Lille, Friday 30 April
A totally bizarre finish to this game. On 62 minutes, as Julie Annery returned from a yellow card and Claudia Macdonald had just replaced Leanne Riley, the lights went out.
The players hung around as coaches gave earnest instructions for the last twenty minutes, then they were invited off the field to seek warmth. Inside, Harriet Martin, the England manager, argued against a restart, pointing out the lateness of the hour (a 9 o’clock start local time) the need for a 10-minute warm-up and the concern about possible injuries resulting from a long delay. The game was called off.
By the laws of the game – 60 minutes had been completed – it counts as a ninth consecutive win for the visitors, but nobody could take satisfaction from what happened.
France swarmed all over England in the opening quarter. The very first scrum shunted the Red Rose pack back a number of yards. It’s time for the management to take decisive action over this constant weakness. Pauline Bourdon was back to her crackerjack best, the ball was moved smartly around the field, and England had to grab at any passing shirt they could find.
It took France nine minutes to construct a first try, Maëlle Filopon finishing off a lovely move that a determined defence could do nothing about. (7-0)
There was a lot of tactical kicking short and long, but the French were happy to flick the ball from hand to hand to keep the English guessing. Before they could capitalise, Abby Dow showed how much she enjoys playing the French. She caught a deep kick around her own 10-metre line on the right and ran the distance, leaving a trail of would-be tacklers in her wake. (7-7)
France returned to the attack, but Morgane Peyronnet, who had a fine all-round game at fly-half, couldn’t hold a vital pass. The French back-line looked very sharp, Gabrielle Vernier making another immense break through the middle. Now Peyronnet was through, and as the French pack massed short of the line, Zoe Harrison found herself in the way of a French pass and suffered a 10-minute suspension. With the French eight firmly on top, things looked black for the visitors. Fortunately Sarah McKenna was having an excellent game at inside-centre, rewarding the selectors for opting for her there. She ensured that the ball was moved around accurately as England had failed to do last Saturday.
Jessy Trémoulière, restored to a starting position, did score a try, but her failure to convert was to have consequences. (12-7)
If we thought Dow’s try against Scotland at Murrayfield was rather fine, then her second in Lille was utterly astonishing. The England backs strung two accurate miss-passes together, giving her an inch of space. She set off. Tackler after tackler was either evaded or laid low, and as hands finally grasped her, she had the power to force her way over the line for one of the great solo efforts of recent times.
Half-time 12-14
Already that familiar 2-point margin was showing up on the scoreboard, but could England possibly hold out while the scrum was in such difficulties? Harrison returned a minute later, but up front the woes continued. Clara Munarini awarded France two successive penalties, from the second of which Trémoulière added three points. (15-14)
The temperature rose as the two packs fought for every ball in the loose. It led to an altercation at a ruck which required a lengthy discussion between Munarini and her TMO. I’m very pleased to say it was held in Italian. Pleased, because it was a complicated sequence of events, and the evidence had to be sifted carefully. In the end Julie Annery was shown yellow, and Poppy Cleall who may have reacted to the treatment she received, stayed on the field. This gave England just the amount of breathing space they needed. They developed a nice attack, and when offered a penalty after a high tackle by Annaëlle Deshayes, Sarah Hunter asked Harrison to go for goal. She struck cleanly. (15-17)
And then – Lights out!
So that captain’s decision proved the difference between victory and defeat.
If England had lost, they would have ceded top ranking to New Zealand again. France needed a 15-point victory to dislodge Canada from third place. Though they might well have scored again, it’s hard to believe they could have achieved so decisive a victory. For all the Red Roses’ failings in one aspect of the game, others turned up trumps. Their efforts at the breakdown were unremitting, and they needed to be, because the French were in top gear for much of the game.
England had decided to give the ball more air, through the big boot but especially through the hands. They really needed to get their wingers into the game again. Jess Breach was allowed one dangerous thrust through midfield, but it took Emily Scarratt’s wizardry to complete two immense passes to Dow who rewarded her and the team with tries of such outstanding quality. I suspect that adds up to four for her against les Bleues.
The FFR is urgently seeking an explanation from the ground authorities for the loss of lighting. It stresses that nobody was endangered by the unexpected event.
Result: France 15 England 17
Afterthoughts:
Simon Middleton offered the term ‘exhibition match’ in previewing the fixture, but in fact it was a vital addition to the run-up to the World Cup, deliberately placed six days after the previous encounter to anticipate recovery times available in New Zealand.
If only the other four of the six nations had felt able to indulge in similar preparations.
The stadium was bedecked with amateur club shirts as is the fashion in these troubled times. They proclaimed the message: TOUS BLEU! And the players’ jerseys had club names added to them.
The FFR joined the international action against internet abuse by closing its social media platforms over the weekend.
The 2022 6 Nations men’s schedule was announced on 28 April. Let’s count the number of days till the women’s version is revealed.
Here’s a thought in the days of closed doors: the 83,000 who voted for the Player of the Tournament wouldn’t fit into Twickenham Stadium.
Teams:
France
15 Jessy Trémoulière
14 Caroline Boujard
13 Maëlle Filopon
12 Gabrielle Vernier
11 Elise Pignot
10 Morgane Peyronnet
9 Pauline Bourdon
1 Annaëlle Deshayes
2 Agathe Sochat
3 Rose Bernadou
4 Madoussou Fall
5 Safi N’Diaye
6 Julie Annery
7 Gaëlle Hermet (captain)
8 Romane Ménager
Bench :
16 Caroline Thomas
17 Lise Arricastre
18 Clara Joyeux
19 Coumba Diallo
20 Laure Touyé
21 Laure Sansus
22 Camille Imart
23 Emilie Boulard
England
15. Ellie Kildunne (Wasps, 14 caps)
14. Jess Breach (Harlequins, 18 caps)
13. Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 95 caps)
12. Sarah McKenna (Saracens, 35 caps)
11. Abby Dow (Wasps, 17 caps)
10. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 29 caps)
9. Leanne Riley (Harlequins, 42 caps)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 59 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Harlequins, 56 caps)
3. Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins, 23 caps)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 23 caps)
5. Harriet Millar-Mills (Wasps, 61 caps)
6. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 46 caps)
7. Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens, 78 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (captain, Loughborough Lightning, 125 caps)
Bench:
16. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 31 caps)
17. Hannah Botterman (Saracens, 21 caps)
18. Bryony Cleall (Saracens, 4 caps)
19. Abbie Ward (Harlequins, 47 caps)
20. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins 20 caps)
21. Claudia MacDonald (Wasps, 14 caps)
22. Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
23. Merryn Doidge (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
Referee: Clara Munarini (FIR)
