France vs. England: Winners and Losers from 2016 RBS 6 Nations Clash

England beat France 31-21 at the Stade de France on Saturday to secure a Grand Slam title for their efforts in the 2016 RBS Six Nations, their first since 2003.

To the victor go the spoils, but France put in their best performance for months, as reflected in the fact Les Blues provide two winners in this list.

England provide two winners but also one loser: a back-three player who needs to step up.

Eddie Jones and Dylan Hartley, England’s leaders from the stands and on the pitch, respectively, were thoroughly vindicated after the win against France provided England with a perfect record in the 2016 RBS Six Nations. Jones’ selections, especially that of his captain (which I will admit to have been sceptical of) worked well.

Hartley’s set piece has been excellent, particularly his lineout darts.

For England, now the challenge really begins. World Cup finalists Australia are the opponents in June, and Jones’ England will have to excel again if they are to win the test series Down Under.

Virimi Vakatawa, the convert from rugby sevens, had his best outing in a French shirt. The winger combined his rare gifts of power and a sidestep to great effect against England, consistently breaking tackles and always posing a serious threat to the defence.

Vakatawa has struggled to get into games since his try-scoring start against Italy on Matchday 1, but he showed what he can offer France out wide when the midfield delivers a cogent strategy, as it did for much of the game.

Vakatawa made 128 metres against England—a statistic only beaten by the second French winner on this list, Scott Spedding, who made 129.

Vakatawa’s colleague in the French back three, Scott Spedding, also had an impressive game at the Stade de France. His kicking has never been questioned, but the bulky fullback had an effective match because his running has begun to marry a bit of Franco flair to his raw power.

He looks to have captured the jersey for the near future from Maxime Medard.

France’s back three has two winners in this list, but Mike Brown, the England fullback, had a subpar performance. He is fiercely competitive to the point of being single-minded, and it was this that blinkered him and led to wasting a try-scoring opportunity in the first half.

Breaking through French tackles with his head down, he failed to spot Anthony Watson on his left and so opted against a simple two-on-one. Instead, Brown delivered a wayward ball inside, hoping to find Danny Care.

After butchering a similar opportunity against Wales, Brown must learn quickly to play with his head up after making a break.

Elsewhere, in the second half Brown gave away a penalty when England were 20 metres from the French line for running into Jack Nowell, and he opted to kick when England had a numerical advantage out wide and with backs running at forwards.

A good steal toward the end of the match was Brown’s best contribution.

Brown has been an England stalwart for the past five years, but with Alex Goode playing well at Saracens, and given that Goode is exceptional at creating attacking opportunities, England should consider a change at No. 15 if Brown’s form doesn’t pick up.

Billy Vunipola, who was Man of the Match at the Stade de France, has come of age this RBS Six Nations. The big No. 8 has improved his fitness; the new, streamlined Vunipola is still able to burst through tackles and now lean enough to last 80 minutes.

His ball-carrying has been exceptional. What’s more, as former Welsh flanker Martyn Williams noted after last week’s game in his BBC Sport column, Vunipola’s mere presence creates space for his teammates. He is a likely candidate for Player of the Tournament.