The danger with England’s dominance is forgetting how exceptional it is

“Somebody’s going to get us. We understand that reality.” That line from John Mitchell in the run-up to the Women’s Six Nations title decider felt pertinent. Pair it with a confident mood in the French camp this week that they could topple England for the first time since 2018, and that sense ahead of most Tests involving this England side in recent years – that they would find a way to triumph in the end – was not quite there this time in Bordeaux.

Pauline Bourdon Sansus, France’s excellent scrum-half, was the only player in their side to remember what a victory over England felt like. “I told the girls: if we’re all at 100%, it’s sure to go well. We have to be very precise. If we make a mistake against them, we pay the price.”

Take your moments. France wasted good territory and bad English discipline in the opening minutes, enough to make the doubts begin to creep back in. A try from the end of the world changed all that, the try of this Women’s Six Nations by some distance, a counter-attack that began with a rip deep in France’s 22 and went the length of the pitch finished by Bourdon Sansus, of course, to make the crowd believe again. 

Tries as good as that live long in the memory but in the context of this game posed an interesting question for this France side – how do you replicate that kind of excellence? Can you consistently hit those high levels against a side as well structured and resourced as England? Relying on magic alone will not be enough – you need multiple weapons, more consistency. To be “precise”, as Bourdon Sansus put it. And the harsh truth was that outside of that wonder try, and a promising chip and chase by the equally promising Pauline Barrat, France for too much of the opening 60 minutes were merely very good, not great. 

When England worked some space for Jess Breach in the corner, the result was a diving finish for England’s third try. When France tried to give Anaïs Grando a similar opportunity in the same corner near the start of the second half, Barrat’s pass was not good enough and hit the deck. Or the way Bourdon Sansus delayed metres from England’s line, when France had a pasture’s worth of space out wide to their left after a brilliant break by Aubane Rousset, before running back into traffic. Those are the margins. That, currently, is the difference between England and the rest.

There is a risk of England being so successful – this was their seventh Grand Slam in a row – that you can forget to give them credit when it is due. Their blitz defence, bursting out of the line to force multiple interceptions and mistakes, was such an asset here. Amy Cokayne, the England hooker, cut a line to snuff out one French attack that any Test centre would have been proud of. Four tries in 19 minutes, followed by a Zoe Harrison penalty to open the second half, gave England a 29-7 lead and in the moment that felt like enough.

How encouraging to therefore see France reel England back into a contest. The championship has been crying out for tight games, for tension, to match the bumper crowds in Bordeaux and Edinburgh and Dublin, not just in Twickenham. England even when not fully firing have cruised through too many contests. This time, France did find Grando in the corner for a try. Then England could not react fast enough to a Bourdon Sansus snipe from a close-range scrum. A huge chunk taken out of a comfortable lead.

Because England are England, winners of their past 37 matches, they came up with a clinical response in Breach’s second try. Easing the pressure once again, helped by Harrison accurately pinning France back in their own half time and again.

Remember at this point who England went into this Women’s Six Nations without. Four locks – three due to pregnancy including their captain, Zoe Stratford – and one of their top hookers in Lark Atkin-Davies. And yet on the road in Bordeaux in front of 35,000, against a French pack who gave them plenty to think about with Ambre Mwayembe and Madoussou Fall Raclot two standouts, they were still far too good. The systems and depth and execution have set a benchmark for everyone else to chase.

Mitchell’s right; somebody will get England eventually. But, realistically, that is not happening any time soon.

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