Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

England vs France player ratings: Jonny May tries leads Six Nations win as Owen Farrell delivers masterclass

Man-for-man marking from England's 44-8 victory over France at Twickenham

Jack de Menezes
Twickenham
Monday 11 February 2019 08:52 GMT
Comments

England romped to a landslide victory over France that sets them up for a Six Nations Grand Slam eliminator against Wales in two weeks' time as Jonny May scored a 30-minute hat-trick to blow away an abysmal French side.

May's hat-trick, which began after just a minute and four seconds, set the tone for a dominant English display, and by half-time Eddie Jones' side already had the bonus point in the bag.

The wing was the beneficiary of a tactical-kicking masterclass from Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Henry Slade and Elliot Daly, as the quartet pinned France back inside their own 22 and left them with nowhere to go. From there, May picked up two of his three tries by running onto kicks in behind the defence, which sandwiched a score that came from smart awareness from Farrell and a dazzling finish from the wing himself.

After May was done troubling the scoreboard, Henry Slade sealed the bonus point as a good break from Chris Ashton and quick hands from Kyle Sinckler.

But France had hit back between those scores with a breathtaking try from wing Damian Penaut, who benefitted from an impressive burst from full-back Yoann Huget.

But having seized control, England did not relinquish their grip in the second half as they kept France scoreless, with Farrell adding a second following his quick penalty and May's dogged running while referee Nigel Owens awarded a penalty try when Gael Fickou brought down Ashton as he chased a Slade kick.

So how did the players perform? Click on the gallery above to find out.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in