Three England players get brutal 4/10 ratings despite win against France

Sunday, 09 February 2025 at 07:35

byRugby Rucker

England pulled off a stunning late win against France as Elliot Daly crossed for a dramatic 79th-minute try, sending the Allianz Stadium into a frenzy.

Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

Fly-half Fin Smith, making his first Test start, showed nerves of steel to slot the crucial conversion, sealing a thrilling victory over the tournament favourites.

It was a chaotic, error-strewn contest, but England found a way to win. Replacement prop Fin Baxter powered over to edge them in front, only for France’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey to dance his way over moments later. But England refused to go quietly, and when Smith’s perfectly timed pop pass put Daly into space, the Saracens man sprinted through to snatch the win.

After their opening-round defeat to Ireland, another loss would have all but ended England’s Six Nations hopes. Instead, Borthwick’s men head to Murrayfield with the Calcutta Cup in their sights and a realistic shot at their first title since 2020.

However, if England want to build on this momentum, changes are needed. Below, we look at three players Borthwick must drop – and who should come in.

1. Marcus Smith

Verdict: England’s full-back experiment needs rethinking

Despite his undeniable talent, the decision to play Smith at full-back remains a major talking point. His kicking off the tee was wayward, and he struggled defensively, nearly gifting a try when Bielle-Biarrey ripped the ball from his grasp.

Evening Standard – 5/10: “Struggled defensively… Kicking off the tee was poor, too.”
Telegraph – 4/10: “Turned most things to lead… threw himself in front of Alex Mitchell’s pass.”
Express – 5/10: “Missed key kicks and was taken off kicking duty after Baxter’s try.”
Planet Rugby – 4/10: “His reactions will be mixed… errors were to be expected, but his kicking woes made things difficult.”

Replacement: Freddie Steward

Steward has been a rock at full-back for England over the past few years, and while Smith offers attacking flair, Steward’s reliability under the high ball and defensive security make him the obvious choice to return.

2. George Martin

Verdict: Needs to make more of an impact

Martin is usually a powerhouse in England’s pack, but against France, he had an uncharacteristically quiet game. He missed an uncontested line-out and, while he worked hard, he failed to impose himself as expected.

RUCK – 4/10: “Had a slow game… wasn’t afraid to get involved, but some magic was missing.”
Guardian – 6/10: “Gets through plenty of work but isn’t quite making the desired impact.”

Replacement: Ollie Chessum

Chessum’s dynamism and physicality give England an extra edge in the second row. His presence at line-out time and ability to carry hard would add more balance to the pack.

3. Luke Cowan-Dickie

Verdict: Struggled at the set piece

Cowan-Dickie was busy in the loose but struggled with his line-out throwing, an area that proved costly. England lost several key throws while he was on the field, and Steve Borthwick made the right call to substitute him.

Telegraph – 5/10: “Line-out was a bit of a mess… Jamie George will be pushing hard for the starting shirt.”
Evening Standard – 5/10: “A bit loose in the line-out, with England losing three of their six while he was on.”
Express – 6/10: “Disappointing with his line-outs.”
RUCK – 4/10: “Poor line-outs and some serious handling errors led to silly penalties for France.”

Replacement: Jamie George

George offers experience and accuracy at the set piece, making him the natural choice to start against Scotland. His leadership and composure in key moments could prove vital.

Six players who flopped in the Six Nations today – “Miles off it”

Six Nations Saturday saw plenty of drama, but not every player rose to the occasion. While Italy stunned Wales and England edged past France, these six players had performances they’d rather forget.

#1. Antoine Dupont (France)

Rugby Pass 5/10: "By Antoine Dupont’s insuperable standards, this was not vintage. Controlled the game with both feet and mixed his kicking to keep Marcus Smith guessing. But he had a few sloppy passes in him, including a hospital pass to Alexandre Roumat. Looked to be in for a certain try soon after, but spilt a pass with the try line beckoning. Had the ball ripped from his clutches by Tom Curry just metres from England’s line early in the second 40. Not too bad by a normal player’s standards, but for Dupont, this was quite error-strewn. There were, of course, still moments of pure genius."

Mail Online 6/10: "He's human after all. Not immune to French tension and far from imperious best but arcing run set up one try and long passes helped create two others."

#2. Josh Adams (Wales)

RUCK 3/10: "After hitting a milestone last timeout against France, Adams probably was looking for a much better performance than last week in Paris. He did have two opportunities from kicks in behind but, again, didn’t see much of the ball. The 29-year-old was also awarded a yellow card on 58 minutes for making contact with Paolo Garbisi’s head, perhaps he can count himself lucky that it wasn’t a red."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Looked pretty threatening throughout, but just blew two huge opportunities that could have swung the game back to Wales, and you think he would have nabbed these a few years ago. Lucky to escape a red card too for his challenge on Paolo Garbisi."

Wales Online 4/10: "Butchered two try-scoring opportunity by spilling the ball forward with the line at his mercy, albeit in difficult conditions. Received a yellow card for a cynical high shot on Paolo Garbisi."

#3. Marcus Smith (England)

RUCK 5/10: "Though Smith is an excellent ball player, there’s still some room for improvement of knowing when to kick, or not to kick. Thanks to France errors, it's lucky they didn’t capitalise on all of the errors. His best aspect was watching the ball, and taking advantage when it was on the ground. But why does he find the need to kick the ball at almost every time, especially when the momentum is towards England. Also, watching in front of him – so he doesn’t kick the ball directly into the French legs. He also needs to have some confidence in taking the ball into tackles, don’t pass the ball when there’s no solid pass on. His confidence improved as the game went on, but it was still not the best performance from the superstar rugby player."

Evening Standard 5/10: "Struggled defensively and was lucky not to be at fault for a try when Bielle-Biarrey ripped the ball off him. Kicking off the tee was poor, too."

Express 5/10: "Would've been disappointed by his performance, even if he was playing slightly out of position. Missed the conversion for Freeman's try and was once again wide of the mark for a penalty kick a few minutes later. Was taken off kicking duty after Baxter's try."

Planet Rugby 4//10: "he reactions will be mixed on his performance ranging from dreadful to excellent but the ploy to push him to full-back was proven to be right. He covered the back-field well and kept England in the kicking duel while adding value on attack too. England have regularly deployed the dual playmaker – notably with George Ford and Owen Farrell – and today showed it can work. There were errors but that is to be expected. His kicking woes made things difficult."

#4. Henry Thomas (Wales)

Planet Rugby 3/10: "Put under some serious pressure in the scrum by the Italian pack, and came up with a few penalties as a result. Again, he’s not the long-term solution at tighthead."

Wales Online 4/10: "In Paris, the Scarlets tighthead was as solid as a rock but he conceded four scrum penalties in Rome and was replaced after 44 minutes. An afternoon to forget."

RUCK 3/10: "The Italian pack was strong, and after last week’s decent showing at scrum time, it must be said that it wasn’t the best of afternoon's for the front row. At times they were physically outmatched, with Thomas giving away a number of penalties."

#5. Evan Lloyd (Wales)

Planet Rugby 4/10: " Steady around the pitch, as you’d expect, but the lineout misfired again during his stint as Italy got some decent change in this department. Couldn’t help his props much either"

Wales Online 4/10: "The lineout is a collective effort but Wales struggled to win much clean ball early on and it improved once Elliot Dee entered the fray. Offered himself as a carrier and does have potential but he remains a work in progress at this level."

RUCK 3/10: "He wasn't firing his arrows at the lineout, which ultimately let the 23-year-old down as the hosts used those errors as a catalyst to their attacking game. However, in attack and defence, he was solid."

#6. Luke Cowan-Dickie

Evening Standard 5/10: "A bit loose in the lineout, with England losing three of their six ones when he was on. "

Express 6/10: "Disappointing with his line-outs and Steve Borthwick made the right call to take him out of the game"

RUCK 5/10: "it wasn’t a fantastic game for hooker. His effort was there for sure, but a few handling errors led to silly penalties given to France which they took with gratitude."

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