They made three attempts, each with rolling mice with the tight support Sarah Bern passing twice and Abbie Ward grabbing the other, and while there were more moments from France – who were also chasing clear sweeps – that accelerated the pulse, England showed the kind of performance that demonstrates why they are significantly ahead of the chase at the moment. They were disastrous physically, ruthlessly clinically on the set – Zoe Aldcroft emphasized why she is the current player of the year in the world and made 18 tackles – and gave a masterclass on effectiveness, if not entertainment. Because it was not a classic, but it was, at least, a competitive game and “the best English team I have ever coached”, according to Simon Middleton, do not tend to get too much of it these days. “I think we knew it could turn out that way. “We had a really clear picture in our minds of how we could win the game,” said Middleton. “Not always beautiful but very effective and when you go to such games you want to have fun but you do not want to be the brave loser. The players realized how they were going to win the game, kept the audience quiet and won the trophy. This is one of the things we wanted to know, how resilient we are. The defense of our line won the game. We know what we have to do to be a great team, but we get there, we work to make it happen. ” Sarah Byrne scores England’s third attempt. Photo: Lionel Hahn / RFU / Getty Images Indeed, they had spoken at the rally about how they wanted a genuine challenge, and the applause they heard as they completed their warm-up served as a warning of what was to come. Therefore, it was a turbulent start from England, a relentless opening from France and for the first time in the tournament, the three-time defending champions were behind. After just three minutes, France’s No. 8 Romane Ménager burst through England’s defense and under the crossbar after the hosts received a lineout deep in their opponents’ ground after a knock-on by Zoe Harrison from behind its own line. England’s terror on stage then continued with Lydia Thompson making a bizarre pass from Elena Rowland, but it was the buck’s skillfully executed 50:22 that gave her team its first attack in France 22. It was the first genuine England opportunity and one that got. Byrne completes her first attempt at the back of a rolling mill. The score of Bern settled England and with Aldcroft persistently disrupting the line of France, they began to exercise their power. Two more rolling mole attempts – the first by Warda, who had won the penalty to give the visitors possession – and another by Bern proved exactly the cohesive unit Middleton has built. France were not left without moments – Chloe Jacquet’s left boot kept the England’s three back’s players honest – but the home team disobedience disappointed them on many occasions and when they managed to gain ground, Aldcroft often intervened. England were also at the top in the collapse, but perhaps it is the way his team has dealt with the ongoing period of French pressure before halftime that will please Middleton the most. While the wool of England was clinical, France could not find a way to pass despite repeated efforts. Again, France jumped out of the blocks at the beginning of the second half and could feel the way back into the match when Harrison received a yellow card for a deliberate shot. A nice break in the middle by Gabriel Vernier made England shake, but the fact that France failed to score a point in this 10 minutes only stressed how determined the guests were in defense. The Breakdown: sign up and receive the rugby union’s weekly email. A yellow card for France’s Maëlle Filopon allowed Emily Scarratt to extend England’s lead with a penalty, but the hosts picked up speed despite their numerical disadvantage. Substitute Emilie Boulard set things off, exploding in the heart of England’s defense and the les Bleues kept coming, finally recording the second attempt of the match through Annaelle Deshayes. It was the right reward for their efforts, but there was no end to the stands for France, which, if nothing else, now knows exactly the levels it needs to pursue. “Eventually we wanted to move the game forward and we did it,” Middleton added.
