[ad_1]
Jonny May’s half-hour hat-trick propelled England to an emphatic rout of a dire French side at Twickenham, to add further momentum to their Guinness Six Nations title charge.
It took just 66 seconds for May to score his first try and the prolific Leicester wing went on to complete a memorable treble as Eddie Jones’s national team turned this match into a formality.
They had a bonus point by half-time, to add another five-point victory to the one they earned so memorably against Ireland in Dublin.
Jonny May scored a first-half hat-trick as England ran in six tries to maintain their 100 per cent record in the Six Nations
England made a blistering start for the second week in a row as Jonny May touched down in the corner after just one minute
The Leicester winger then showed neat footwork to score a second before half-time as he eased past Damian Penaud
His afternoon got even better when he ran rough to collect a Chris Ashton kick and scooped the ball up superbly to score
England’s wing combination celebrate after combining for their team’s third try of the afternoon in a dominant victory
Damian Penaud managed to finish off a well-worked move for France as he continued his impressive start to the tournament
Things got even better for the hosts before the break as centre Henry Slade scored another try after scoring two last week
Ashton is tackled off the ball by Gael Fickou of France from which a penalty try was awarded for England
Owen Farrell then chased his own kick to score a sixth try of the contest for Eddie Jones’s side on a dominant afternoon
MATCH FACTS AND SIX NATIONS STANDINGS
England: Daly, Ashton, Slade, M Tuilagi, May, Farrell (C), B Youngs, M Vunipola, George, Sinckler, Lawes, Kruis, Wilson, B Vunipola, Curry.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Moon, Cole, Launchbury, Hughes, Robson, Ford, Nowell.
Tries: May (x3), Slade, Pen-try, Farrell
Conversions: Farrell (x3)
Penalties: Farrell (x2)
France: Huget, Penaud, Bastareaud, Doumayrou, Fickou, Lopez, Parra, Picamoles, Iturria, Camara, Lambey, Vahaamahina, Bamba, Guirado (C), Poirot.
Replacements: Bourgarit, Priso, Aldegheri, Willemse, Alldritt, Dupont, Ntamack, Ramos.
Tries: Penaud
Conversions: None
Penalties: Parra
Sin bin: Fickou
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
On this evidence, England are the stand-out team in the championship. They sit on top of the table and aside from the worrying sight of Mako Vunipola on the bench with ice on his left ankle, the outlook for the rest of the tournament is bright.
here was a loss of momentum and cohesion in the second half, but that was surely a reflection of their total dominance. The result was beyond doubt by then.
England captain Owen Farrell was outstanding, with 17 points and total control over proceedings for the long period of home ascendancy. He and Ben Youngs, aided and abetted by Henry Slade and the rejuvenated Elliot Daly, tormented France with shrewd tactical kicking.
Up front, Sale flanker Tom Curry – who was left with blood all over his face from a clash of heads – led the defensive effort with 19 tackles, with the combative, abrasive Mark Wilson making 18.
All roads now lead to Cardiff. Wales were not hugely impressive in their win over Italy, but Warren Gatland’s side also have two victories under their belt. On February 23, the Welsh capital will stage an intriguing showdown between the two remaining unbeaten countries. That cross-border tussle will go a long way to deciding the destination of the title in 2019. At this stage, there is every reason for English optimism.
Prince Harry was among the spectators at Twickenham and saw England make it two wins out of two for the tournament
England centre Henry Slade leaps into the air to claim the kick-off as England gathered possession in the early stages
Daly played an inch perfect kick through the France defence and May latched onto the ball before touching it to the ground
Tom Curry and Daly celebrate wildly with May after he gave England a 5-0 lead after just one minute of the game
Owen Farrell missed the resulting conversion but then responded by sending two penalties over the posts
England scrum half Ben Young explodes away from the set piece and flings a pass to the backs as they launch another attack
Courtney Lawes, starting in place of the injured Maro Itoje, is tackled by Sebastien Vahaamahina and Louis Picamoles
The procession was soon under way. England have developed a handy knack of striking early and they were at it again this time. Guilhem Guirado, the France captain, spilled the ball in contact and he paid dearly for the lapse.
Ben Youngs passed back to Elliot Daly and, spying a gap and a mis-match, he surged into space, past the flailing Camille Lopez. He then kicked ahead, down the left flank and May sped through to touch down. Farrell missed the conversion, but he would soon have more shooting practice.
He soon landed two penalties to one by Morgan Parra, before the English carnival resumed in earnest. In the 24th minute, May claimed his and his team’s second try.
From an attacking lineout on the left, Tom Curry and Billy Vunipola made in-roads before the ball was switched left and Farrell’s long pass picked out the Leicester wing, who stood up Damian Penaud to beat him on the outside and score superbly.
France’s scrum-half Morgan Parra got the visitors on the scoreboard with a penalty of his own in the opening 15 minutes
Powerful French centre Mathieu Bastareaud smashes through one tackle as he proves difficult to bring to the ground
France’s flanker Yacouba Camara is lifted into the air but was unable to get to the ball in the line-out for the visiting team
Penaud squared up May but the Englishman proved to be too quick and powerful for his opponent as he scored on the outside
May then completed a sensational first half hat-trick when he latched onto a kick from Chris Ashton through the defence
Daly was a constant menace throughout for England and his pace allowed him to make devastating breaks through the line
Slade continued his impressive start to the tournament by crossing the line for a fourth time for England in the opening period
Five minutes later, he had his hat-trick. An England onslaught had lost momentum so Henry Slade kicked high and Parra knocked on. The ball fell to Ashton just outside the 22 and he darted left before sending a deft kick behind the French defence, for May to chase through and slide over. This time, Farrell added the extras from a wide angle.
Out of nowhere, France hit back, five minutes before the break. Deep in his own half, Huget slipped away from Farrell and beat Slade’s attempted tackle. He stormed over halfway and somehow blasted between Manu Tuilagi and May before swerving outside again and sending Penaud racing clear to score.
But the fightback was short-lived. Seconds before half-time, Daly counter-attacked at pace and, from a ruck in midfield, Youngs kicked into space. Huget had gone missing and Ashton capitalised – picking up and taking the ball into the 22 before being stopped short.
But England would not be denied. Kyle Sinckler sent a looping pass out to Slade and he stepped around Guirado and went through to claim the bonus-point try, converted by Farrell.
France appear dejected as they convene underneath the posts after conceding a fourth try inside 40 minutes of play
England flanker Tom Curry suffered a nasty injury in the second-half that was quickly addressed so he could return to action
Both wingers were chasing after a kick through but Frenchman Fickou was adjudged to have denied Ashton a clear try
Tempers flared between both sets of players when Kyle Sinckler became embroiled in a clash with his opposite number
England hooker Jamie George is pushed through the advertising boards by a Frenchman as the melee spilled off the pitch
Farrell kicked through once again towards May but the ball trickled away from the winger and allowed the fly-half to score
The Saracens star pumps his fist in delight as England’s kicking game proved to dismantle the French all afternoon
England lost a bit of shape and fluency and focus at the start of the second half. But they were able to extend their lead nonetheless. In the 50th minute, Slade intercepted a pass by Lopez and broke into the French half then kicked for Ashton to chase. He was unable to seize the ball but Gael Fickou tackled him anyway, close to the visitors’ line, and conceded a slightly debatable penalty try. The wing was dispatched to the sin-bin.
Three minutes later, the match erupted. Sinckler took hold of Athur Iturria’s scrum-cap at a ruck and tried to tear it off. Iturria and several of his team-mates took exception to this and Mark Wilson piled into the melee.
As several players clashed, France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina shoved Jamie George over one of the electronic advertising boards next to the pitch, which flattened a section of it, causing tempers to flare again.
When the dust settled, Sinckler was penalised and France sought to launch a revival, but all they managed to do was concede another try. Youngs took a quick tap penalty in his own half and released Farrell, who kicked into space. Ashton was unable to pick up but Antoine Dupont knocked the ball over his own line and Farrell followed up to score. He converted too.
There were no more points, but England had plenty. They are on a roll.
[ad_2]
Source link