Maro Itoje shattered France’s Grand Slam dream, as his 77th minute try saw England return to winning ways with a 23-20 victory at Twickenham.
Here’s how the players rated in the open affair.
Mako Vunipola – 5 It wasn’t vintage Mako Vunipola this afternoon, who was guilty of a few careless knock-ons as well as conceding sloppy penalties.
As powerful as usual, but struggled to drive his teammates on.
Luke Cowan-Dickie – 6 A bright showing from the Exeter Chiefs hooker, but a few missed tackles let him down.
Kyle Sinckler – 7 One of England’s better players today, in our eyes. Was as accurate as ever with his scrummaging, and safe as ever with the ball in hand.
Just solid.
Maro Itoje – 8 Some handy turnovers as is custom from the Saracens man, and his late try would’ve been met with jubilation across both England and Wales.
What a player.
Charlie Ewels – 7 A decent showing from the Bath lock, who complimented Itoje well in the second row.
A good shift.
Mark Wilson – 7 A solid display from the Falcons man before he was replaced on the hour.
Often goes under the radar, but an unsung hero. Did his case no harm with Sam Underhill and Jack Willis injured
Tom Curry – 8 We all know what Tom Curry is capable of, and he was brilliant again today.
Typically played the game like it was his last, released the ball quickly and broke forward on several occasions.
Billy Vunipola – 7 With constant discussion surrounding Sam Simmonds, as he continues to be overlooked by Eddie Jones, Billy Vunipola again showed why he remains England’s first choice eight.
Sharp carries, and marshalled the pack well.
Ben Youngs – 6 It’s hard to shine when your opposite number is Antoine Dupont, but it was a solid if not unspectacular display from the Leicester Tigers man.
There were a few moments that showcased the 31-year-old’s quality, but he struggled to control the game like we know he can.
George Ford – 6 His decision making was as wise as usual, rarely playing the wrong pass.
However at times it seemed slightly safe from the 27-year-old, though he played in Anthony Watson well for England’s opening try.
Jonny May – 6 It was a quiet day for the threatening Gloucester winger. A few typically mazy runs as expected, but failed to threaten the French back-line as much as Eddie Jones would’ve liked.
Owen Farrell – 7 A good display at 12 for Farrell, as displayed by his 100% kick success rate.
Typically resolute defensively, and his understanding with both Youngs and Ford proved beneficial for the English gameplan.
Henry Slade- 7 Starved of service in truth, as his side looked to dominate through the pack, but his crucial intervention to prevent Jalibert tapping down kept England in it.
It earns the Exeter Chiefs man a seven.
Anthony Watson – 8 Brilliant again from one of England’s players of the tournament.
Looked dangerous throughout, wriggling free of several tight scenarios, and was free to cross over 10 minutes in.
Man of the match.
Max Malins – 6 It was a lively first international start for the Bristol man, who looked typically dangerous with several line breaks early on.
He showed his defensive capabilities with a crunching tackle on the 108kg Julien Marchand, though was at times wasteful with his distribution, as what seemed a simple pass to play in Watson went astray.
Replaced by Elliott Daly with 20 minutes to play.
