WORLD RANKINGS: France overtake Australia
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: France have moved above Australia and into sixth place in the World Rugby Rankings after defeating England 24-17 at the Stade de France on Sunday.
The move is their highest position since June 2017.
For the first time since 1988, England were held scoreless at the interval in a Championship match and looked a pale shadow of the side that reached the World Cup 2019 final only a few months ago.
Led by the irrepressible Charles Ollivon, France dominated England from the off and led 24-0 in the 55th minute thanks to two tries from their openside flank and one from wing Vincent Rattez.
Jonny May’s brilliance saw England regain some pride as the wing raced home for two spectacular tries and Eddie Jones men left with the consolation of a losing bonus point when Owen Farrell slotted a penalty from in front of the posts in the last act of the game.
France’s victory at a rain-swept Stade de France was worth a fraction under one-and-a-half rating points and boosts their overall total to 82.37 points. England, meanwhile, stay in third place behind world champions South Africa and New Zealand.
