flatman7 February 2017

A good big’un always beats a good littl’un. Well, most of the time.

Watching France and England run out on Saturday felt like that game you always had in the under-15’s when the opposition were so big that, after a battering, you weren’t surprised to see them climbing into their cars to drive home.

France coach Guy Noves went old-school Toulouse by seemingly picking on bodyweight alone and by planning to unleash a potentially sumptuous backline on the back of the momentum created by his gaggle of gargantuans. And it very nearly worked.

England, to their credit, found a way to win — and this is not an achievement to be underestimated. I think far too many English fans — this one included — expected this to be a formality, but the gaping holes left by the injured Mako and Billy Vunipola caused more leakage than anyone predicted.

Certainly, Joe Marler and Nathan Hughes — the men charged with replacing England’s world-class brothers — stood up well to the blue behemoths, but England were unable to knock French defenders back on their heels.

This, in turn, meant that George Ford, wondrous on the front foot, was effectively neutered. All fly-halves are better when their pack is dominant, but the best can at least steady the ship and achieve releases of pressure or advantageous field position with the boot. This didn’t happen with sufficient regularity for England and it would not be a shock to see Ford benched in Cardiff.

In Pictures | England vs France | 04/02/2017

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What won’t help Ford’s selection case is that, when Owen Farrell slotted in at fly-half towards the end of the match, England really began to tick. This was unarguably more to do with the arrival of the perfectly direct Ben Te'o, whose impact was sufficiently significant that, suddenly, a large dollop of the hype surrounding his fast-tracking into the squad seemed justified.

Te'o wasn’t in the mood to take prisoners. His ball-carrying was nimble and timely but, more than that, it was just so confrontational. And James Haskell, who carried the ball with vicious intent from the moment he bowled on from the bench, doubled the impact of the reserves and the game was saved.

The good news for England is that no other side in the Six Nations carries anywhere near the sheer heft of France. No more will they have to deal with the irrepressible Louis Picamoles who, frankly, was occasionally shepherded but never properly handled.

The best sides find a way to win and this has to be something of which Eddie Jones can be proud. But England got away with one and one has the feeling that Wales may have all the desperation and anaerobic fitness that France lacked in the closing minutes.

Hughes forced his way into the game on Saturday, finishing strongly with some brutal ball carrying, but he will need to achieve new levels in Cardiff.

England, more than perhaps we predicted, need to accomplish effective brute force before any magic can be weaved. And the rejuvenated ox that is Sam Warburton is waiting.

David Flatman is a former England forward and commentates on the Six Nations for ITV

Listen to the Flats and Shanks podcast, with David Flatman and Tom Shanklin. This week it’s Episode 22 and Shanks is in need of a lie down.

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