England should seek sponsorship from the RAC. Their title challenge broke down in the French capital, their chariot not so much swinging low as missing a wheel and a couple of cylinders. They secured a bonus point, as they had needed to in order to at least delay Ireland’s coronation, but lacked the breakdown cover to supply the win they required with it.
England had to win and score four tries to take the title race into the final weekend. They also had to dent Ireland’s vastly superior points difference. But they managed neither in a strangely subdued display. All the energy and verve they showed in the first year of Eddie Jones’s reign as head coach has turned into a heavy-legged weariness of mind and body: France did their best in a madcap final 10 minutes to throw away the victory but somehow managed to hang on.
It was only England’s third defeat under Jones but their second in succession and the first time they had lost more than one match in a Six Nations campaign since 2010. If the defeat against a side that was on a voyage of discovery and managed to salvage some self-belief swivelled on a penalty try awarded eight minutes into the second half, when Anthony Watson tackled his by then opposite number, Benjamin Fall, around the neck to prevent a try.
France had gone into the interval level at 9-9 through Maxime Machenaud’s third penalty after Maro Itoje had been penalised for a high tackle on Fall. Watson did well to prevent what had seemed a certain try after François Trinh-Duc’s chip was knocked back to Fall by Rémy Grosso, a wing of suspect pace but unquestioned strength who carried the ball for 110 metres in the game, nearly twice as far as any other player.
The referee, Jaco Peyper, had two decisions to make: the colour of the card and whether Fall would have scored a try but for the high challenge. In 2014, South Africa defeated Wales in the final minute at Nelspruit after Liam Williams had prevented Cornal Hendricks from scoring with a shoulder-charge and the Springboks were awarded a penalty try. Watson was sent to the sin-bin and England went seven points behind.
England had started boldly, burgling France’s first three lineouts and winning two penalties at the scrum. They enjoyed 85% of the possession in the opening 10 minutes but their set-piece moves did not confuse a defence that was rarely placed in doubt and they foundered, as they had in Edinburgh, when they tried to recycle possession.
They anticipated moves before ensuring delivery of the ball. They were often outnumbered and the ball-carrier isolated, as happened at the beginning of the second half when Mako Vunipola was hauled down by Mathieu Bastareaud 10 metres from the France line. Bastareaud immediately got back to his feet to compete for the ball, and a lack of support saw Vunipola penalised for holding on.
England conceded 16 penalties and two free-kicks, more than half at the breakdown, including their final one two minutes from the end when Chris Robshaw used his hands while in a prone position. Jones lamented the failure of his players to adapt to the greater contest for possession that the breakdown is becoming at Test level but the Premiership is geared to teams recycling and defenders are given little latitude.
It did not explain why England are so slow to react. Jones’s dream of having 23 problem solvers by the time next year’s World Cup starts is looking more a chimera: this was a game they should have won at a canter, utterly dominant early on against opponents at their lowest point for 50 years. They were 6-0 ahead after 21 minutes, Owen Farrell’s early penalty supplemented by Elliot Daly’s kick from inside his own half, but as France were bungling lineouts and collapsing scrums, England wasted their advantage by too often taking the ball into contact and not supporting the carrier.
It was a weakness in their game exposed even by Samoa last November and four months on, nothing has improved. It was not only the France flanker Yacouba Camara who caused problems but most of their forwards and some of their backs, who were quick to sense the moment when the England player in possession was vulnerable. Instead of being able to play at pace England sucked themselves into a slower contest that became more of an obstacle course than a sprint.
Machenaud’s first penalty after 24 minutes came from a breakdown and, although Farrell quickly restored England’s six-point advantage, France were growing in confidence. They should have added to their lead after the penalty try when Grosso skipped out of Danny Care’s challenge but Gaël Fickou was tackled short of the line and Machenaud was held up over it.
England were running out of ideas and time when Daly’s inside pass sent in Jonny May after France had squandered another lineout. When Courtney Lawes’s pass was intercepted and Lionel Beauxis kicked a penalty with two minutes to go, it looked all over but England had two five-metre lineouts, the second after Beauxis had failed to kick the ball dead with time up, only for Luke Cowan-Dickie to knock on at the final breakdown. The mundane had become crazy and Jones knows the area he needs to tackle with New Zealand eight months away.
Ireland crowned Six Nations champions and set up grand slam shot in England
Blunt England bow out of Six Nations to cast doubt on Eddie Jones’ blueprint | Gerard Meagher
France 22-16 England: Six Nations – as it happened