Joe Marchant should take sole possession of England’s No13 shirt after his display in Paris
(Picture: Getty Images)England were left frustrated after falling to another Six Nations defeat in Paris on Super Saturday.
There were jubilant scenes at the Stade de France as Les Bleus celebrated a first Six Nations Grand Slam for 12 years.
However, England had to make do with a third-place finish behind Ireland after winning only two of their five matches in the 2022 championship, having also finished fifth last year.
Simon Collings in Paris runs the rule over England’s individual performances...
Backs
George Furbank 6
Handed a rare start and did fairly well, certainly better than his debut here a few years ago. Made a couple of nice breaks.
Freddie Steward 7
Made a couple of superb takes under the high ball and justified his selection on the wing with a try.
Joe Marchant 8 | Star man
Made a few excellent breaks and looked such a threat when given space. The No13 shirt should be his now.
Henry Slade 6
Neat and tidy, but lacking the kind of quality he has shown in previous years. Not at his best right now.
Jack Nowell 5
Had his heart in his mouth when he brought down Melvyn Jaminet in the air going for a high ball. Escaped punishment but went off injured minutes later.
Marcus Smith 7
Excellent from the tee in what was a pressurised environment. Kicked a lot, but looked at his best when running in open field.
Ben Youngs 6
Outshone by the excellent Antoine Dupont, but then who wouldn’t be? Seemed to tire and perhaps should’ve come off sooner.
Forwards
Ellis Genge 8
What a player he is becoming. Redefining what it means to be a prop with so many carries in the loose.
Jamie George 7
A solid performance from the hooker, who has actually had a fairly decent championship in the absence of Luke Cowan-Dickie.
Will Stuart 6
Gave away a couple of penalties in the first half and, while he worked hard, you can see he isn’t in the class of Kyle Sinckler.
Maro Itoje 6
Usually a man for the big occasion, but he was quiet in Paris. Couldn’t influence the game as he normally does.
Nick Isiekwe 6
Solid but not as dominant as the France locks. Did well in the lineout, though.
Courtney Lawes 6
Not the captain’s performance he would have wanted given the stage. Was solid enough but couldn’t match France’s back-row power.
Sam Underhill 7
Back in the team and back throwing himself at anything that moves. Looked like he had never been away at some points.
Sam Simmonds 7
Was busy in defence and mobile around the park. Didn’t carry as much as he would have liked to.
Replacements
Elliot Daly (Nowell 25’) 6
Kyle Sinckler (Stuart 51’) 6
Ollie Chessum (Isiekwe 61’) 6
Joe Marler (Genge 65’) 6
Alex Dombrandt (Underhill 65’) 6
Harry Randall (Youngs 65’) 7
George Ford (Furbank 77’) N/A
