Controversial Penalty Try
“The result hinged on two events. The first one saw the Georgian referee, Nika Amashukeli, award France a penalty try and send Ellis Genge to the sin-bin for collapsing the French attacking maul. In isolation, that was the correct decision.” he wrote in his column for The Irish Times.
“There is a broader picture. It shows the French jumper being shielded by team-mates as he lands and the maul starts to move forward. That, for me, was the first offence — a penalty to England for obstruction was due.”
“It is tricky enough to see at ground level, while the TMO has a bird’s eye view, but, on this occasion, Brett Conran did not seem to offer any concrete advice.”
“Double Whammy” Debate
“There is a school of thought that a penalty try accompanied by a yellow card is a double whammy, and unnecessarily harsh. But it exists to stop players attempting to get away with an infringement, knowing that the bin awaits if they are caught.”
“Steve Borthwick was distinctly unamused on this one, and he has a point.”
Confusion Over Advantage Call
“There was also confusion for England when a penalty advantage was changed to a knock-on advantage (apparently called during the play by the TMO), prior to France breaking out for Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s fourth try.”
“An explanation is needed as to how that fits the TMO protocol.”
Overall Refereeing Performance
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Mail Online brutally ranks England’s FIVE worst performers in the Six Nations
Tom Curry – 4/10
"Played very well on last summer’s Lions tour despite nursing a serious wrist injury. It all caught up with him in this year’s championship. Nowhere near his best, in and out of the side, and then suffered a calf problem in the warm-up to the Italy game. Like Itoje, he also badly, badly needs a rest."
Curry was injured against Italy and otherwise produced a fairly average tournament by his usual high standards. Fitness issues clearly impacted his ability to influence games consistently.
Ollie Lawrence – 3/10
"Struggles with a knee injury meant that his only appearance came against Ireland and England were cut to ribbons defensively in the outside channels in that game. He’s far better than he showed in this championship."
Lawrence appeared only against Ireland. He played tidily but had limited opportunity to make a larger impact on the game.
Luke Cowan-Dickie – 3/10
"Replaced after just 29 minutes against Ireland as he couldn’t find a lineout jumper with his throws for love nor money, but he’s the type of character to brush off setbacks. The reality is England don’t have better hooking options than him and George right now, even if Theo Dan must surely come through at some point."
Cowan-Dickie endured a difficult afternoon against Ireland where England’s lineout malfunctioned early. However, his overall contribution and experience still make him an important part of England’s current hooking options.
Fraser Dingwall – 4/10
"The Northampton man had enjoyed a good autumn and deserved to start the campaign as England's No 12.
Dingwall offers distribution as an additional playmaker in midfield but rarely threatens the gainline consistently. This reflects England’s tactical setup as much as it does individual performance.
Freddie Steward – 4/10
"Started the tournament but like others, he paid the price for the Scotland and Ireland defeats and was nowhere to be seen in the final two rounds. Substituted before half-time against the Irish as England began woefully again. It was bizarre that George Furbank didn’t get a minute at full-back, as he has to be first choice in that position."
Steward endured one of the tournament’s lowest moments against Ireland, receiving a red card and leaving the field after 30 minutes. While it was a difficult outing, the incident highlighted areas for improvement rather than making him a scapegoat for England’s struggles.
