6N18: Week 4

There's no place to hide if you're an Englishman (and despite my Celtic antecedents I am one): this was very disappointing. I have been saying for ages that France are eventually going to produce a performance, but, here's the news, this wasn't even it. By the end the French were blowing out of their arses and trying hard to hand England the match.

Three reasons why England lost: breakdown; breakdown; and, yes, breakdown. Straining the statement of the bloody obvious I know but England won pretty much zero quick possession and therein lie their attacking woes.

One other observation and it has nothing to do with the result - why Does Jaco Peyper keep getting appointments to referee at this level? He's useless. And just to confirm the fact that he had no bearing on the result (so this is not some English whinge) he actually unjustly favoured England in the scrum. News flash: the English scrum is no longer a thing of brutal beauty, hasn't been for several years.

Other stuff: Ireland too good for Scotland; Wales too good for poor old Italy. Next week? Ireland to land the spoils at Twickenham, cue mass hysteria in the English press. Wales and Scotland also to win, cue Celtic delight and much crowing about the dire state of English rugby. Things will not be as they seem - Eddie Jones is cute enough to weather this storm. It was ever thus.