It was the pool fixture that caught the eye from the moment the Rugby World Cup draw was made. England and France, the two leading sides in Europe filed alongside one another in Pool C, a clash of the class of the north in Northland and an October 15 date ringed in the calendar.
England’s dominance over France had perhaps been overstated entering the encounter. An eleventh victory in a row this may have been for Simon Middleton’s side over their cross-channel foes, but they have been pushed exceptionally close regularly during that run.
It took a last-minute ruck offence from France to allow Emily Scarratt the opportunity to snatch a one-point win at Twickenham in the autumn of 2020, and if not for floodlight failure in Lille last year, France may well have taken advantage of a more inexperienced England bench to take charge in the final quarter.
This was another encounter of fine margins. Parts of England’s game worked perfectly. The Red Roses were at their controlling best with the boot, Zoe Harrison able to pin France back with the chasing line far tidier than against Fiji. Amy Cokayne, challenged to throw to the tail by France’s jumpers at the front, was on the mark with her darts, and on another day a side with 70% of possession and territory would have powered out of sight with greater red zone efficiency.
“It was a really, really tough game, a great physical battle, a real tactical battle and to be honest, it was what I expected,” Middleton reflected after a hard-fought win.
“I have been saying since I came here, I understand where the sort of ‘favourites’ tag comes from but too many people are making us out to be too big favourites.
“If that is a quarter final or a knockout game, one bounce of the ball and we would be on the plane on the way home. That is what it is going to be like when you get to the biggest games.”
The nature of this tournament is such that the two sides can map out a route that could see them meet again come the final in Auckland – perhaps, then, this was simply a precursor to a weightier contest later in the tournament, an exploratory feeling out between familiar foes on unfamiliar soil with both keeping cards close to their chest.
If the two do meet again come the tournament’s denouement, it is hard to foresee France being quite so unwilling to engage in the counter-attacking dances at which they can be so proficient again. There is surely more to come from Thomas Darracq’s structured attack, even if they may be without Laure Sansus to light the fires.
But it is tough to quantify the psychological blow that this will deal the French. There is no doubt that France were able to rattle the Red Roses. The defensive unit produced a close to faultless display in phase play, cannily pushing the margins of the laws and defusing England’s forward heavy artillery. Their work halting England’s maul, strengthened by additional input from men’s coaches Raphael Ibanez and Karim Ghezal ahead of the tournament, was equally proficient. And yet England still found a way to win – for an eleventh successive time against their rivals.
Source: Mike Lee - KLC fotos for World Rugby
Alex Matthews (Photo Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby)
The biggest games tend to be decided by big performances and it was Alex Matthews who particularly produced for England. In attack, defence, or mediation – it was Matthews’ calming intermediary presence that helped ensure there was no complete shredding of the game’s entente cordiale as Amy Cokayne and the French pack nearly came to blows – the tireless flanker performed her duties with trademark efficiency.
For a player of such obvious physical gifts, plenty of the 29-year-old’s work is performed in an understated manner but she has become a figure of central importance in a back row of big names and bigger characters. The 2014 World Cup winner admitted she felt “lost” on her initial return to the 15-a-side set-up in 2020, but has re-established her stature within the squad and built back to her best.
Along with loosehead prop Vickii Cornborough and lock Abbie Ward, the flanker forms the connective tissue of the England pack that often lays the groundwork upon which others add their decorative touches – but on an evening for calm heads in Whangarei it was Matthews in total control.
“She’s fantastic, isn’t she?” Middleton effused of his blindside flanker afterwards. “She’s our version of Richard Hill from the 2003 [World Cup-winning England men’s] side.
“She goes under-the-radar, but she’s an incredible grafter, and the quality of her work is outstanding.
“You couldn’t meet a nicer person. She’s so unassuming, a workaholic when she’s on the field but totally chilled off it. She doesn’t always get the plaudits she deserves but she definitely deserves it today.”
