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'Enough is enough': England fans at end of their tether with third place Six Nations finish
By Sam Smith
France wrapped up their first Grand Slam since 2010 with a comprehensive 25-13 victory over England in Paris, consigning Eddie Jones' men to a third place finish in the 2022 Six Nations.
The French looked in control the entire way, keeping ahead on the scoreboard the entire match after taking an 8-0 lead after an early penalty and opening try to Gael Fickou.
When Antoine Dupont scored midway through the second half to stretch the lead to 25-13, England had a massive hole to climb out of that proved insurmountable as they struggled to keep possession after promising periods of play.
After a lacklustre 5th placed finish last year, England's third place finish has done little to relieve pressure on head coach Eddie Jones who is trying to rebuild his squad around a new group of players.
England fans were ready to declare 'enough is enough' in regards to England's form just 18 months out from the World Cup. One fan wrote they are 'paying the price' for sticking with Jones, who have 'no consistency' under the Australian.
Others called for a change of leadership as even the third place finish 'disguises so many woes'. There was a claim that England are 'nowhere near' the levels of France, South Africa, New Zealand or Ireland.
As England failed to gain any ascendency in the second half, scrumhalf Ben Youngs came under the microscope for his slower delivery at the base of the ruck which seemed to start every phase off on the wrong foot.
The Test centurion has been a mainstay under Eddie Jones, with Youngs rarely missing a start since 2016. Fans called upon Jones to find a new number 9 as a priority to revive England's play.
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Latest Comments
I’m looking forward to attending the Twickenham match, I don’t think it will have a bearing on the outcome of the grand prize itself but it will tell us more about each teams’ preparation and game plan. It’s hard to look past one of the big four (I’m including Canada) lifting the trophy in 2025 but sport is a curious thing, there will still be twists and turns in road ahead.
Go to commentsThe better side seems to be the losing side a lot these days. As far as narrative goes. Must be the big emergent culture of “participation awards” that have emerged in nanny states. ”It looked like New Zealand would take the game from there but lapses in execution let South Africa get back into the game. New Zealand’s goal kickers left five points out there, including a very make-able penalty on the stroke of half”. Sounds like a chronic problem… I wonder how the better team has lapses in concentration and execution? Or are those not important factors in the grand scheme of total performances? In 2023, the ABs at least didn’t give up a lead to lose. They just couldn’t execute to get the points and take the lead. This Baby AB result points to a choke - letting the game slip through your fingers. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby’s dad - “If you’re not 1st you’re last!” Loosely translated - if you didn’t win, you’re a loser.
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