England’s worst Six Nations in terms of results was confirmed with their 48-46 defeat to France in Paris.
While it was their fourth defeat in a row, it was England’s best attacking display of the tournament and left fans wanting more.
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Here are ESPN’s player ratings after the thrilling match at Stade de France.
1. Ellis Genge – 8
Carried like a man on a mission and was relentless with ball in hand. However, his yellow card for bringing the maul down cost England dearly. France scored twice while he was off the field.
2. Jamie George – 7.5
Managed the lineout well with England having a fair bit of success from the set-piece. Didn’t make a huge impact in other areas but did hist job well.
3. Joe Heyes – 8
Contributed to another strong scrum and was a nuisance for France at the breakdown. Got his hands on Antoine Dupont a couple of times which helped England. 12 tackles competed.
4. Maro Itoe – 8.5
A true captain’s knock. Looked out on his feet mid-way through the second half but kept fighting. A couple of massive turnovers at key times too.
5. Alex Coles – 7
Worked as a good foil for Itoje again and was strong in the maul. A shame he had to come off early.
6. Ollie Chessum – 9
The try-scoring machine! Added some much needed physicality to England’s pack and threw his weight around in the best possible way. The two tries were the icing on the cake and well deserved.
7. Guy Pepper – 7
Strong on defence and allowed Chessum and Earl to do their thing. Developing into a really solid Test player and cementing his spot in the starting XV.
8. Ben Earl – 8
England’s player of the tournament, another impressive display from Earl. Sixteen carries even with a gash to the head which forced him off for a few minutes.
9. Ben Spencer – 9
Got England’s attack moving quickly early on and made the intent to push the action clear. Good kicking game too.
10. Fin Smith – 7.5
A mixed bag for the young fly-half but he’ll take a lot from this game. Didn’t nail a couple of crucial kicks but his conversion-turned-drop-goal was class.
11. Cadan Murley – 8
Always sniffing the ball looking for an opportunity and he got his reward with that try. Lively with ball in hand and never really lets England down.
12. Seb Atkinson – 7
Another learning curve in the cauldron of Stade de France but he carried well and did a solid job on the whole. Certainly someone England can depend on.
13. Tommy Freeman – 8
So strong when he gets going with ball in hand, made things happen out wide and questions remain if the centre experiment is worth it. Regardless, he will take a lot from the campaign and has developed into a truly top class player.
14. Tom Roebuck – 7
He’s not the first and won’t be the last but struggled against France’s edge and Louis Bielle-Biarrey especially. Still, was solid otherwise with a couple of nice carries.
15. Elliot Daly – 7.5
Started with good intent, his kicks through the line set the tone for England but he didn’t have a huge impact beyond that. A good experienced head for a younger England backline.
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie: 7
17. Bevan Rodd: 7.5
18. Trevor Davison: n/a
19. Chandler Cunningham-South: n/a
20. Sam Underhill: 7
21. Henry Pollock: 7.5
22. Jack van Poortvliet: 7
23. Marcus Smith: 8
