BBC.co.uk

England v France player ratings

  • Rob Hodgetts - BBC Sport journalist
  • 11 Mar 07, 01:24 PM

Rob HodgettsTwickenham - England put their Croke Park nightmare behind them with an impressive and rousing victory against Grand Slam-chasing France at Twickenham.

Tries from Toby Flood and Mike Tindall rounded off a powerful forward effort as Brian Ashton's side showed significant signs of improvement.

See if you agree with my assessment of the players on show on Sunday.

ENGLAND:

Lewsey - 7: This muscular, bristling runner is still trying to recreate his top form. An early break brought the crowd to their feet and the threat is there, but there’s still a few mistakes, from occasional defensive lapses to slips, wrong options and missed passes.

Strettle - 8: Definitely no one-hit wonder. Backed up his debut against Ireland with a lively display, combining an encouraging hunger for a juicy gap with some enthusiastic defending including several try-saving tackles.

Tindall - 6: Stodgy at times and often the weak link with a back three clamouring to be set free. Occasionally exposed in defence but you can’t argue against johnny-on-the spot for England’s second try.

Catt - 6: A mixed bag from the skipper, but mainly disappointing. A raft of wayward long passes, a couple of dropped catches and an interception. But he marshalled his troops well, was effective as a kicking inside centre and it was his break that set up Flood’s try. Not his best England game by a mile, but not his worst either.

Robinson - 6: His jitterbug running style always ignites the crowd and this was no different but others stepped into the limelight today. Guarded his flank well but not much opportunity to excel, save for one run coming off his wing.

Flood - 7: A confident , inventive and promising performance. One or two glimpses of the “rabbit-in-headlights” but grew into the game. Received a dead leg at the end of the first half but polished off Catt’s break for a try and kicked four out of six.

Ellis - 8: An assured effort from a combative, eager and dynamic scrum-half. Plays like another flanker and showed glimpses of his nose for a break. Must have been a contender for man-of-the-match.

Payne - 7: Muscular stuff in the tight and part of an altogether more fiery forward effort. Not altogether comfortable in the scrum against Pieter de Villiers but not overpowered either.

Chuter - 7: Convincing display against French veteran Raphael Ibanez and omnipresent in the loose. Took on the deputy scrum-half duties when Ellis was buried and possesses a decent pass for a hooker.

White - 7: A strong effort from the Devonian. Rock solid in the scrum and a brickwall in the loose. Up there with some of his best England performances. Gave away a penalty or two but more than made up for it.

Corry - 7: Adapted to lock well, catching fair share of ball as well as maintaining ball-carrying presence in open play. Still leading, still talking to his pack and still a must-have accessory for England.

Palmer - 6: Possibly the most anonymous of the much-improved tight-five but it’s all relative and did his job well in the line-out. Can grow into the role and certainly one for the future.

Worsley - 7: Nuggety and forceful without standing out. Sometimes gets ideas above his station, as evidenced by a miscued chip forward but overall an effective game.

Rees - 8: Impressive display from the Wasps open-side earning the man-of-the-match plaudits. Not quite Richie McCaw but promising work to secure scraps of ball and supported well.

Easter - 8: A pleasing ball-carrying effort from the big number eight. Outshone opposite number Sebastien Chabal and was a powerful force going forward for England. Could be a permanent fixture.


Replacements

Geraghty - 7: Replaced the injured Flood after 18 minutes of the second half and had an immediate impact. Not that Flood wasn’t effective but Geraghty’s more dynamic style unsettled France. Took his three kicks well and sparked Tindall's try with a stunning break from a kick return late on.

Tait - 6: Came on for Strettle late on and made a promising break.

Lund - 5: Replaced Joe Worsley inside the last 10 minutes.

Perry - 6: Took over from Ellis at scrum-half with two minutes left, with Ellis moving to wing. No time to tell.


FRANCE:

Poitrenaud - 6: Looked ok going forward and often to be seen hitting the line but with England scoring two tries his defence must be questioned.

Clerc - 7: Looked a threat whenever he touched the ball and caused England a few worries but couldn’t find a route through and was shaded by Strettle.

Marty - 6: The French midfield defend right on the gain line and was often close to offside. Effective enough without really excelling.

Jauzion - 6: Has a presence and carries a latent threat. A deceptive runner for a big man and disguises his pace well. Glimpses of danger and was in Catt’s face throughout.

Dominici - 7: Another spiky performance and a continuing problem for England but his hustle-bustle style didn’t get him anywhere today.

Skrela - 7: Assured stuff and fast cementing his spot as France’s senior fly-half. Limped off injured 10 minutes after half-time but took his three kicks well and played the distributor role effectively.

Yachvili - 7: Dangerous and a constant thorn in England’s side. A battle royal with Ellis at scrum time and an equal nuisance factor in the loose. Ellis’s hunger for scraps of ball shaded it though. Kicked three out of three deputising for Skrela.

De Villiers - 6: Possibly a bit much for Tim Payne but not as visible around the park.

Ibanez - 7: Solid showing from the Wasps man and plenty of ball-carrying around the fringes.

Milloud - 5: Out-scrummaged a bit by White but muscular and busy at ruck time.

Nallet - 6: The French line-out operated effectively enough with Nallet securing his fair share of ball but the engine room lacked the stoke of England’s.

Thion - 6: Possibly shaded his second row partner in terms of effectiveness in areas outside the line-out.

Betsen - 5: A quiet game for the veteran Betsen. Hurt himself in a late tackle on Catt and overshadowed at the breakdown by the England back-row.

Bonnaire - 5: Not much to offer on a disappointing day for the French loose-forwards.

Chabal - 4: A weak effort from the Sale star. Often seen wandering slowly back to the action and rarely involved as much as he can be.

Replacements

Beauxis - 6: Came on for the injured Skrela and did nothing wrong.

Harinordoquy - 5: Replaced Chabal and no more effective.

Bruno - 6: On for Ibanez midway through the second half. Held his own.

Mignoni - 6: Took over at scrum-half for Yachvili and made one impressive break.

Heymans - 6: A late substitution but worried England late on with a couple of enterprising breaks.


Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 06:54 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ian B wrote:

Well well. Having watched the matches this weekend I have been completely vindicated in my England V Ireland match analysis I posted here two weeks ago.

I’m sorry if it sticks in the throat of the Irish, but having watched that match twice I had the right to a free and objective opinion which I gave to the disdain of many Irish supporters.

After this weekends matches it is evident that - like I said - Ireland are not that good and it will take divine intervention for them to proceed into the semi’s of the world cup.

Englands’ immense strength in depth showed up today in no uncertain terms and for a team to play this well first time round, you have to wonder what will emerge in France in 6 months time (I can say this whilst admitting the French didn’t play well, Irish fans take note.)

Unlike the unrealistic Irish fans im not going to predict an England world cup final, far from it, I will still be surprised if they get past the quarterfinals, but what I will say is that England will not give the grown up without a fight. And being a player since I was 10 and am armchair fan since I was 5 I will promise you that if any team can cause an upset…England with their backs to the wall can.

  • 2.
  • At 06:55 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • T Fenton wrote:

Great game of rugby, good to see England fight for it! Enjoyed Catt being back, didnt have an outstanding game but still made a diffference. Strettle was superb, really dynamic and has got that hunger. Rees is the best young talent in the side, gave a few penalties away but this guy has power and pace, loves turning the ball over, a world star in the making!!

  • 3.
  • At 07:00 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • DK wrote:

Sorry, those England ratings are a joke.

Lewsey 7?? Try 5.
Catt disappointing?
Palmer 6?? Try 7 or 8.
Flood deserves an 8.

  • 4.
  • At 07:00 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Dutch wrote:

Quiet isn't it!
At last the younguns given the chance. This is the future and its the younguns that will frighten the AB
Its this vision and enterprise that will win the World Cup. OK to play by the book but let the youth free and they will try something different and light the fire.
Well done Brian Ashton youth is where its at !

  • 5.
  • At 07:01 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • robert wrote:

how and why?how did england win and why did france play so bad?good performance from englands back row but that was about it.....catt got away with it somehow!as for france they never turned up!!!

  • 6.
  • At 07:02 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Colin wrote:

You are a bit harsh on Catt. He deserved an 8. Lewsey only a 6 and Robinson a 5.

Great to see England recover from Croke Park - but one swallow does not make a summer.

  • 7.
  • At 07:02 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • ian macko wrote:

Strettle was England's best back by a mile.Catt,Lewsey and Tindall were awful,dropped ball,terrible passing and decision making.Farrell never made any of these mistakes yet he was singled out by the press and pundits.

  • 8.
  • At 07:06 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • James wrote:

Lewsey's rating was a bit generous. I don't think Lewsey or Tindall merit any further inclusion. Lewsey should regain his form at Wasps, not playing for England. Surely England have other options besides Tindall (considering our player base etc)?

Encouraging performance anyway. Credit to Ashton for taking a risk with some youth and inexperienced players (or very experienced in Catt's case).

PS. Geraghty should start against Wales.

  • 9.
  • At 07:07 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • N wrote:


More credit should be given to White and Payne. Solid in the scrum but very effective around the field. Particularly in the driving mauls.

Rees had a great game.

Comments seem a little harsh on Rees. Good old english style of knocking debut man-of-the-match player. no need for comparison with Mc Caw. Corry i thought deserved an 8 for playing second row effectively. nice to see a change (of team), passion and finally some SKILL. Off-loading from tackles and backs running is so simple but such a delight to see in an England team.Oh and Brian Moore is awesome.

  • 11.
  • At 07:11 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David Downie wrote:

The English forwards gave the dominant display that was missing against the Irish but our backs were very hit-and-miss. Only Ellis, Robinson and Strettle have pencilled their names in my back-line albeit there were pleasing contributions from Flood and Geraghty. Wilkinson and Farrell should return if fit and we need to decide who is best suited to play at 15; I would go for Robinson and either play Lewsey on the wing or bring back Cueto but for today, lets laud our forwards for that platform was not only needed today but must be our foudations for the future.

  • 12.
  • At 07:15 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Green Bunion wrote:

Were you watching a different match!!!!!!?
Lewsey 7 and Catt 6? - unbelievable!

  • 13.
  • At 07:15 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Andy Barton wrote:

A bit harsh on Catty I think. Yes he had a nervous start and made a couple of daft mistakes in the first half but all in all he was always more of a threat than Farrell and not just a one trick crash centre like tindel tends to be in attack.

He communicated well, gave us a lot more options than any other current England inside centre option and was only a fingertip away from scorring the second try himself. I would have given him an 8.

  • 14.
  • At 07:18 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Richard wrote:

Rees and Strettle were the outstanding players of the match. Rees secured so much ball and was unlucky to get penalised on a few occasions, and Strettle was an absolute beast in both attack and defense. Both will be pivotal players in the years to come.
good to see a bit of flair back in English rugby with some lively half-backs.

  • 15.
  • At 07:19 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Gator wrote:

youth...Mike Catt?

Congratulations to England...they even managed a win without Wilinson...now if they can find some consistency.

Ian B. - I admire your commitment to your team, and the fact that you are also realistic about their chances in the WC. Still, I cannot help but wonder if this victory will set off another round of "England are back," of the type to which we were treated after the Scotland game.

England are not as bad as some people seem to think, but nor are France as good as people say.

Tindall deserved a 7. Kicked well made several key tackles (Chabal and Clerc- who he then turned over. Kicked from hand well and took the ball up well also.

  • 17.
  • At 07:19 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Dan Clegg wrote:

England's player ratings are largely spot on, although I think the France ratings are a little generous. England did okay (by their standards!), but had the French turned up they should have won by some margin.

It was refreshing to see the talented english running backs express themselves. They should now be afforded the opportunity to develop partnerships prior to the World Cup. Ashton should retain Catt at Inside Centre, he is still good enough to play International rugby. Surely Farrell has to be discarded, and maybe Tindall also. Their lack of guile/ pace/ invention was highlighted by Geraghty's break, which showed how things could and should be for England

  • 18.
  • At 07:21 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Duncan wrote:

Great game of rugby, England actually looking dangerous throughout. Solid platform built by great forward display. Rees brilliant, Corry put in some big hits, and allowed the backs to move the ball. Strettle is a fantastic find, and Geraghty and Flood did not look out of place. Won't win the 6 nations, but much better than expected.

  • 19.
  • At 07:23 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Paul wrote:

Well my last comments were not published, but Ashton picked in form players and England won, fantastic! All of you who were saying France would win at a canter, shame on you.

  • 20.
  • At 07:23 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Morg wrote:

Flood deserves an 8
Lewsey deserves no more than 5
Palmer deserves at least a 7
Harry Ellis - possible MOTM and an 8...sorry were we watching the same game?

His passing was all over the place today, and whilst I think he's getting better, he was one of the more lacklustre English players along with Tindall and Lewsey.

Overall it was a much improved performance from the English and they played as if they truly expected to win.

Plus for France - Clerc and Dominici both scored a 7? I don't think so - they did nothing apart from run laterally and throw loose passes all day!

  • 21.
  • At 07:23 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • joy wrote:

I'm not too sure on some of the england ratings? how can you give lewsey a 7 and catt a 6? that just doesn't make sense, I'd have given strettle a 9!!

  • 22.
  • At 07:24 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David Quine wrote:

I'm not concerned with the ratings.
England deserved to win against a very mediocre French side.With more control and clinical finishing the margin of victory would have been greater. In this game the territory,possession, passing and tackles statistics reflected the balance of play.
I AM concerned about Brian Moore's manner of commentary. Stop 2nd guessing the ref. Start making original observations (not cliches a la Starmer Smith) and cut out unsportsmanlike comments like "He French, so I don't care" after England were penailised for boot scraping. Check the BBC replay tape after about 15 minutes. Come on Brian, we deserve better!

  • 23.
  • At 07:27 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Loquitur wrote:

Lewsey definitely not a 7! 5 more like and shouldn't start next week - too many mistakes. Tindall may have scored but he too made too many mistakes and Tait should replace him against Wales.

Catt is worthy of a 7, he was very busy and became more composed after the first 30 minutes. He was always in the mix, clearly led from the front, and encouraged England's style of play.

Corry had his best game for a long time and an 8 would not be undeserved.

Otherwise a pretty good summary of England. As for France? You can't score players if they don't turn up!

A good performance by England, but let's not get carried away. Different prospect at Cardiff next week. Despite the look of the table, Wales WILL turn up and will be desperate to avoid a whitewash!

  • 24.
  • At 07:27 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David Quine wrote:

I'm not concerned with the ratings.
England deserved to win against a very mediocre French side.With more control and clinical finishing the margin of victory would have been greater. In this game the territory,possession, passing and tackles statistics reflected the balance of play.
I AM concerned about Brian Moore's manner of commentary. Stop 2nd guessing the ref. Start making original observations (not cliches a la Starmer Smith) and cut out unsportsmanlike comments like "He's French, so I don't care" after England were penailised for boot scraping. Check the BBC replay tape after about 15 minutes. Come on Brian, we deserve better!

  • 25.
  • At 07:28 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Dave wrote:

What a game!

Next weekend what a decision to make for Ashton. Flood or Geraghty? a difficult deision.

Although if Wilkinson is fit then he should start against Wales with Geraghty on the bench because he is the better impact player than Flood.

What about Strettle he deserves his rating of 8 and played well all game. With some promising runs. He showed determination and has a good future in the England team.

Corry only a 7 he had a cracking game and the England back row were incredible

The future is bright for English rugby!

Dave

  • 26.
  • At 07:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Richard Bullard wrote:

Wilko or not Wilko?

i'm proably not th eonly one wondering about the great connundrum facing BA for next week. Guscott just said he shouldn't be in the squad...

On all around game, Flood is a better bet and beautifully balanced runner. I'd keep Geraghty for impact. However, difficult to ignore Wilko for points which will matter in Cardiff and for the WC. I'd stick with Flood with Cardiff with Wilko on the bench in case the kicking goes to pot, with Geraghty on the bench. What does that mean for Tait. Simple i'd pick in at O/C. Tindall doesn't cut it any more. Tait woudl gain from being outside Catt and and plays off Flood week-in, week out.

As for Josh: not at the top of his attacking game, but still best defensive FB we have. Think Balsahw if not;-(((

  • 27.
  • At 07:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Paul wrote:

How many times has Julien White going to destroy the opposition scrum before he is a first choice in the England team?

  • 28.
  • At 07:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • max wrote:

I would definitely add to strettles score. He made ground every time he touched the ball and looks like he should be around for a long time. Brilliant running and tackle breaking

What is the status of the 6 nations now...does it come down to point differental between the Irish and French?

  • 30.
  • At 07:36 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • John wrote:

England played well overall.Lewsey looked out of touch though. I would put Robinson full back and bing back Cohen for a physical presence and drop tindall for tait.

  • 31.
  • At 07:36 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

bit harsh on catt, made the 1st try
gerharty was awesome, but not solid enough to start, probably best as an impact player like today
if wilko is fit, probably play him, just as good as flood but does the basics better
and palmer definatly deserved a better mark, set tone of the match by turning over first lineout

  • 32.
  • At 07:37 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • pundit20 wrote:

Chuter: "omnipotent in the loose".
Omnipresent??
God (in most religions) is omnipresent, English rugby hookers rarely so. Seriously, that is a shocking misuse of the English language. Please shape up.
Rees deserved a 9, so did White - by far his best performance in an England shirt. His anchoring of the scrum in the first twenty minutes set the tone for the rest of the game.
I'm as weary as the next person of hype, but Rees peformance today was world class, and the comparison with McCaw is apt - too much hero worship of the AB for my liking, excellent player that he is. Hopefully Rees won't have to bend the rules of the game as much as McCaw does to prove his worth in the future.

  • 33.
  • At 07:38 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Mark2007 wrote:

For the Wales game:

15-Robinson
14-Tait
13-Tindall
12-Wilkinson
11-Strettle
10-Geraghty
9-Ellis

Perry, Farrell and Lewsey (needs to work on his basics) to bench. Flood played well but has a lot more developing to do, whereas Geraghty has looked more the finished article for London Irish this season. Tindall had a good game- did everyone miss his huge hit on Chabal,leading to a penalty and the eventual replacement of Chabal. Anyone got any other backs lineups?

  • 34.
  • At 07:38 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ken wrote:

"he's french so I don't care" came from the mouth of Eddie Butler, not Brian Moore...

  • 35.
  • At 07:42 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Mark Kidger wrote:

I admit that I was only listening and not watching, but some of those ratings seem strange. I thought that England ran in 2 tries to none, but to read the ratings one would almost think that France had dominated.

The impression that one got listening was the the French rarely threatened the England lines, the English defence held firm when they did and that England were a constant threat in attack. Surely some England player actually had a genuinely good game?

  • 36.
  • At 07:43 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Alex wrote:

A good performance from England, particularly from the forwards. I pretty much agree with the ratings...except would mark down Lewsey and Tindall. Both have been great for England in the past, but I haven't seen them properly threaten or create anything in attack for a while. Time to start with Tait in the centre, and bring back Cueto on the wing.

  • 37.
  • At 07:49 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Neil Wilding wrote:

Don't care how they did it, but they won. Watched the game with French friends and that made the game oh so good! Well done boys - all of you. Long way to go but lets get behind them instead of picking holes in everything which isn't perfect.

  • 38.
  • At 07:49 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Loquitur wrote:

Re post #16 - if you're not concerned about the ratings why are you posting on this blog? Check out the title!

And whilst we are on the subject of Brian Moore, haven't you got it yet? BM is being deliberately controversial - that's why he is there! Love him or hate him he adds some colour, and openly courts disagreement. Some of his comments today were asine and yet some of his observations were spot on today, and his nationalistic fervour is no worse than others' we have seen and heard this weekend! He certainly knows how to wind people up - you included - and no doubt enjoys doing it!

Oops! This blog is about Eng & Fr ratings! Sorry!

  • 39.
  • At 07:54 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Gareth wrote:

Isn't it great, the 3 best fly-halves in the world are all English!

Eddie O'Sullivan must be kicking himself he didn't try and poach Shane Geraghty, has Ronan O'Gara ever made a break like that?

Ellis was contender for man-of-match and has been the best scrum-half in the tournament.

Give Rees another 10-15 caps against top opposition and he will definitely surpass McCaw, he is quicker and has a better off-load. He was up against a quality French back row today and was dominant this is a guy who has no fear and totally displays confidence.

David Strette is the most exciting English player since Jason robinson made his entrance to international Rugby Union.

Palmer deserved better than a 6 out 10 he is a genuine world class lock and along side Chris Jones will form the backbone of Englands second row for the next few years.

England has a lot of good young players coming through now, if the national team finally gets the preparation it requires then no if or buts or celtic sceptiscm this will become a scary team England doesn't matter who they play.

  • 40.
  • At 07:56 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Jon wrote:

Am I the only one to think that Nick Easter deserved the MOTM award? He constantly stormed over the gain line, and was solid in defence.

I think Lewsey's rating was too high, Tinds was so-so (great kicking and took care of Chabal, with help), and I also think Strettle looks like he should be around for years to come(another Billy Whiz, perhaps?)
It's a little early to tell on Strettle, though...

France were not allowed to settle at all, and could not string together any phases. The looked a little threatening in the loose, but overall they were marshalled pretty well.

(Oh, and it WAS Pitbull who said "He's only French, so I don't care.")

  • 41.
  • At 07:59 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Simon Conie wrote:

Watching England without Brian Moore there to abuse the opposition (esp the French) and anyone else who pisses him off just wouldn't be the same!
As for ratings, not bad tho harsh on palmer and too nice to lewsey and tindall who shouldn't be immune to criticism like farrel was. Stick with the same team for the Wales game except get Tait on for Tindall-got to have an O/C to exploit the passing of Catt and Flood and get the ball to the back three.
Great result though and nice to see the team playing so well and with some flair.

  • 42.
  • At 08:01 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Dave wrote:

I agree that both didn't have the best games but how Josh Lewisy got more than Mike Catt in the ratings I will never know.

  • 43.
  • At 08:03 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ali wrote:

Hmm, I mainly agree with the ratings I think. A lot of people are saying Lewsey didn't play well, and admittedly there were a few mistakes (that pass being one of them!!) but he worked really really well together with Strettle, did a lot of the stuff that goes unseen like he got to the tackled player quickly to prevent turnovers, and defensively he's the best there is. Ok not his best match in an England shirt but deserves to keep his position.

Farrell shouldn't be back in the side, Mike Catt outshone him and played rugby which was a lot more inspiring. Tindall put in some big tackles so although he isn't the fanciest runner I believe he deserves his place.

This England team could be really good...!

  • 44.
  • At 08:04 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David Grant wrote:

Great to see England play with passion. This was the biggest difference for me. I think the young bloods have to be given more play time. Take out Tindall, he's never going to be world class. Forwards played extremely well overall. Have to tighten up on discipline. Keep Corry at second row, he's not a number eight at this level. He brings passion and good skills to the second row.
Today, the future looks bright with Strettle, Flood, Geraghty, and Rees. Mr. Ashton please give Tait a chance. England do have the talent to play exciting running rugby if only you will give the youngsters a chance.

  • 45.
  • At 08:04 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Michael wrote:

Well, I think the forwards should stay as they are, but with Vickery the captain, if he's fit will he be brought back?
As for the backs, fly half choice will be interesting but Wilko has all the experience he needs, at the moment he needs games so leave him back with his club if he is fit. Keep faith with Flood and Geraghty and let them experience an away match. This is an already better than expected 6 nations for England.
Catt should stay, he played well and dictated the play for England's backs and was a calming presence.
Tindall needs to be dropped, Tait has more attacking flair and is solid defensively.
Bring in Cueto onto the wing and drop Lewsey.
So I'd keep the forwards as they are with a back line of:
15-Robinson
14-Cueto
13-Tait
12-Catt
11-Strettle
10-Flood
9-Ellis

  • 46.
  • At 08:04 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ed2003 wrote:

Firstly: Yeeeessss. Get in.

Second:

I think Lewsey should get no higher than a 6. Another solid display in defence but his skill in attack was very average again.

Why has Tom Palmer got a 6? That should be a 7.

Rees and Strettle should both get 9's.

Rees showed exactly what we needed...physical presence at the breakdown and on the shoulder of every runner.

Strettle deserves a 9 because he never fails to make yards and even when isolated manages to get the ball back. Anyone who has that kind of strength but also excellent pace is a special talent.

Tindall was terrible once again. He seems to have three options when he has the ball in hand:

1. Ignore the three fast players outside him, put his head down and make 1/2 a yard while slowing the ball down.

2. Decide to pass but at the ankles of the player and only when the opposition is right on him.

3. Notice the overlap but hang on to the ball, drift across the pitch and waste the space and overlap.

Tait should be playing at 13.

  • 47.
  • At 08:05 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Rodney Lowe wrote:

The French flanker got the shoeing he deserved, yet because he slowed ball down and gained a penalty he did it again and again. Brians actual comment was quite funny EB said "he wasn't near the ball" BM "well he wasn't after the ruck" and "anyway I don't care he's French". Still winding them up Brian!!

  • 48.
  • At 08:06 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Nikolai wrote:

15-Cueto
14-Robinson
13-Tait
12-Wilkinson
11-Strettle
10-Geraghty
9-Ellis

I think wilkinson could play anywhere in the backs but with his distribution skills at 12 it could really open the england backs up. Also he has a better defensive game than Catty and could be used in a a very similar role to what Catt was playing today.

  • 49.
  • At 08:09 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Critic 101 wrote:

well a definate improvement. there are still things to work on. however. personally, i think the most unspoken person from the match today was nick easter. his almost perfect display won the match for the fowards and ultimately for the backs and england. his outstanding ability outshone chabal who played terribly. but well done to all the other players including all the young ones who showed promising abilities!!!

  • 50.
  • At 08:10 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ken E wrote:

Well, first things first - France "didn't turn up" - true, but they played as well as England let them. Credit France's performance to England.

Catt - made few mistakes but his influence was awesome - he delivered to the field of play Ashton's vision - he deserves at least a 9 becuse his was the belief on which the team's performance was based.

Actually Ashton deserves an 11 - enough said!

  • 51.
  • At 08:11 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Pressana wrote:

WELL DONE ENGLAND.A victory well deserved it.
I was watching the game with some friends of mine and they invited some French(WHO ALL THE TIME KEEP TELLING TO us-Italian that we steal the worldcup to France in Berlin) to watch the match... The French in the pub were sicure to win and they were as their French Arrogance with English people in the pub... as we say in Italy with the arrogance you don't go anywhere... and Englad beat France....
WELL DONE ENGLAD. THANKS YOU FOR THIS FANTASTIC MATCH.

  • 52.
  • At 08:15 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ken wrote:

It's amazing - one win and everyone is getting carried away.

At times, Lewsey Catt and Tindall looked like they have never had a rugby ball in their hands. Some of the errors were shocking for international level. It's not the first time we have seen Lewsey running around like a headless chicken with no idea of where he or the ball is going to end up.

The reason England won this game is that, for the first time in a long while against a top team, they got forward dominance (in the second half)which allowed their backs the space to run and create opportunities. Sure, Catt made a great trademaek break to set up Flood's try, but otherwise he was awful.

Bright lights for England were Strettle, Flood, Geraghty and Rees who all looked world class. Corry was also immense - again! Others also played well but expect to see more changes with Sheridan and Vickery coming back. Wilkinson is replaceable on today's evidence.

AB's won't be losing any sleep as a really good team would have won this game by half half time given the number of errors England committed in the first half.

  • 53.
  • At 08:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Richard wrote:

Richard Bullard #26 makes a good point. whilst it is hard to ignore a fit Wilko, Flood had a fantastic game, was very composed and offers slightly more in attack than the possibly more predictable wilkinson. He's also a relatively unknown entity which could surprise teams for a few more games yet. Geraghty was sprightly, but his kicking from hand wasn't great when he came on. He obviously got the vital breakthrough, but once ahead they needed to control the game more and put so good kicks into the corners, not down the french throats. So the solution. Wilko and geraghty on bench with flood and Catt starting, then you canbring on Geragty for a bit of flair to ignite the back line, but if we need to hang on and play some sensible territorial rugby, bring on Wilko for Catt and get him pinging it in the corner. Also agree with his call of Tait at Outside, would be a rapid back line with tait, strettle, robinson and lewsey.
Lots of posts are being harsh on Josh Lewsey, yes he made a few handling errors, but who on the pitch didn't, the error count was massive. But he played solidly, if unspectacularly, though he did make some incisive runs. He should keep his place for the moment.

  • 54.
  • At 08:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Timmy wrote:

tindall should be a 4 or 5

  • 55.
  • At 08:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Will wrote:

Palmer deserves much better for an outstanding game.
Lewsey and Robinson are becoming liabilities.
Good result-but let's not carried away

  • 56.
  • At 08:17 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

How can you give Yachvilli a 7? his service was slow, on the odd occasions that he didn't kick possession away down the throat of Lewsey, Robinson, Strettle, Geraghty etc. We were all calling for him to be replaced by Mignoni after 20 minutes.

  • 57.
  • At 08:19 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • ted morrison wrote:

How about these marks for the english players?..
Lewsey-5
Strettle-9
Tindall-6
Catt-7
Robinson-5
Flood-6
Ellis-8
Payne-6
Chuter-7
White-8
Corry-8
Palmer-6
Worsley-6
Rees-9
Easter-7
Rees and Strettle best players on the pitch, Wilko must surely be a certainty for the team when fit. Can't wait to have a fit Dan Ward-Smith in the england side..

  • 58.
  • At 08:19 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Daron J wrote:

Not sure I would agree with player ratings as much as I like Lewsey today he struggled to stay upright without a French player near him suggest he changes his studs but overall a good performance but if we dont iron out the silly mistakes as most evident in the first half a world class side will be out of sight by half time but at last their is a glint of light at the end of the tunnel.

  • 59.
  • At 08:21 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Stephen F wrote:

Happy to see myself proved wrong, I tipped France to just edge it. But on the ratings, Strettle and Rees were outstanding, the two fly halves helped make Ellis look better than he was, and our overall forward performance seems underrated. Ok, so the line out wasn't 100% and the scrum wasn't always secure, but in open play there was excellent ball carrying from Rees and Easter, and they built the platform for the backs. I agree with Catt's rating, he took captaincy to his heart but there was some of his decision making I didn't like.

Strettle to hold his place, Geraghty to start.

For France, I think Marty was possibly worth another mark, but the rest get what they deserve for playing so laterally and flat.

  • 60.
  • At 08:22 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Mark Kidger wrote:

Post #29

The status is that France, Ireland, England and Italy (in that order of probability) can win the Six Nations.

At present, points difference massively favours France in the case of France, England and Ireland all winning their last game. England would need a massive win against Wales to have a chance as they are 29 points behind France and 15 behind Ireland:

Current points difference:

France +42
Ireland +28
England +13
Italy -26

Italy could win *if* both England and France lose. They must beat Ireland by 28 points and France lose by more than 41 - in other words, mathematically they are still in with a chance, but realistically, no.

  • 61.
  • At 08:22 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • wattsy wrote:

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

gr8 performance!

  • 62.
  • At 08:23 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Bobeto wrote:

well done england (frenchman here), you played much much better that us. I think Catt should get a 7. he made mistakes, but at least he looked dangerous. as for france, well that was worrying. Chabal should never play again though. he's had many a chance but he is simply ineffective when we need him. hopefully we will still win the title vs scotland. as it stands (i may have missed it if someone already posted), points difference is:

france + 42
ireland + 38
england + 13

france must beat scotland by no more than 3 points less than ireland beat italy (assuming both win, emphasis on 'assuming') england are out unless both lose/draw

  • 63.
  • At 08:25 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Sam B wrote:

Am I the only person to notice that Ellis has a significant second movement in transferring the ball from ruck/maul to playmaker? There's a pause in his action which means he just can't cut it at international level. Granted, against Chabal, Bonnaire and co. his footwork is good enough to see him out of danger, but what about a world-class, ball-hungry back row? Even without the obligatory AB name-check, someone like George Smith would eat Ellis for breakfast.

The point about his being an extra flanker was well made -- his power, enthusiasm, and workrate in the loose are exemplary -- but we shouldn't have to find out that George Chuter's actually an ok passer of the ball because our 9 buries himself at the bottom of every second ruck...

For the first time since the World Cup I enjoyed watching England play. I don't know whether this was because they were good or the French were terrible. They never threatened England's line at all. What happened to Chabal? Mike Tindall's tackle on him was my highlight of the game. A great example of how a perfectly legal piece of play can put somebody out of the game.

Mike Catt may have made a few mistakes but I bet Farrell wouldn't have spotted Ibanez was against him when he made the break for Flood's try. Where this leaves Farrell I don't know.

I thought the balance of England was better today and the combination of youth and experience about right. England do have some very good young players who need to be played together to develop into a team.

We still have a problem with too much conflict between club and country despite this victory. This still needs sorting if we are to perform consistantly at a high level internationally.

Looking forward to the Wales game now. I think they will be a better team than they have showed so far and given the fiasco at the end of their game this week will be out to show everybody what they can do, especially as they are at home. If England are patient, stick to doing the basics right and don't try to be too flashy it should be a cracking game.

  • 65.
  • At 08:30 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • holmesy wrote:

apart from one miss pass lewsey was excellent.tindall's fault for dropped ball, and lack of communication.defensively solid again .drop tindall bring in tait or noon, was excellent in autumn internationals
15 lewsey
14 strettle
13 tait/noon
12 catt/noon
11 robinson
10 wilkinson/flood
geraghty impact sub adds different style

  • 66.
  • At 08:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • simon fellerman wrote:

I think your rating are rubbish. Catt was great as was flood and Palmer was excellent too. You have no idea or else you were watching a different game to me.

  • 67.
  • At 08:32 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • coops18 wrote:

Well played by all the lads, no-one had an awful game. I thought Corry and Palmer were immense, Rees and Ellis worked very hard and Strettle is just looking class. No-one put in a jaw dropping performances, but those boys all deserved at least an 8 out of 10.

Everyone else deserves a good 7, apart from Tindall (made up for some suspect defensive work with a couple of good charges) and Robinson (not much to do, not really his fault) with 6s, and Lewsey with a 5 - he was clumsy and made poor decisions, and was by far Englands worst player.

  • 68.
  • At 08:34 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • je wrote:

the forwards should be all 8 french backs scored a bit high for saying they didnt score a try!!!
Corry was awesome put in a fantastic hit on Chabal white and Payne should keep their place as should Palmer.

  • 69.
  • At 08:34 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Jack Winter wrote:

I thought england were solid but scrappy... catt was dodgy and not good decision making, but not bad for a start
Rees was very good and deserved a 9. Lewesy v.dodgy

Wilko should play against wales with geraghty on the bench... Flood played well but doesn't come close to wilko

Strettle should be first name on the team sheet at the moment.

Tait should start instead of tindall

tindall is average and we need dynamic players against wales.

15. Cueto ( Should be brought bak in)
14. Robinson
13. Tait
12. Catt
11. Strettle
10. Wilko

  • 70.
  • At 08:35 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • James wrote:

ENGLAND
Lewsey: 6
Strettle: 8
Tindall: 7
Catt: 6
Robinson: 6
Flood: 7
Ellis: 8
Easter: 7
Rees: 8
Worsley: 6
Palmer: 7
Corry: 8
White: 7
Chuter: 7
Payne: 7
Replacements-Geraghty: 7
Tait: 6
Lund: 6
Perry: 6
FRANCE
Poitrenaud: 6
Clerc: 7
Marty: 6
Jauzion: 6
Dominici: 5
Skrela: 6
Yachvili: 7
Chabal: 5
Bonnaire: 6
Betsen: 7
Thion: 6
Nallet: 6
Milloud: 5
Ibanez: 6
De Villiers: 5
Replacements-Beauxis: 6
Harinordoquy: 5
Bruno: 5
Mignoni: 6
Heymans: 6

  • 71.
  • At 08:40 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • jak wrote:

o p.s. lewsey was very average and should not play versus wales. mistakes like his will cause us to lose the game

  • 72.
  • At 08:43 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • steve carr wrote:

Didn't see robinson as a liability comment 55, lewsey possibly as his form has dipped a little this six nations but agree with general scores and comments posted

  • 73.
  • At 08:44 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Neil wrote:

In relation to post #1:

Fair play to England, I never doubted you could do it. Also Id never suggest you are bad because its blatently clear your not

BUT

How exactly does this prove that Ireland aren't a good team. France beat Ireland, England beat France and Ireland annihilate England. This is the six Nations where given the right circumstances any team can beat another. Id be pretty optimistic that Wales will raise their game to beat England next week. One thing is for certain though, Ireland have consistently outplayed the home nations for a few years now and dismantled SA and Australia in the Autumn and were desperatly unlucky not to beat France earlier. These are FACTS so your sounding pretty churlish with your wishful thinking. Its impossible for to suggest that Ireland are bad (unless your stupid of plain biased). Keep it up though because the irony is that the more you write off the Irish is the more likely they will win the WC. Think Munster in the HC last year... its just the Irish mentality. In fact, EVERY team from these isles plays better with their 'backs to the wall.' As for england for the WC.... well lets just give the last word to Arsene Wenger: 'everybody thinks that they've got the prettiest wife '

PS I include Ireland in that one

  • 74.
  • At 08:51 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Stephen wrote:

As usual the English fans are getting carried away with one performance, as for Brian Ashton picking form players it was just blind luck and injury to Wilkinson, Vickery and Farrell that won the day. Remember the old saying one swallow does not make a summer and one decent english display wont fix the broken chariot that is english rugby.

  • 75.
  • At 08:51 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • kevin wrote:

Well As an Irishman I owe England a debt of Gratitude, it gives us a fighting chance at the comeption, I am happy also that no one team runs away with the competion.

  • 76.
  • At 08:52 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

The combination of Catt and Flood brought a new dimension to England's back-line. Flood was not afraid to try different things to break the game line and he looked very sharp-particularly with arguably one of the best blind-side's in the world putting him under pressure (betson)Catt's guidance and status as a 2nd decision maker took the pressure off both young fly-halves, and should be recognised as helping to create chances-something England didn't do against Ireland.
The offloading out of the tackle was a key difference in today's victory, and the base the forwards provided for Ellis enabled the backs to get running. Strettle is an exciting talent, and proved he can defend as well as attack. Sloppy mistakes need addressing,although more of the same please!

  • 77.
  • At 08:56 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Marc wrote:

To Ian B no1

firstly congratulations to england today for making the most of their oppertunity and giving Ireland the chance to take their first six nations which is much deserved after being runner up on 4 of the last 7 occasions. Ian I hope for yourself you are not looking over yet another false horizon just think back to South Africa in the autumn. Lets see what this team make of a struggling Wales before you get ahead of yourselves. Granted you do have a great player pool but no real leaders to take you to the next level your current captain (vickery) shouldn't be fist choice and todays captain (catt) might just about be able to make it to the world cup.

In relation to Ireland, currently the best northern hemisphere team without a doubt, ok ok we lost to france but that took a fantastic individual effort in the 78th min and the game against Scotland was an off day but think back to England pre 2003 and the victorys they eeked out the mentality being, winners win and thats what Ireland did. Also dont forget that Ireland have produced a number of fantastic displays in the summer against New Zealand (granted we lost but pushed them close), autumn against Australia and a record win over England this six nations. I say its desteny Ireland to win the six nations on Paddys day it couldn't be scripted better. Roll on Italy roll on the World Cup.

  • 78.
  • At 08:56 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Dave W wrote:

Just great to see England trying to play creative rugby, even if it didn't always work. Much more dynamic back-row; Corry better in the second row where he can do the graft that's needed. In the backs: no-one's been able to fill Will Greenwood's place so if we have to have a 30 something year old at inside centre rather Catt than Farrell. Can't go back to the crash bang style of No 12 trying to blast through the the middle so no room for Noon there; he's more of a back up for Tyndall. Maybe Gerary/Flood at 10 and Jonny W at 12.

  • 79.
  • At 08:59 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Duncan Heather wrote:

While its been enjoyable viewing, I haven't seen anything in the 6-nations so far that is likely to trouble the freshly "conditioned" AB's later this year. Are South Africa the only threat?

  • 80.
  • At 08:59 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Owain Davies wrote:

I know I'd give Brian Moore 2 for his commentary. He is the most biased commentator in history. His exclamatory "overlap" whenever England have an overlap and his constant complaining over decisions that go against England make watching any game with England painful!

  • 81.
  • At 09:02 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Tim wrote:

Most of these posts are pretty well spot-on: Rees, Corry, White and Palmer had good games. The fact that Worsley was a bit anonymous probably means that he was on the underneath of the pile-up each time, which is more or less where you want him to be. Chuter played competently and made a real nuisance of himself at times. Well done all the pack: no-one had a real shocker.

Yes, Catt made some errors but he did two things:

1. he played with passion - something that has been missing from England's back division for, oh, the past three years or so; and

2. he inspired the speed merchants in the England side to play with real pace.

Whatever you might say about Super 14 rugby if you watch much of it you realise it is in general a much faster game than English premiership rugby. That really showed in Croke Park: one major factor was that England seemed to expect Ireland to slow down to a snail's pace and play the game that England wanted.

Not so today! Harry Ellis was a real terrier who always wanted quick ball. His loose forwards were able to deliver that today. Add to that a lineout that actually worked and all of a sudden you have a platform that is going forwards most of the time. That was a nasty shock to the French today, but when the Southern Hemisphere teams turn up in the Autumn we had better be ready for eighty minutes of truly quick rugby.

No, today's real questions mostly concern the back three of the back division. I thought Lewsey - who in 2003 was a real reader of the game - had a shocker and should be dropped. He ought to be the best FB in the world, but Cueto plays a better FB game than him. We can blame Andy Robinson if we want to but the fact is that he risks much of the good work of the forwards whne he tries a bit of adventure these days.

My ideal back three? Robinson & Strettle on the wings and Cueto at FB - a big, strong guy who is difficult to get past and can jump well for the high ball. But maybe, just maybe, we ought to pick the team that is best suited to the opponents we face. That might mean there is no single "best" England team, but in that case so be it.

Well done, overall, lads - this was a game you were not supposed to win but you did. The mix has been shaken up a bit and international rugby will be all the better for it.

Tim

Thought that this was a much improved performance.

I think that the pack in the first three games lacked mobility (NZ would run them off the park), but Rees at 7 and Easter at 8 must stay.

Not sure about the Corry experiement and a better line out side might expose this.

Is Vickery and Farell going to get back in the side next week? I prefer Tim Payne (or Matt Stevens if fit) and Catt must be let out the bag again!

How about a backline (Geraty, Catt, Tait, Strettle, Cueto and Robinson at FB?

  • 83.
  • At 09:10 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Peter wrote:

Comments no.22 and 34... I noticed that.

I also want to voice my disapproval over those appalling comments on the BBC Commentary.

  • 84.
  • At 09:11 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David wrote:

Re # 38
I RATED the English performance as better than the French.
I RATED the BBC commentary as less than satisfactory - especially Moore who sometimes even struggles to keep up with the game. If you think people are paid to be rude and undermining the ref, it isn't what most viewers of the game expect or believe enhances a sporting spectacle. Your own comments about Moore seem to support that view.

  • 85.
  • At 09:12 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Darran Mather wrote:

England played well but the French were quite simply appalling. This is the only reason England beat the French today. Strettle is THE find of the season. Ex-League just like Robinson. Loves the ball, loves to run with the ball and loves to take on the oppostion without fear. Excellent in defence. Rees, another excellent newcomer.

I believe Chris Ashton, the Wigan RL fullback has signed with Northampton RU. This guy is awesome in defence and attack and will the next England RU full back this time next year.

Enjoy Brian Moore's childish running commentary and loves to play the fool. Can someone please tell Guscott that he his a smug sleazeball. Him and his sidekick, Austin Healey, simply refused to mention Farrell today so instead of focusing on Catt's first half appalling display they chose to focus on another players shortcomings.

  • 86.
  • At 09:12 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • adam o connor wrote:

POST 39: best 3 out halfs in the world are you joking? geraghty played well i admit but the best in the world? his kicking to touch was poor and floods kicking wasnt great either. i wonder if you're english? rog has played consistantly good for years now and is without a doubt one of the best out-halfs in the world at this time!

strettle deserved mom without a doubt looked threatening every time he was on the ball and was very solid in defense. tindall was awful missed far 2 many tackles and distribution was poor to say the least and tait has far more to offer. lewsey had an average game by all accounts and made one of the worst passes ive ever seen to gift france a chance which, if they had been firing on all cylinders, would easily have taken.

strange how fortunes change for 'jonny the saviour'. he was supposed to be the man to take english rugby to a new level after a better than average game back and now may not even find himself in the squad when fit.

i think france will easily beat scotland next week and take the 6n on points from ireland who will edge out italy. new zealand will be even more confident after seeing the 6n teams in action and will easily win the wc

I like BM's bias, all this "neutrality" nonsense gets on my wick. If you want neutral analysis get non-English people to analyse England games. He shouldn't have to hide his loyalty, and he does give the other side credit when they play well. I'm Irish, by the way.

  • 88.
  • At 09:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Tommy wrote:

You this leaves the SN wide open now. Even Italy can win it (not likely though). Even though I don't support England one bit, I senced there was going to be a big result soon. Well done England. And that's from a Welshman! Here's scores for next week:

France 33-28 Scotland
Italy 20-29 Ireland
Wales 23-31 England

Good luck next week all teams.

Geraghty and Flood both superb considering lack of international experience. Why not Gerachty 11 Flood 12 for WC?

I like BM's bias, all this "neutrality" nonsense gets on my wick. If you want neutral analysis get non-English people to analyse England games. He shouldn't have to hide his loyalty, and he does give the other side credit when they play well. I'm Irish, by the way.

  • 91.
  • At 09:19 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • MARK wrote:

ENGLAND WERE FANTASTIC, SOME IMPROVEMENTS REQUIRED AS WITH EVERY PERFORMANCE ANY TEAM DOES, IT IS NOT PERFECT BUT A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BY THE WORLD CUP WE COULD BE THE DARK HORSES FOR DEFENDING OUR TITLE (what a turn around that would be especially if it could be france in their own back yard like we did to australia).

CORRY WAS ACE AT LOCK WOULD PLAY HIM THEIR FOR ENGLAND ALL THE TIME. AS IT GIVES US THE CHANCE TO FIELD AN EXCITING BACK ROW.

MY TEAM VS WALES

FORWARDS STAY THE SAME

BACKS

09. ELLIS
10. FLOOD
11. STRETTLE
12. WILKINSON (if fit)/CATT
13. TAIT (tindall not up to it)
14. CUETO (lewsey too many errors at crucial times)
15. ROBINSON (his best position look at his performances for sale when he plays at full back)

bench

same forwards on bench

20. RICHARDS (adds more than perry)
21. GERAGHTY (impact player)
22. CATT (if not starting)/VARNDELL (his pace will keep wales on the back foot/can score tries)

REASON FOR CHANGES YOU NEED PACE TO BEAT WALES AS THEY ARE QUICK

  • 92.
  • At 09:20 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • The cynic wrote:

Not a bad win for a scratch side, though Catt did not have the greatest of games individually his organisation of the team was excellent and he does play and I know its a cliche 'Heads up rugby'. We also saw an impact from the bench for a long time with Geraty. A player who we forgot to mention was Easter I thought he was good apart from a couple messed up calls with Ellis from the scrum. White also had a good game as Miloud has put his head up his a--- previously(game in Marselle just before the world cup). Good win not world beaters but just keep the team together not change it again for the Welsh game !

  • 93.
  • At 09:21 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Bemused wrote:

Heaven help us! Someone (post #74) uses that phrase that is always trotted out when England actually win something. What this poster will say if England actually win next week and finish with a 4-1 record does not bear thinking about. After sunch a long sequence of defeats, any win looks good and beating France is a bit better than putting 80 points past Uruguay.

  • 94.
  • At 09:24 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Harry Pendleton wrote:

Thought England were a bit of a mixed bag, although definetely worth the win.

Some of the skills on show were poor, Lewsey and Tindall being the main culprits. For me, England still lacked structure, although in fairness, a lot of changes had been made.

On the brightside, I thought both fly halves did well, as did both 2nd rows. Nice to see Corry getting praise for once, he has been one of Englands most consistent performers in recent years. Tom Rees was very good, showed the advantages of having a proper 7 in the team.

All in all, a promising performance.

  • 95.
  • At 09:24 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Johnny Default wrote:

First up, well done England. It is good to see ambition rewarded. Despite some of the hand-wringing that has been going on amongst their fans, I felt sure that England would perform well, although I did predict a narrow France win. To be honest, only perfect place kicking, and some unforced English errors, kept us in the match. France generated hardly any of their own points. As this match developed, I couldn't help reflecting that it was very like the last "crunch" at Twickenham, in 2005. Again, England scored two good tries tries to nil, but gave away a lot of silly points; again, France played defensive, parasite rugby. The difference was, today England had a functioning goal-kicker. I bet Andy Robinson agrees with me - it's a fine line between success and fiasco.

As regards ratings: correct on Chabal, too generous to Yachvili. Unfortunately, the match provided strong evidence in support of what some of us French have been saying for some time: Yachvili is a mixed blessing at best, and Chabal is a one-trick pony. It is a nice trick, but against a committed and organised defence his limitations become apparent. Lesson for Laporte, #1: Seba = impact sub only in the World Cup, please.

Meanwhile, Yach sees himself in the great tradition of dominant French scrum-halves, alongside Berbizier and Galthié. The trouble is, his ambition exceeds his ability and he takes too many big decisions, too often, too incorrectly. This results in a) over-use of the box kick and the long punt and b) his fly-half is squeezed out of the game as a creative force. Yach has his great days, but not often enough. Lesson for Laporte, #2: if you want a kicking scrum half as an alternative to Mignoni, pick Elissalde, why don't you?

Now I'm off to put €10 on Italy to win the championship, at 500-1......

  • 96.
  • At 09:25 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • bob smith wrote:

How do you give Brian More 2 ?
His comment that it was Ok to kick the man on the ground because he was french would have any other commentator red carded without question.
He can ruin a game single-handed and represents the dogmatic, stuffed shirt approach to english rugby that has been so divisive.

  • 97.
  • At 09:25 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • christian wrote:

NZ win the world cup??????

They have shown their cards last Autumn... Game plan and a one off game seems to see them off every world cup, no matter what the greats!!! are playing.

On their day any of the 6N teams can beat a southern Hemisphere side.

The Hosts to win the cup.......

  • 98.
  • At 09:25 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Jay Simmonds wrote:

i would say that the marks for Lewsey and Ellis are a little too generous. Lewsey doesn't seem to be able to link with the rest of the backline although his defence is sound. However, I thought Strettle deserved a 9- a very exciting prospect.I would bring back a fit Wilkinson if only for the place kicking-I think he would also benefit from Catt at inside centre-remember the Wales quarter final in the last World Cup.

  • 99.
  • At 09:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Stephen F wrote:

I completely agree with comment 63 about Ellis' second movement - that split second allowed a French defence which was almost offside to pinch even more yardage - that's why I don't rate him. Perhaps Geraghty may be better as an impact, I was just impressed with the way he had the confidence to run and offload. That's the sort of dynamism scrum half should be looking to create through passing.

Leave Brian Moore alone, comment 80. He makes BBC commentary what it is, and even if he may support England, he still makes valid points on the game, including 'Overlap', which when done properly, is an important chance for an attacking side. He also observes advantageous positions for the other team, like when today noticing a pass should have gone to Poitrenaud and he would been in.

When I asked yesterday for some slightly more even-handedness in analysis, I was talking about Phillip Matthews using Moore and Jonathan Davies as comparison. I used to feel that he only made biased points on Ireland, though he did improve yesterday and gave credit where it was due, fairly criticising the lacklustre Irish.

  • 100.
  • At 09:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Barry wrote:

A sound English performance. See what happens when you play an Irishman at no. 10?

Strettle is already good enough to play for any team, except perhaps the ABs, but did not get much help from Catt and Tindall. In his defence, Tindall scored a try and tackled well but neither himself nor Lewsey deserve more chances. Ireland have shown that light centres are not necessarily a liability if they can tackle. I would like to see England play one game with Geraghty and Tait in midfield. As for the World Cup, I think with this performance England has joined France, Oz and SA as a country with a prayer against New Zealand.

  • 101.
  • At 09:31 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • MDP wrote:

Tindall was awful, i can't believe he is still in the team, 'tunnel-vision' is an understatement, granted he can tackle, but they are playing international rugby so you would take that skill for granted, nevertheless, the one tackle that really stood out was not all that impressive, chabal was catching the ball stationary, tindall just ran into him, and being the big lad he is it would have an impact on anyone. But a centre who cant catch or pass is beyond me. Apart from him i thought england looked an impressive outfit, securing ball well in the tight and releasing the backs which is not a usual sight, a good foundation layed in beating a top side, they can biuld from here.

  • 102.
  • At 09:32 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • baden wrote:

Never a great supporter of Corry but thought he was outstanding in the new position of second row.

What sort of person employs Brian more ? We are trying a more creative enlightened game and he is just an embarrassing dinasor.

  • 103.
  • At 09:32 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • David wrote:

OKAY # 38
Ratings:
England 6.5
France 5.0
Brian Moore 3.0
Not keeping up with the game. Not ADDING anything insightful. Undermining the ref's decisions with camera benefit. Making "asinine" comments. Thinking that "winding -up" is what TV spectators expect from a BBC commentary. Give us commentators with intelligent observations who don't suffer from foot-in-mouth. The visuals were great (9.5). Butler/Moore just don't reach an acceptable standard.

  • 104.
  • At 09:34 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Si wrote:

A lot of the ratings seem to relate only to the attacking play of the backs. Both Lewsey & Robinson put in some excellent tackles at crucial times, you must not forget that.
With a lot of changes, & a big emphasis on the change in style (big credit to Ashton for asking the players to try this) you have to expect some errors & things going wrong. Yes Lewsey made some bad decisions, but at lest he tried. England shuld resist wholesale chenges again; & should remember where we were 6 months ago. We would have taken 3 out of 4 wins, with 2 good performances.
The front row finally looked the part, possible not the greatest ball carriers, but a solid base to work from. The second row was our best so far, Corry was massive & Palmer did enough. The back row was finally balanced, all played well & we finally had a nos. 8 who carried the ball well. Ellis was solid & Flood & Geraghty are starting to look like able deputies for Wilko. The back 3 is almost there, defensively we look sound, just a few mistakes in attack, but Cohen must be pushing hard. The centre is the only place I would make a change. Catt gives us a kicking option & vision, but I would use the last match to try Tait or Lewsey (he plays well in the centre for Wasps) as his partner to give more pace & creativity.
But all in all not a bad performance.
Catt gives us a kicking option

  • 105.
  • At 09:35 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Rob Hodgetts wrote:

Cheers for all your replies so far. Fascinating to hear everyone's take on the game.

Compiling ratings is clearly a very subjective business and I'm sure there were plenty of debates going on wherever you were after the game, as there are on here.

It's also all the more difficult in the stands without the aid of close-up TV replays and commentary.

Now the dust has settled a bit, I may reconsider one or two but I think I'd largely stick to my guns. Maybe Lewsey was one notch too high and maybe some of the pack deserved a grade higher but it's all semantics really, isn't it?

I'm not a big fan of lavishing 9s willy-nilly and we must remember that while it was a good display it was far from brilliant. There were plenty of errors and one swallow certainly doesn't make a summer.

But that doesn't mean we should stop discussing it all, so crack on!

  • 106.
  • At 09:36 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • smeg wrote:

Hey
i agree with mark2007 wilko could play inside centre outiside greghty or flood his distribution is just as good as Catt and he's got more pace.....not to mention his goal kicking

  • 107.
  • At 09:37 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Si wrote:

Moore & Butler, should be applauded; at least they are not scared to give an opinion ... whether you agree with it or not.

  • 108.
  • At 09:39 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Martin Harvey wrote:

With a name like Owain Davies i would hazard a wild guess this blogger comes from the far west of Englandshire :-)(thats a wind up by the way!). Hands off Brian Moore & Eddie Butler - funniest double act on television since Hinge & Brackett - they always have me in stitches. Mooro still gives the best insight into whats going on around the scrum and breakdown areas and anyway whats wrong with being slightly biased toward the Country he played and bled for ??!! Here's to Hinge and Brackett 2 and personally i hope they continue bickering for a long time to come !

  • 109.
  • At 09:40 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Barry wrote:

Talking of biased commentary, I watched the game on RTE where George Hook's rampant francophilia got the better of him. He wrote England off by half-time.

  • 110.
  • At 09:40 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Crampo wrote:

I think G R E A T game of rugby! Best entertainment of the 6 nations so far i reckon!! I thought that Catty had been an amazing Captain, even though he made a few mistakes, but he made up for them.
France played normaly so thats no excuse!! They just couldn't get past our forwards!! At the end of the day we had a win, and it was a G O O D win. What more do people want??
Brian Aston...Brilliant coach giving the new one's a chance. I mean, Geraghty!! He was awesome when it came down to his try he set up!!
Martin Corry, definatly number 4 is his best position!!
Hopefully Catty will stay captain next weekend and H O P E F U L L Y we win the 6 nations!! COME ON ENGLAND!!

  • 111.
  • At 09:41 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Cliff M wrote:

England did very well with what was in many areas a scratch team.

Wonderful to see new and young players coming through with the confidence to attack - Strettle, Geraghty are obvious mentions along with Rees who was outstanding. Flood had a good game.

Also good to see some balance to the team. I think Corry has found his natural position at last. A big strong runner, good hands, who does not go backwards, but as a lock he is less likely to get isolated as he sometimes did as No8. Well done Corry, he should feel pleased with his performance.

As for No8, Easter looked very comfortable carrying the ball and always made good yardage with ball in hand, obviously a difficult player to bring down, similar to Leamy of Ireland.

Front row worked tirelessly and made the French scrum look ordinary and struggle. White was the cornerstone of the whole England scrum, never took a step backward, his body position was technically superb.

There are still problems, positional and with basic skills. Tindall must surely be on borrowed time all the while there is Tait waiting in the wings. Tait must be chomping at the bit to get a first start again. England are close to having a set of backs with real world class pace.
Also Ellis is good but not as great as everyone shouts about. Watch him carefully, yes he is strong, but his delivery should be quicker, there always tends to be a delay, compare this to Richards or Perry who are much faster. Speed of delivery at scrum half is essential.

Also Lewsey made some appalling errors. These tend to be with his poor lines of running. I can't see him at fullback until he smartens up.

Catt is quite amazing. No he did not have a great game in terms of errors made. But he brought something to the team that has been missing for a long time now - real leadership. Vickery does not possess natural leadership, he needs a couple of others with him to get the forwards moving. This cannot be denied, the forwards today worked very well together and took the game to the French - without Vickery.

So for Wales, I would keep the pack the same, bring Vickery on to the bench.

The backs there would have to be a couple of changes:

15 - Robinson
14 - Is Sackey still injured? TBD
13 - Tait
12 - Catt (Capt.)
11 - Strettle
10 - Flood(50mins), Geraghty(30mins)
9 - Perry

And Wilkinson goes on the bench with Vickery.

Overall good work England!

  • 112.
  • At 09:44 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Phil from York wrote:

Corry is getting back to something like his world class. Best thing that happened was him losing the captaincy. Keep him at lock. Led the pack very well. Was the Ireland game a one off, or does the France game still hide basic weakness. Being optimistic, think the direction is right with mixing young talent with experience but England need world class centres. Where will they come from? Thought the marks were just about right.

  • 113.
  • At 09:46 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Teddy B wrote:

France played badly because there forwards where buried from the start - the English pack pulled the same job on lesBlues that the Irish pack played on them at Croke Park, if your pack is on the back foot then your backs will struggle to function - the French backs often looked directionless and confused today, traits more often associated lately with there opponents

  • 114.
  • At 09:47 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • 2nd5 wrote:

Much credit must go to BA. He cobbled a side together that, let's face it, we all worried about. Agree with most of the ratings but personally thought Palmer was at least one point better. Corry also. What a great piece of out of position selection. Both Flood and Geraghty did well, the latter better although he had the luxury of coming on with fresh legs. Still, he made things happen and in addition to his break, his off load down the left was superb.

For Wales, I would even be tempted to try Geraghty at inside centre (as a sub) and Tait at outside. Strettle definitely earns his place too. Lewsey was not bad but not his best -he's been England's most consistent performer so I'd keep him. The back row was just great - pace at last. The front row very good also!

Great to see adventurous rugby from us!!!

  • 115.
  • At 09:50 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • elle smith wrote:

It was so refreshing to see the england players playing with such passion. Something that seemed to be missing against ireland and italy before that.
Strettle was superb, a real threat practically every time he got the ball.
reesy and corry were awsome too.
I'd have shane geraghty starting against wales, and leave catt in there even if farrell regains fitness.
England musn't get complacent now though, Wales will give everything to avoid that dreaded wooden spoon!! Oh yeah, and brian moore is the man!!!

  • 116.
  • At 09:51 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Simon Hough wrote:

As Brian Moore said " France on this occassion choked "

Choking = No Grand Slam !

  • 117.
  • At 09:52 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • adam o connor wrote:

Funny how quick things can change! English rugby in a shambles one week and now they can win the wc! Come on, one good performance against a poor French side and 3 far from convincing performances earlier in the competition. Think about it you beat a French team who were trounced by New Zealand by 44 points in Autumn and think you have a hope of winning. I think a qf exit to Australia (a far superior sporting country by the way) is on the cards!

POOL 1: South Africa, England(just)

POOL 2: Australia, Wales because of their home advantage

POOL 3: New Zealand , Scotland will edge Italy because of home advantage

POOL 4: France, Ireland

QF: Australia will beat England
SA will beat Wales
NZ will beat Ireland (just)
France will thrash Scots

SF: Australia-NZ final and....NZ will win!

  • 118.
  • At 09:54 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Wee Man wrote:

Well,
Congrats to BA on his selection. The same forwards did not hassle the irish at Croke but their belief saw them thru today. I still think their performance today would not have up ended the irish forwards. Only because the scrum was scrappy, but their line out was good losing only one of their own. An excellent England performance, and a welcoming start to the young guns playing on the team.
I must say it was great to see 6 teams playing to win this weekend,and 8 points being the biggest margin. It really does show that any team can win on their day. Ireland just couldn't get firing and the scottish defence together with their unwillingness to give up the ball was enough to frustrate 6 penalties to keep the scots in the game, cos they never really looked like scoring tries. Pretty boring game to be fair.

The c'ship is wide open, France should do it on points, but there's only 5 between them and Ireland. If Ireland fire early, they could do it. My vote is with Ireland.
Wales will beat England by a point, Hook will win it for them, and he'll be the new Henson. Really good to see competitive home nations and great to see Italy looking for their 3rd win in the 6N, one that i hope eludes them.

  • 119.
  • At 09:56 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

Well done to England today , ok the French didn't turn up , but you can only beat whats put in front of you .

If England play like that against a decent team it'll be all over by half-time. To many mistakes , dropped ball ,wayward passes , etc etc .

Asked at half time , how did Catt play , the BBC panel could only say ''the occasion got to him '' instead of just plain awful , dropped ball , bad passing , kicking instead of passing , but what do you expect , they couldn't slag off the very person they said should play. Last week they hammered a single player for doing nothing more than once being caught holding onto the ball. But back to catt, he did manage to run through a gap along side the QE11 to create a good try but please don't tell me nobody else would have seen the gap.He didn't do much else.

Lets enjoy the moment but please don't get carried away!!!!!

  • 120.
  • At 09:57 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • david wrote:

Brian Moore? Was a good player but too abrasive to be a commentator. Eddie Butler? Appaling. Mistake ridden comments, ignorant and should return to handling Welsh TV games on a Friday night (at best)!
Watch the TV but take the commentary from radio 5. Absolutely ace!

  • 121.
  • At 09:57 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Lloyd Goucher wrote:

A good performance by the forwards who worked well together considering the lack of time to prepare. The backs were indifferent and at times sloppy, although they defended well.

Next week will be harder. The welsh will want to end on a high and will give England a real test in Cardiff. Judgement should be reserved on whether England are moving in the right direction until then.

Englands best backs are Strettle and Robinson, but against the worlds best, they wouldnt see much of the ball.

  • 122.
  • At 09:57 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Gareth wrote:

Post 86. O'Gara still can't defend, doesnt have the gas or side step to make line breaks consitently against top class defences like Flood or Geraghty and doesn't have "Jonny the saviours" pedigree or big game nous, Who's the 6N nations record point scorer? here's a clue its not O'Gara and I'd bet my life he's set up more passages of play leading to tries than O'Gara.

Its still probably too late for England to win the World cup this year unless they hammer Wales and SA twice this year, though they could certainty upset one of the major favourites. Ireland do stand a better chance with the settled squad they have.

However with central contracts, Ashton or Dean Richards at the helm and with a core squad of Rees, Palmer, Jones, Lund, Stevens, Sheridan, Haskell, Ellis, Flood, Geraghty, Wilkinson, Tait, Strettle, Cipriani the WC 2011 suddenly looks very promising.

Am I the only person in this blog who thinks Wilko should start next week with Flood or Geraghty at 12 and Tait at 13? Tait is defensively as sound as Tindall but runs/passes better.

  • 123.
  • At 10:02 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • George wrote:

agree with a lot of comments. tait surely has to start. when is he going to be given a string of games to show what he shows in the premiership? surely no better chance than playing outside catt. tindall was, and has been, distinctly average for a long time. apart from one tackle (on a static player) and his try, for which he just caught the ball and fell over, he did nothing. as for the lewsey debate, i think the critisism is very harsh. didn't have his best game, but did make an awesome break, solid in defence and if catt had given the pass after his break for the flood try would have been straight under the posts. wilko will start against wales, but the two fly halves today showed the future's bright for england. let's hope they get some more game time on the summer tour to SA. rees was reminiscant of mccaw in the way he supported, always on the shoulder of the ball carrier and turned over. not getting carried away, as they have to do it consistently but a good performance.
as for #38 comments on brian moore. the best commentators in history are impartial, and insightful. see richie benaud, andy grey and stuart barnes. moore is an embarresment to the bbc and the licence fee payers.

  • 124.
  • At 10:03 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

The skill level in this six nations is the worst I have ever seen. The respective backlines of France and England today were very very average - poor passing, dropped balls, knock ons, totally misguided kicks. Scotland's backs are completely useless, and it is really only Ireland that have a few world class backs in BOD & D'Arcy. If you guys want to watch some quality, slick, high tempo running rugby - flick over & watch the Super14. Even without 22 AB's - the skill level is far superior to this rubbish. The AB's proved in the Autumn how average this French side is - from memory they put 70-80 points on them in 2 games (in france)! When the AB's won the Grand Slam their B team put nearly 50 points on Ireland at Landsdowne Rd. I can imagine Carter, Muliaina, McAlister, Rocokoko, Sivivatu - licking their lips at this northern hemisphere rubbish. Only really South Africa come close on the world stage. Ireland have had one good result this 6N - against Eng. Their opening game against Wales was average, they lost to France and nearly lost to a woeful Scotland - let's not get too carried away with their prospects.

  • 125.
  • At 10:04 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • liam meighan wrote:

Nice to see that the two teams that played with a bit of passion won this weekend. Both England and Italy played not the most composed or pretty rugby, but as Ireland showed against England, if you play with you heart, the result can go your way. But it also helps if your opposition does not play to their strengths.
What a weekend is in store next week, please god show us you are omnipresent, and give us the result we Irish pray for. Well it will be Paddy's Day after all!!

  • 126.
  • At 10:04 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • irish rugby fan wrote:

just like many englsih fans said to ireland fans not to get carried away so i will say this practise what you preach. no 1 there is no doubt that england were fabulous today. i really enjoyed the match and was so impressed by geraghty and flood but it is only ione match just like the ireland england game a fortnight ago. don't know where the impression given that irish fans are saying ireland for the world cup. i don't believe that ireland will win it. it's a bit rich to criticise irish fans for saying it thou, i've read a few comments saying england will retain the wc on the back of this display. come on lads. i was rooting for england today but we all know nz are going to win the world cup. and as an irish supporter i've no shame in saying it! should ireland england or france win it, then great but i don't see a northern hemisphere team winning it.

  • 127.
  • At 10:05 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Ravi Mahendra wrote:

why are you all having a go at josh lewsey, since the last world cup he has been by far the best and most consistent player. So he made a few mistakes today but all good players have a bad game once in a while. I'm sure he'll be back to his best soon.

  • 128.
  • At 10:10 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • BA wrote:

Has anyone thought what James Simpson Daniel may add to the mix at outside centre with Tindall dropping out altogether, Tait on the bench.
Well done

  • 129.
  • At 10:11 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • mosman whale wrote:

The three key points about this game were

1/ france didnt turn up
2/ the england forwards performed
3/ the england back line were behind a pack that was going forward

So we (england) shouldnt get very excited about this and you cant compare the backline personnel today to those Vs Ireland a few weeks ago.

Catts involvement in the tries was really good, it makes a place for him in the squad going forward but we know what he can do and what his limitations are - we dont know that yet about Andy Farrell (despite what the England nearly men, ie personnel pre 2003 team, say). In union terms Farrell probably hasnt topped out yet. Who knows how good he can be and what impact he will make on Englands game as he develops in each game as it comes? Whats for sure (hope I am wrong) England are not going to have any chance of winning the world cup without something extra special that we havent seen yet. Most seem to agree that Farrell could be something special AND with that extra physical, mental and leadership edge that makes his odds of success better than most in these circumstances.

Now to contradict myself - what about putting something unpredictable, with gas, outside him - Tait looks so telented, lets give him a couple of yards space...in the autumn he was choked by Noon's crash bang wallop - dont pass the ball - tactics.

Re #10 - How would Wilko go behind a pack going forward?..Maybe, about as well as he did Vs Scotland - certainly a step up against Ireland where the pack in reverse gear ensured that it was extra hard going for the back line.

Strettle was class - it was reminicent of watching those old games involving Dave Duckham - he even dummied the camera man at one point.

Gerghaty looked very interesting - he has got talent and his break was excellent.

Ellis is now starting to look the part.

Lewsey
Strettle
Tait
Farrell
Robinson
Ellis
Plus Todays pack...

Geraghty, Catt as impact 3/4's off the bench...

  • 130.
  • At 10:12 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Barry wrote:

I'd fault Strettle for one thing -staying on his wing too much in attacking situations. He should have popped up more often in midfield.

England seem

  • 131.
  • At 10:13 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Mick W wrote:

I thought Lewsey and Tindall played terribly! Why doesnt he giv matt tait a go, for me hes better than tindall who has been looking pedestrian either crashing the ball, kicking or knocking on. Strettle was immense, ellis played well as usual n toby flood did nothing wrong. I feel that hes better than Geraghty but Geraghty has that bit of extra pace.

As for the forwards the leicester and wasps contingent were awesome along with Nick Easter who played well agenst Italy then was dropped, why? He was immense in the loose and carried the ball well. England were fired up for the game today compared to the Croke Park incident which was embaressing. The forwards strung together about 100 phases so enough said.

As for the world cup we will be very lucky to reach the semis but you have to look onwards to the next world cup when most of the young guns will be hitting there prime.

On the whole an impressive performance we dug in deep and showed some true grit.

After watching the Irish game yesterday i am totally unimpressed by their performance n wanted scotland to win! Hopefull Italy will beat ireland and scotland will beat france, but both are very doubtful. James Hook is the MAN!

  • 132.
  • At 10:13 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Sebastien Lecocq wrote:

Hey Im half French Half English, so im pretty neutral (though on this occasion i expected France to win).

1. Not the strongest French side, Laporte has changed the team so many times.

2. Back row won the game, no question.

3. Tindall was poor, Catt(I only saw the 2nd Half)created the space for our backline.

4. Lewsey u try and play ur best when u have a club like Wasps who wont play u in ur best position.

England with three chnages could be world class.

Tatit in for Tindall,
Wilko 2 inside centre, Geherty fly half or flood,

(mind u wilko fly half catt centre would work just as well)

so the team would look like so:

15 Lewsey
14 Robinson
13 Tait
12 Wilkio
11 Strettle
10 im going with flood
9 ellis
8 easter
7 rees
6 worsley
5 Corry
4 Palmer
3 Vickery/White
2 Chuter
1 Payne/Vickery

Vickery got 2 be there somewhere hes an exceptional forward

Cant c that team losing often

No idea how one can give marks to 40 players without 15 replays... Well done to those who can and enjoy the game whilst watching!

A few sparkling breaks but still too much sideways running. Is it so hard for international centres and stand offs to straighten and bring an over lap into play? I have never been a back but I have learned about the straightening and it surely is not hard to enact.

However good to see some flair lead to tries. However there were overlaps and they were not exploited as long passes and sideways running were still the order of the day. Improved pack performance.

How did Ireland lose to France? against if you believe BBC pundits is a vastly inferior French team! Irish backs are supposedly marvelous and the pack 4-8 better than anyone were yesterdays pearls of hubris. How can one answer that without questioning their increasingly ridiculous need to be under dogs or have something to prove mentality?

Northern hemisphere teams need to start thinking about playing positively and winning games. I am pretty sure if a Southern hemishpere side is favourite they take as meaning they are most likley to win and play accordingly. In the 6 nations it is an excuse to stiffen up and hope the opposition beat themselves - such as France here and Ireland having to defend for 1 minute.

One would like to think it is a nail in the coffin of 1 player star based analysis but that has too much momentum. It is also too embedded in the coaches if the ludicrous England worrying about some players fitness is true. Just pick 15 fully fit and send them out - simple and it works in countries who win more often than we do (in all sports).

  • 134.
  • At 10:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Norman Bates wrote:

I've got to stick up for Lewsey and Tindall. I fear some of our commentators are forming opinion on only one element of the game i.e. attack. Defence wins games too. Sure - Tindall and Lewsey didn't shine going forward (agreed) but defensively they were both rock solid and dependable - and Tindall's wrap-up hit on Chabal was a beauty.

  • 135.
  • At 10:16 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Bob Mainstone wrote:

A victory over the French is always an achievementand england should be very pleased. Viewing the game is ruined by Eddie Butlers shockingly poor commentary. He gets names wrong and makes light of serious moments in the game. He said "now we come to the fag end of the 6 Nations." He was referring to England v France at Twickenham in front of an 80,000 crowd and millions watching on TV. This is one of the sporting highlights of the year! BBC must be able to find someone of the caliber of Bill McLarren or Stuart Barnes.

  • 136.
  • At 10:20 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Richard wrote:

Give Betsen a white shirt, he was so far over the offside line all game he was nearly in the English backline!

  • 137.
  • At 10:25 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Bob E. wrote:

England dominated possession because the forwards provided a great platform, so the pack should remain for the Wales game. All around the pitch the young English guns dominated- Easter and Rees were magnificent, Palmer went well with Corry and Strettle, Flood and Geraghty were all exciting.This is the way forward to the defence of the World Cup and, carrying on with Ashton's youthful gambit, against Wales i would play Ellis, Wilkinson, Flood, Tait, Strettle and Cueto with Robinson at full back. Lewsey's form is'nt great and all the backs outside Wilkinson have pace in abundance. Flood sometimes plays outside Wilkinson at Newcastle and there is always Geraghty in the wings. Farrell, Tindall and Catt look stodgy by comparison. Give youth its head and let's see if they can cause the Kiwis to sit up and take notice!

  • 138.
  • At 10:27 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Tim wrote:

Great result..... at last.

We must be careful though as I'm sure claims of "arrogant English" will follow these postings of congratulations!!

Whilst purveying humility and grace.... WELL DONE!!

  • 139.
  • At 10:28 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Rob wrote:

Agreed that rating are subjective and not everyone will agree but why are the figures so bunched together? In Lewsey's comment you mention defensive lapses, misssed passes, and wrong options and in Strettles you mention try-saving tackles, yet there is only one point difference.

Similarly, the general consensus is that france played poorly yet they averaged 6 which is above average on the scale.

I think people people can expect a minimum level of performance in an international rugby match. Anybody who doesn't reach this should get a zero and the rest of the players scaled accordingly. This would be more informative and better highlight players such as Rees and Strettle who were the stand out performers

  • 140.
  • At 10:33 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Victor wrote:

Catty deserves a 7/8. Ok, He had a nervy start and some passes went astray, threw an interception and dropped a ball but his vision in setting up a try and leadership were paramount to this win.

If I were Ashton I will keep the forwards the same for Wales rearrange the Backs with the following selection:

9-Ellis
10-Floody
11-Strettle
12-Catty
13-Geraghty
14-Tait
15-Robinson


  • 141.
  • At 10:36 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Hugo wrote:

Congratulations to England for an unexpected brilliant fighting performance ; I thought their defense was awesome. As a disappointed french supporter, I'm at loss to understand our tactics in the second half ; we played a very conservative game (bring back Mignoni), whereas England showed true flair and earned deserved tries ; in the end, it's the same old story, we're sadly inconsistent and we don't have what it takes to win the world cup. Nor does any team but the All Blacks...Does anyone seriously dispute that ?

  • 142.
  • At 10:40 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Chris wrote:

An interesting game today which confirmed my suspicion that the two freak results in the 2007 6 Nations have been Italy v France (Italian front row mysteriously 'pulled' from the starting line-up by Berbizier) and Ireland v England (England prevented from playing and Ireland given every 50-50 decision by a referee overawed by the occasion).

Most of the comments here seem eminently sensible and Ashton has some interesting selectorial problems. Lewsey is beginning to look past his sell-by date, but most of the rest were excellent with Rees, Palmer, Easter and, surprisingly, Corry outstanding in the pack. Worsley was also good and what you describe as a "miscued kick forward" was simply a way of ensuring that a penalty that had already been given was not rescinded by a call of "Advantage over" (it's no wonder the players despair at the press they receive sometimes).

Catt rescued an error-strewn performance with one excellent break, though if he had been a former rugby league player, Guscott and Healey would undoubtedly have been calling for him to be replaced at half time. Few England players can have made so many mistakes and come off to a hero's welcome.

It's interesting that one contributor feels Andy Farrell would not have recognized he had Ibanez opposite him. Once people are truly prejudiced there's no limit to the creativity it seems to generate.

Also, anyone who understands the finer points of the game would have given Robinson a higher rating than 6, since his sheer presence persuaded Laporte that all of France's kicking should be to Dave Strettle - his biggest tactical mistake.

  • 143.
  • At 10:41 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • MonkeyCat wrote:

Tindall is in the team for a reason folks. It might not be pretty, but he is the battering ram that's needed in the backs to set up 2nd and 3rd phase ball. I'm afraid Farrell is much the same and there's only room for one of them in the back line - thank you and good night Faz.

As well, yes, the French didn't perform, but only because they weren't allowed to. They were dominated by an excellent England pack and just weren't allowed the ball. When they DID get the ball, England were again excellent at the break down and the French had to live on scraps.

Celebrate an excellent team performance everyone!

  • 144.
  • At 10:43 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • big man wrote:

Catt disappointing?? Thats absolute rubbish. He led England to their first victory against a top ranked team in two years, set up one try and outplayed his esteemed opposite man Jauzion. A few passes not going to hand when trying to play expansive rugby for a change doesn't make for a rating of 6.

  • 145.
  • At 10:43 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • babbo_umbro wrote:

Individual ratings are always going to be very subjective, depending on the viewer's ideas and experiences of the game. On the whole I think the ratings are fair but Tindall is a two-club golf bag - can tackle, can run - can't think, plan, sidestep, pass or kick.

The thing that struck me was that England's first half should have been played on the training ground - some of them can't have been sure of the name of the player next to them. It was clear after 20 minutes that England would win as long as they were in touch at half time - when they've played together a few times they should be very useful indeed.

Oh - and Ireland have now passed their peak - they were dismissive of Scotland and it very nearly caught them out. O'Driscoll in particular had a poor game and reacted by being petulant and behaving like a spoiled child on several occasions - not worthy of a great player.

  • 146.
  • At 10:48 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Marc wrote:

post 39 best 3 outhalves in the world my A**. I'm a massive RoG fan but he's only the best in the northern hemisphere. there is only one no.10 that can be called the best in the world you may have heard of him he goes by the name Dan Carter

  • 147.
  • At 10:49 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • martin wrote:

All this flak for Josh Lewsey? Remember his tackle aginst SA in the autumn, he has got to play against Wales next weekend!Mike Tindall saw off Chabal - the most dangerous offensive player in the Zurich Premiership.Brian Ashton must pick the same team for next week.

  • 148.
  • At 10:53 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Alastair McMorran wrote:

Why are England so excited, they won against a less than fit france who looked heavily under par and the defense was a shambles. The AB's would have hammerd the french side by at least 30 points

  • 149.
  • At 10:54 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • gingergenius wrote:

At Twickenham today - fantastic match and atmosphere, especially in the bar afterwards.

I think you got the ratings about right - but why give Perry a 6 for 2 minutes and Lund 5 for 10 in which he made at least one important tackle?

3 MOTM contenders:
Strettle looks outstanding, didn't drop a ball all game, strong, quick - what fantastic back 3 options we have with Cueto and Sackey out injured.

Rees also fantastic, not much more to say apart from that I saw a number 7 pop up all over the pitch today and we had much quicker ball.

Corry was an absolute workhorse at lock, gave a performance that reminded me of O'Connell last week. Lost count of the number of times he was there just to fall on a loose ball.

Ellis, Flood, Geraghty and the rest of the pack also impressed. Catt's presence was more important than his performance, which was allright, but not close to the 7s and 8s others are giving him. Lewsey looked a bit off, and Robinson had little opportunity to shine.

  • 150.
  • At 10:56 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Martin Fletcher wrote:

The first time England have shown imagination for years.
Catt was the catalyst. Omit him and you've got 15 individuals again.

  • 151.
  • At 10:57 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • The big Tc wrote:

Firstly well done England a great result.

I am quins fan and i think every other quins fan would agree with me that easter and strettle have been amazing for us and are starting to produce some very talented english players. We have a back line containing #jordan Turner hall who when fit should start for england he is young strong and quick with great hands he physicaly dominated farrel. Should be in world cup. We have a fly half, Adrien Jarvis, who deservs an england look in. And a full back in Mike Brown who is on fire for us and carved apart Italy A and has done the same to many premiership teams. I think that he should start at full back against wales with robinson and strettle. Bring Tait into the centres with Catt/wilko stick with Flood at 10 as he played well and will thrive on game time. An awsome forward performance Today well organised allowing the backs to attack simply and effectivly for the first time in many many years ( even before world cup)

Brian moore is a legend and speaks his mind but gives a proper rugby point of view he says the things that half the forwards in the country are thinking. Well Done again ENgland

  • 152.
  • At 10:58 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Di wrote:

Well agree rating for Lewsey is generous - but bless him wouldn't it be great if he got back to some 2003 form?

Game was a total surprise - and where were the French? Shows what a difference a decent forwards performance can make - England had so much ball it was almost embarrassing - should have done more with it - but promising step forward, thought Rees and Palmer were the pick of the forwards.
Wilko should definitely start if fit with Flood on bench - can't play Geraghty without another recognised kicker - plus he came on when the team was on the front foot - good impact sub though. Am praying Farrell doesn't play and please can anyone explain to me why Tait wasn't brought on for Tindall - admittedly he finished the try move well but otherwise he had a shocker (again!).

Wales will defnitely be up for it - but they appear to have no direction what-so-ever so even though I think it will be a close game - we should win.

What a bizarre tournament this year though, England beat Scotland who should have beaten Ireland who lost to France who were beaten by England - who knew!! Some how can't see the southern hemisphere quaking in their boots however - but at least England are playing some decent stuff and there were some really encouraging performances today.

  • 153.
  • At 10:59 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • joe padian wrote:

Ding Ding!!!!!!!!!!!

Wake up England fans!

A horrible display by the French. They were awful. Glad the English won, but the only thing it proved is that the ABs are going to wipe out NH competition if Ireland and France don't get their acts together.

The winner of this Six Nations could have a 3 and 2 record.

I think Italy and Scotland are playing the most inspirational rugby right now and I would not bet against them on St. Paddy's day.

  • 154.
  • At 11:01 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • William wrote:

Ive got 20 drachmas on a Scotland Wales WC final.

  • 155.
  • At 11:02 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Natalie wrote:

Nevere visited this before so I thought I would comment.
England made so many errors it was scary however you have to remember that this side has not really played together before give them time without too many changes and they will be great. I think Mike Catt is a fantastic leader, I have always thought he is a very good player who does not panic and he works will with the youth of the team (partly responsible for the success of the new boys at number 10) he also keeps the game moving fast and positively. Yes he did have his fair share of handling errors but unlike Tindall he also made up for these, gathering fumbled ball, followed up tackles.
I was really impressed with the forwards too they made so much grown and Harry was an excellent person to deliver the ball from the ruck to the backs. Lots of credit to Rees and Easter who were fantastic. Next week I think we need to keep the forwards the same and my back would be:
9. Ellis
10. Wilkinson
11. Geraghty (spelled wrong probably)
12. Catt
13. Tait
14. Strettle
15. Robinson
The French gave a really peculiar performance when they were so quiet the whole time I kept expecting a French wonder try but it never came.
Good luck next week to all six sides. I want England or Italy to win :-)

  • 156.
  • At 11:07 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • Mark C wrote:

I'm a big fan of Lewsey but there's no way he should have been given a 7 with that awful pass of his, it was lucky not to cause a try and he's definitley been off form recently. There's a lot of criticism of Tindall and while he's hardly a smooth operator in the midfield I think he deserves his 6 for a well taken try and his hit on Chabal. 6s for Catt and Tom Palmer are a bit harsh, they definitely both made key contributions to the win. 8s for Easter and Ellis is pretty generous as both made quite a few errors, and Rees and Strettle probably deserved 9s.

As for the french, I don't see how Ibanez and Yachvili can get 7s. They both missed first up tackles that led to the English tries (rather than being Poitrenaud's fault as you seem to suggest) and Ibanez spilled the ball on in contact in one of France's rare attacking moments near the English line.

  • 157.
  • At 11:10 PM on 11 Mar 2007,
  • James Brooke wrote:

This was the first English performance I enjoyed watching since that world cup final so many moons ago!

Finally some pace on the ball out wide, some decent running lines and reasonably quick ball - only 8/10 for Rees, Brian Moore was spot on in naming him man of the match, without his efforts, and those of a much improved back row, that outplayed a their pretty dencent French counterparts, Flood et. al. would have been made to kick it away.

As it was, I was on my feet for the first time in a long time, it is great to see England play all the rugby! Come on lads, and BA.