Analysis of that is remarkably simple. They were just better everywhere and in every discipline. England don?t have an international second row. Not sure how many anonymous performances Itoje can be allowed. There were inept, disinterested performances everywhere. You look to the bench and see Cole, Vunipola, Farrell, Ribbans. That?s the real rub. We aren?t missing anyone. There is no one else. We?re just not very good.
All of that. I'd only add It was a very similar game to the first 20 odd of France vs Scotland - pace, power and intensity that put them way up very early doors. That game differed as France had to defend vs a more than decent Scotland attack and so could not afford to take liberties. Scotland were decent at breakdown too and provided possession. But France were just too good.
Face such a start and have a bit of a "meh" day and not be as good as you'd have hoped you were and you'd get today's result. France were better than vs Scotland - but Scotland were a bigger challenge too.
Whilst the score was an outlier - it wasn't a performance that we hadn't seen before in each of the last two 6N's, and more than once. I suppose the longer term query is to ask how those players levels fell off so markedly and so quickly post 2020.
Taking a player out of the squad - how did BV go from probably near best 8 in world rugby to so poor in such a short time? And that goes for most of the EA's players.
My answer is Jones' regime became corrosive and the EA's got found out.
Always a Wasp
