The scoreline at Twickenham flattered Wales, while France were pragmatic in pursuit of bonus points rather than chasing the grand slam as the clock wound down at Murrayfield
Much was made in the build-up of the intention of both sides to play with an edge but from the opening minutes it was clear England were sharper and hungrier. When the ball bounced loose, the Wales captain, and talisman, Alun Wyn Jones prepared to fall on it. He was beaten to it by Maro Itoje and that set the tone for the afternoon. Wales kept banging into a white wall while England, never moving the ball for the sake of it, waited for their moment. The home side defended with power and aggression, led by Tom Curry and Courtney Lawes but equally telling was the aplomb they showed in attack, passing crisply and creating space in the way they deployed runners, forcing Wales to defend narrowly. The score was closer than the gap between the sides.
Written by Paul Rees
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/mar/08/six-nations-learned-weekend-french-dream-died under the title “Six Nations: what we learned from the weekend the French dream died”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
