Paris was quiet on Sunday morning. The rain had stopped at last and the wind, which had bent the trees and swept the leaves through the streets the previous evening, had died right down. The street cleaners were only just sweeping up the detritus of the night – ripped tickets, empty bottles, cigarette ends, cracked plastic glasses – and things that would be missed: hats, scarves, flags, even the odd dropped wallet. By noon it was all gone, the only evidence left were the bruises, headaches and memories. For one side the grim satisfaction of the win. For the other, the lingering confusion of the defeat.
England’s fans weren’t left asking: “What if?” but: “What the?” It had been a strange game, almost impossible to take in at first viewing because while it felt for long stretches as though there was very little going on, it was in actual fact packed with telling little details that it would bear hours of study. More, for sure, than the night afforded. “Right now is not the moment for dissecting the game,” Steve Borthwick said. The England head coach will spend days, maybe even weeks, unravelling it.
