Sir Clive Woodward claims Owen Farrell had his worst game EVER and chastises England for letting Wales get Nick Tompkins
Sir Clive Woodward says Owen Farrell endured his worst game EVER on Sunday as England were battered by France in their Six nations opener.
Jonny May's solo masterclass saved England from humiliation in Paris as one of the worst performances of the Eddie Jones era ended in a 24-17 defeat that puts a large dent in their championship ambitions.
Jones had promised France ‘brutal physicality’ but instead it was his rattled World Cup runners-up who fell victim to a ferocious onslaught as words that had caused controversy on this side of the Channel came back to haunt him.
Les Bleus stormed 24-0 ahead when captain Charles Ollivon ran in the second of his two tries in the 55th minute and that was the cue for May to conjure a pair of devastating solo tries.
Four months on from an equally debilitating performance against South Africa in the World Cup final, the lack of cohesion amongst the Red Rose in the first half was alarming as the scars from that defeat in Japan looked evident.
And Woodward, who won the Grand Slam with England as captain in 1980, believes Eddie Jones must get his captain and his team back to basics ahead of a daunting test against Scotland at Murrayfield next Saturday.
He wrote in his : “As for becoming the best rugby team ever and all that hyperbole, England should simply concentrate on becoming the best rugby team for the next 80 minutes. And then the next. That what true champion teams do — they never get ahead of themselves.
"The time for talking is now over, England must respond to this through their actions on the field of play, circle the wagons and stop all this media hype which is just nonsense and making them all look rather stupid.
"Now they must focus every bit of energy on a much improved display on and off the pitch against the Scots because make no mistake, Saturday’s trip to Murrayfield will be just as tough as this game and again I make Scotland firm favourites.
"The experiment of playing Tom Curry at No 8 and Courtney Lawes at six just didn’t work. Alex Dombrandt, who should have been in the squad from the off, needs to come in for the Scotland game as a starter and Curry must return to his normal spot at blindside with Lawes on the bench.
"England lacked a strong ball carrier off the base or somebody to make some hard yards and off-load, all of which sets defences problems. Yesterday all France had to do was keep an eye on Ben Youngs, who wasn’t enjoying a great game and was offering little threat from the base. The French defence has improved but England made it so easy for them.
"The stronger scrummaging Luke Cowan-Dickie should probably start ahead of Jamie George, who looked flat, and England need George Kruis alongside Maro Itoje in the second row. Ellis Genge is another who has earned a start at Murrayfield. He really did bring some intensity to proceedings.
"Owen Farrell endured the worst game I have seen him produce for England but I would back him to come good and, indeed, I would move him to 10, which means a slot at outside centre for Jonathan Joseph."
As with the final against South Africa in November, an early injury to a key player seriously disrupted England’s pattern of play. Kyle Sinckler was the unlucky player back in November, but it was Manu Tuilagi who limped off with a groin injury after just 16 minutes in Paris on Sunday.
OWEN FARRELL RECORD AS ENGLAND CAPTAIN
The Saracens fly-half has a tendency to let his emotions get the better of him in Test rugby
Games: 23
Wins: 14
Losses: 8
Draws: 1
Although Jonathan Joseph possesses electric pace, England still tried to implement the same crash-ball philosophy which was clearly aimed at getting Tuilagi over the gain line at every opportunity.
Just 24 hours before the chastening defeat to France, former England Under-20 World Cup winner Nick Tompkins made a try-scoring debut for Wales and seriously impressed in his brief cameo against Italy.
And considering how Joseph failed to fire for England, Tompkins’ decision to pledge his nationality to Wales seems even more pertinent to Woodward.
“Inside centre is dependent on Manu Tuilagi’s fitness,” Woodward added. “If he is ruled out, that could bring in Ollie Devoto but what a shame England have somehow let Wales sneak in on the blindside to cap Saracens centre Nick Tompkins, who made an excellent debut at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.
“George Furbank looked as though he was brought in a season too early and overall it was all a bit messy, with England looking like a side not quite at ease with themselves and their roles
“Eddie Jones has a really challenging week ahead now because England were well beaten. In just two high pressurised games of rugby all the mystique, magic and confidence of this England team has been totally dismantled and it just shows what can happen the moment you get ahead of yourself and get distracted.
“Scotland will fancy their chances on Saturday. They were unlucky to lose to Ireland, they deserved something from the game in Dublin and if they can just hold that thought and get the Murrayfield crowd going with an early score, England could be in for another tough evening.”