Ugly England Need a Big Makeover to Face Wales

From NICK CAIN at Twickenham

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RECORD 15-match winning run? Done. Running repairs at the start of the Six Nations? Done. But how long will it last?

Let’s not mince words, this was England’s worst performance under Eddie Jones, and they came perilously close to losing this tournament opener against a French side which was well-prepared, and for long periods more cohesive and effective.

That the defending champions were able to march on to Cardiff with a second Grand Slam still in their sights owed everything to the much needed drip-feed of urgency and energy provided by the bench in the final quarter. Take a bow Ben Te’o, Jack Nowell, James Haskell and Danny Care.

Te’o deserves to take the laurels because he has had to wait patiently for Test chances due to untimely injuries, but if ever there was a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man, this was it.

Before his arrival England had tried to weave and chip their way through a steel-trap French defence with little success.

However, with George Ford and Owen Farrell surprisingly ineffective as string-pullers for over an hour, it needed a bristling, physical runner like Te’o to test the tiring French midfield – and the powerful Worcester centre pulled this one out of the fire when he crashed through for the winning try with ten minutes left to play, with Farrell adding the extras.

Up until that point France had looked likely winners, with replacement tight-head Rabah Slimani’s 59th minute try – which gave them a 16-12 lead – just reward for their improved discipline, accuracy and enterprise.

That England frequently found themselves on the back foot was because their patched-up back row was outplayed by the French, with their Northampton No.8 Louis Picamoles bashing holes to give them constant forward momentum.