England battle to French win

In a game where abrasive defence caught the eye, neither side offered varied amounts in attack and the opening exchanges brought classic  early Autumn international test match fare - lots of exuberance but little polish. When you return a whole raft of sevens players to a cold November evening of test match XV rugby, perhaps a litany of unforced errors are simply what you get, though former England coach Graham Smith was critical online of that defence, saying that “poor skill is just poor skill” and either way England will hope for better in the games ahead. Read more about England battle to …