England 20
France 3
Ryan Bailey reports from Kingspan Stadium
WE’D BEEN WAITING for a Test match in more than name to truly ignite the tournament and when it arrived, this epic, edge-of-the-seat semi-final tussle delivered in so many ways.
In the end, the scoreboard will suggest a comfortable victory for the defending champions but it was anything but as they were pushed all the way by a French side who defended heroically throughout and asked serious questions of their own.
England’s experience and power ultimately told in front of a large crowd at Kingspan Stadium, as second half tries from Sarah Bern and Kay Wilson sealed a passage through to Saturday’s final and a meeting with the formidable Black Ferns.
While it will be little consolation for France, they played their part in a thrilling game of rugby which was in the balance right up to the death until Wilson’s late score confirmed the knockout blow.
In a tournament when the standard of kicking — both from hand and from the tee — has been shockingly poor, the right boot of Emily Scarratt is a real asset for the Red Rose and so it proved again as she kicked 10 points. In a game of such fine margins, it proved the difference.
It was always going to be an uber-physical war of attrition and so it proved as the sides traded blows during a gripping contest which ebbed and flowed, swinging one way and then the other.
The rain, which swept over Belfast right on cue, only added to the on-field tussle and the physicality went through the roof. France settled a little quicker and for large parts their handling was slick and phase play impressive as they penned England back during a helter-skelter opening quarter.
After working hard in defence for the first 13 minutes, England finally got on the ball for the first time with Katy Mclean instantly finding her touch with a deft kick in behind the blue wall.
By that stage, England had racked up 42 tackles as Safi N’Diaye, France’s monstrous number eight, and centre Eloudie Poublan had carried hard in search of an early yard. They found a few, but the defending champions stood firm; and then struck at the other end.
Natasha Hunt, Abbie Scott and Rachael Burford brought their side towards the French 22 and after captain Sarah Hunter carried it on, France were penalised at the breakdown. Having removed her trademark knee pads, Scarratt struck it sweetly to get England up and running.
And so France came again.
Lenaig Carson, one of the outstanding players of the tournament, rampaged her way out on the left wing, putting the head down and pumping the legs to get within a metre of the line, only for the final pass to go to ground. England scrambled and Burford was quickest to dive on the loose ball.
It was then France’s turn to put everything on the line to keep England at bay.
Just after the half hour mark, Mclean’s flat pass to Scarratt saw the centre cut through the gap in midfield and offload inside for the supporting Natasha Hunt. The scrum-half was hit hard by the covering Elodie Guiglion and Les Blues eventually forced England into holding on in the tackle. Not an inch given by either side, it was gripping stuff.
And France restored parity just before the break. England were pinged for a high tackle in midfield and Shannon Izar’s long-range penalty dropped just over the bar much to the delight of the large French continent at Ravenhill.
England’s breakdown discipline was costing them but they turned the screw after the break, their relentless pressure eventually paying off, not before another try-saving tackle from Audrey Forlani.
Kay Wilson found space to run into out on that far side and when she turned on the afterburners looked destined to cross the whitewash, only for the desperate, and quite brilliant, intervention of the French lock at full-stretch.
It was edge of the sit drama.
England threw everything at Samuel Cherouk’s side, remaining patient through 19 intense phases of forward play, only to be repelled by an immovable wall of blue shirts, each one expending every last sinew to keep their opponents at bay.
That period of sustained pressure only yielded three points via the boot of Scarratt but after N’Diaye was penalised for not rolling away, the Red Rose kicker spurned the chance to stretch her side’s lead just before the hour mark.
No bother, though. Two minutes later and the French rearguard was breached as prop Bern crashed over for her first Test try. It wasn’t pretty but it had been coming. Scarratt made no mistake this time.
A 10-point lead heading into the final 20 minutes, it was England’s turn to dig deep defensively as they shut the door on France — arguably the second best attacking side in the tournament — and limited them to just one long-range penalty.
The game’s defining moment came with 12 minutes remaining.
France, having worked it wide through 15 phases of possession, looked certain to set-up a grandstand finish when Julie Annery dived for the line in the corner, only for Meg Jones to produce a big, try-saving tackle.
And it was fitting that Jones would seal the deal and safely securing England’s passage through to Saturday’s decider. The Black Ferns await, and what an occasion that promises to be.
England scorers:
Tries: Sarah Bern, Meg Jones
Conversions: Emily Scarratt [2 from 2]
Penalties: Emily Scarratt [2 from 3]France scorers:Tries:
Conversions:
Penalties: Shannon Izar [1 from 1]
ENGLAND: 15. Danielle Waterman, 14. Lydia Thompson, 13. Emily Scarratt, 12. Rachel Burford, 11. Kay Wilson, 10. Katy Mclean, 9. Natasha Hunt; 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Abbie Scott, 5. Tamara Taylor, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter (captain).
Replacements: 16. Vicky Fleetwood, 17. Rochelle Clark, 18. Justine Lucas, 19. Harriet Millar-Mills, 20. Izzy Noel-Smith, 21. La Toya Mason, 22. Amber Reed, 23. Megan Jones.
FRANCE: 15. Montserrat Amedee, 14. Elodie Guiglion, 13. Caroline Ladagnous, 12. Elodie Poublan, 11. Shannon Izar, 10. Caroline Drouin, 9. Yanna Rivoalen; 1. Annaelle Deshaye, 2. Gaelle Mignot (captain), 3. Julie Duval, 4. Lenaig Corson, 5. Audrey Forlani, 6. Marjorie Mayans, 7. Julie Annery, 8. Safi N’Diaye.
Replacements: 16. Caroline Thomas, 17. Lise Arricastre, 18. Patricia Carricaburu, 19. Manon Andre, 20. Tombe Diallo, 21. Jade Le Pesq, 22. Carla Neisen, 23. Chloe Pelle.
Referee: Graham Cooper (Australia).
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