Jonny May hat-trick sends England top of the Six Nations in style
Re-live all the action as England routed France 44-8 on Sunday afternoon in a one-sided 'Le Crunch' and go top of the Six Nations table with a maximum 10 points from 10..
Jonny May set the tone with a 30-minute hat-trick of tries that got England flying out of the blocks, with Henry Slade sealing the bonus point before the break. France responded at least with a Damian Penaud try before half-time, but they were kept pointless in the second half in one of their most embarrassing displays seen at Twickenham.
At least their defence improved after the break, though they could not stop the scoring as England were first awarded a penaty try before Owen Farrell crossed to complete the scoring. Follow the live updates below.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Six Nations action as England take on France at Twickenham.
England have the chance to go top of the table if they beat France, having already ssen off Ireland last weekend with a bonus-point victory. But in France they face a wounded animal after last week's 24-19 loss against Wales, having squandered a 16-0 half-time lead.
The match is due to kick-off at 3pm and we'll bring you our in-depth build-up from 1:30pm live from Twickenham stadium.
With 90 minutes until the action gets underway, what can we expect from the final Six Nations match of the second round?
It'll surely be a battle between France's goliath forwards and England's ability to break them down and sap their energy levels, with the final 20 minutes likely to be crucial in determining the result.
Billy Vunipola, the England No 8, is more than aware of this, and has challenged England to fight fire with fire.
Let’s take a look back at yesterday’s action. The day kicked off at Murrayfield as Ireland looked to bounce back against Scotland. Sadly, a thrilling and entertaining first half dissolved into a mess of a game in the second, and Ireland had enough in them to get back to winning ways thanks to tries from Conor Murray, Jacob Stockdale and Keith Earls.
Next it was off to Rome as Wales recorded their 10th straight victory to equal their longest winning run in their history, but the Scottish malaise had clearly spread across the mainland Europe as it was not a game that will live long in the memory.
Back to matters at Twickenham, where Eddie Jones has warned of the dangers that lurk in the ‘shadows’ when complacency becomes an issue. After such an emphatic performance in Dublin, can England peak again on such a big stage? Jones certainly believes so.
Fresh off the plane back from Rome, our Welsh rugby correspondent Sam Peters has some strong words for Italy...
Do they still deserve their place in the Six Nations? After a 19th successive defeat, it's hard to argue against the idea that something needs to change
Today will see the Six Nations return of Chris Ashton, who somewhat surprisingly hasn’t featured in this championship for just shy of six years. His last outing came in the embarrassing 30-3 defeat in Wales in 2013 that not only cost England the Grand Slam but also the championship - a game he understandably doesn’t want to remember.
Ashton comes in on the wing for Jack Nowell, who drops to the bench, while the only other change sees Courtney Lawes start in place of the injured Maro Itoje.
Team sheets are in and there's no changes to report, meaning England and France line up as follows:
England: Elliot Daly; Chris Ashton, Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Courtney Lawes, George Kruis; Mark Wilson, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Moon, Dan Cole, Joe Launchbury, Nathan Hughes, Dan Robson, George Ford, Jack Nowell.
France: Yoann Huget; Damian Penaud, Mathieu Bastareaud, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Gael Fickou; Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado, Demba Bamba; Sebastien Vahaamahina, Felix Lambey, Yannick Camara, Arthur Iturria, Louis Picamoles.
Replacements: Pierre Bougarit, Dany Priso, Dorian Aldegheri, Paul Willemse, Gregory Alldritt, Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos.
While the sun is trying to break through above Twickenham, it's a deceptively brisk afternoon in south-west London, although the rain that was forecast has largely cleared and conditions have been dry for a good hour now. However, it's awfully windy and that's resulting in a gust sweeping around the stadium that could make kicking rather tricky.
Taking a quick look over to the Women's Six Nations, an entertaining affair has just ended in Doncaster with England Women running out comprehensive 41-26 winners over France that maintains their 100 per cent start to the championship.
With the Red Roses having their two hardest opponents out of the way in France and Ireland, you'd have to make them overwhelming favourites now to go on and seal the Grand Slam.
The Under-20s also recorded a 31-19 victory over their French counterparts on Friday night, and with the Red Roses also bagging the extra point, can the men's senior team do the same today?
Taking 10 points from a possible 10 would be a major statement.
So what of France? Jacques Brunel had rung the changes, bringing in six new faces - three forced by injury - and moving Yoann Huget to full-back. Unsurprisingly, it’s the inclusion of Mathieu Bastareaud that catches the eye, with the 19-stone centre restored to the side just a week after he was left out for the young and exciting Romain Ntamack. So much for the new lease of life in French rugby.
As the on-pitch preparations come together on the pitch, the England St George's cross in one half, the French Tricolor in the other, the Six Nations trophy is produced in front of the tunnel. All we need now is the players, and after a rendition of Jerusalem from Laura Wright, they'll be ready to go.
1 mins: That's a confident start from England. Slade takes the restart cleanly and off a Youngs box-kick, Huget bangs straight into the Vunipolas. England force the knock-on and...TRY FOR ENGLAND!
2 mins: What a start from England! Phenomenally, that's the fifth consecutive match that they've score a try inside the first four minutes, and this time the numbers on the clock read just 1:04 when Jonny May dots down to score.
It came from the knock-on that England immediately countered with, Farrell throwing deep to Daly, and the full-bacl mazed his way through a lacklustre French line into clear space. Faced with two defenders, he kicked ahead and May hit the afterburners to race clear and score. It must be said, the blue shirts were jogging bacjk there. Farrell misses the conversion but the gulf between these teams is already clear to see. 5-0
5 mins: May is nearly away again here, but this time he decides to kick himself and to be quite honest it's a poor run that moves in-field. England attack from the subsequent lineout though as Tuilagi and Bastareaud collide for the first time, and when Guirado fails to roll away, referee Nigel Owens awards the penalty that Farrell will kick at goal.
England vs France kicks off at 3pm (GMT) on Sunday February 10.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on ITV from 2.15pm (GMT).
Teams
England: Elliot Daly; Chris Ashton, Henry Slade, Manu Tuilagi, Jonny May; Owen Farrell (capt), Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler; Courtney Lawes, George Kruis; Mark Wilson, Tom Curry, Billy Vunipola
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Dan Cole, Ben Moon, Joe Launchbury, Nathan Hughes, Dan Robson, George Ford, Jack Nowell
France: Yoann Huget; Damian Penaud, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Mathieu Bastareaud, Gael Fickou; Camille Lopez, Morgan Parra; Jefferson Poirot, Guilhem Guirado, Demba Bamba; Felix Lambey, Sebastien Vahaamahina; Yacouba Camara, Arthur Iturria, Louis Picamoles.
Replacements: Pierre Bourgarit, Dany Priso, Dorian Aldegheri, Paul Willemse, Gregory Alldritt, Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Thomas Ramos
Form guide
England: WWLWWW
France: LLLWLL
Head-to-head
France 22 (Pen try) England 16 (May), Six Nations, March 2018
England 19 (Te’o) France 16 (Slimani), Six Nations, February 2017
France 21 England 31 (Care, Cole, Watson), Six Nations, March 2016
Odds
England to win: 1/8
France to win: 11/2
Draw: 33/1
(Odds provided by Betfair)
Prediction
England by seven: France will not be blown away as easily as many have suggested, but it’s hard to see where Brunel’s side will dominate at a stadium where they have not beaten England since 2005. If England can produce a similar performance to that in Dublin last weekend, they will romp to victory. But if they falter, France will be there to pick up the pieces.
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