There have been some thumping French grand slam victories but never one that has rippled so ominously around the world. Not for a dozen years have France claimed a Six Nations clean sweep but in many ways the dazzling beauty of this one lies in what might still lie ahead. On this evidence anyone else planning to win next year’s Rugby World Cup is going to be disappointed.
England’s players deserve considerable credit simply for hanging in the fight but once Antoine Dupont had surged irresistibly clear at the start of the final quarter to put his side clear at 25-13 it was in effect all over. Not a solitary English supporter in the bouncing stadium or sitting back at home could say the outcome of this compelling finale was anything other than totally deserved.
