None of the six managements can feel totally happy with their team’s performance in Round One.
Even England, the sole side to secure a scoring bonus-point, had an unproductive second half. By the way, my apologies for crediting France and Scotland with a bonus. Of course it was the penalty-kicks that brought them a healthy proportion of their totals, Morgane Bourgeois recording 100% accuracy off the tee.
A reminder of the results:
Ireland 15 France 27
Scotland 24 Wales 21
England 38 Italy 5
The good news is the tightness of two of the matches. France escaped Ireland’s clutches only near the end; Scotland know they didn’t finish Cymru off the way they should have.
Ireland were upset that they failed to down les Bleues as they intended to. This was their chance to prove that they were back to the standards of a decade ago, but chances slipped away, and France finished the stronger.
Wales, reinvigorated by Sean Lynn’s presence, scored early, but went on to make basic errors in handling that have dogged them in the recent past. Missed tackles cost them too, and penalties kept mounting up, a sure way of letting domination and confidence slip away.
Yet the Scots cannot feel pleased with a final margin of only three points. It was a sobering let-down after all the high hopes of a continued rise in their global standing. The Edinburgh crowd could enjoy six tries, but two red cards and a deluge of rain.
Italy, the other nation to perform under a new head coach, can take pride in their showing in York, especially in the second half. That is where they have tended to fall away, unable to keep up the pressure on the opposition. But here they caused the Red Roses all manner of trouble. Their coming match against Ireland will indicate the quality of Fabio Roselli’s coaching, if nothing else.
England were the one side prepared to send out a far less experienced side – such is their player depth. The worry was that, even when familiar faces like Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman and Ellie Kildunne joined the parade, the half-time score (33-5) increased by only five, and Emma Sing’s try came with two minutes left on the clock. They know they need keen competition, but produced another of their 40-minute games.
The immediate Future
Now comes a fascinating stage in our five-act drama. Here are the fixtures:
Round Two
29 March
France v Scotland, Stade Marcel-Deflandre, La Rochelle, KO 13.00
Wales v England, Principality Stadium, Cardiff; KO 16.45
Both times GMT
30 March
Italy v Ireland, Parma, KO 16.00 (BST)
Who do the selectors choose for Act Two?
Will they stick with experiments they made last weekend, or give other players a chance to show their talent?
A good example would be Kayleigh Powell, whom Lynn placed at 12 alongside Lleucu George. It can’t be said she was a total success there, but many Welsh fans will think she thoroughly deserves a second chance. Or could she be switched back to 10, the position she has relatively recently adopted with great promise?
That’s one of the attractions of the coming weekend. How far are the head coaches planning for events in August-September? How far are they willing to take risks in selection in the current tournament? For the less established players, popping in and out of the team can’t be easy. At least, that’s where a bench of eight helps to offer opportunities..
The selectors all have well over 30 players at their disposal; the limit at the World Cup is 30. Deduction: they will feel bound to give every player a decent chance of proving her worth. Then there’s the simple contrast between home and away games. France, Ireland and Wales have drawn the short straw with only two home games; England, Italy and Scotland rejoice in three.
France tend to give little publicity away, but rumours spread of players falling out with one or other of the two head coaches. A finger points at Gaëlle Hermet, once the respected captain; now she is placed on the discarded list. We are never likely to discover whether she found herself at odds with the management (plural or more probably singular), but this sort of rumour can only undermine the unity every national team seeks.
As the cameras turned to view David Ortiz and Gaëlle Mignot surveying the game, I spotted them only once engaged in conversation. I have yet to be convinced of Mignot’s rapid advance to her current position; I’m even less enamoured of the idea of a dual leadership. Surely it’s best for one person to make the decisions and carry the can.
Rather like England, les Bleues needed a final spurt to ensure their 12-point margin at the Kingspan.
No doubt John Mitchell outlined his choices long ago. But his squad of 37 excludes players who who were awarded contracts last June (for example Connie Powell and Ella Wyrwas.)
Players yet to appear include: Lark Atkin-Davies, Sarah Beckett, Georgia Brock, Abi Burton, Charlotte Fray, Alex Matthews (under a red-card ban), Morwenna Talling, Jess Breach, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Natasha Hunt, Tatyana Heard and Megan Jones (13).
Mitchell has promised changes, but all of these players? I doubt it.
Here’s a wild guess at the line-up in Cardiff:
Kildunne, Breach, Jones, Heard, Dow, Harrison, Hunt, Botterman, LA-D, Bern, Beckett, Aldcroft, Burton, Brock, Feaunati
