Just when you thought you were out, this England team pull you back in. On a day where the Smiths took centre stage, England’s charming men at last achieved the victory they have long sought. Seven times this likeable side had toiled to no avail against top-tier opposition over the last year, seven times coming close but not close enough. But no longer. This was a win that defied pre-match logic and in-match feel, the full-time whistle greeted by an outpouring of emotion befitting a win of some magnitude.
One wonders how the Twickenham crowd will cope when they finally see a straightforward Six Nations contest. This was brilliant and baffling in just about equal measure, far from ideal conditions somehow managing to enrich rather than ruin what appeared a one-sided fixture on paper. An error-prone France appeared to have conjured enough magic to win the game thrice, only for England – yes, this England – to land an improbable knockout blow.
