Chris Robshaw’s Six Nations Column: How England could beat France
Former England Rugby captain Chris Robshaw discusses England’s defeat to Ireland in Round One of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, as well as looking ahead to the France fixture.
For the first 50 minutes against Ireland, England played very well. They were abrasive and set the tone from the off by winning the first restart and then kept the ball well.
Defensively they were also very good and put a lot of pressure on Ireland which forced the Irish to make uncharacteristic errors. The defence looked composed and the system looked a lot more confident – everyone was on the same page and it was aggressive without making the team vulnerable.
However, the biggest thing in international sport is results, whether you’re playing exciting rugby or not, people want to win. How do we convert 50-60 minute performances into 80 minute performances? That’s the million pound question and it’s hard to say for certain.
I wonder if we need to do something different at half-time. All the games England have lost in the last year, in a lot of them they have been leading at half-time and you could say they have been in control. Either way, I don’t think it’s a system thing, it’s the small mistakes that add up and that needs eradicating against France.
Facing the French at Allianz Stadium will definitely be daunting, especially when you consider that they looked a little rusty against Wales and still managed to score 43 points.
Playing against France was always a massive challenge because of the size of them. Everyone talks about their flair but they have huge forwards who like to scrum, like to maul and like to run pretty hard.
They also play what’s in front of them, even at club level they have that mindset – so you need to be aware that they can, and will, attack from anywhere.
That being said, it’s an exciting prospect for these players. They’re so close to turning these losses into wins – I’ve been there as a player when all of a sudden something clicks and you start winning because you know how to grind out a result.
Put France under pressure
Against France, if the team can stay in the game until the last 10 minutes, then they will put Fabien Galthié’s side under pressure and that could unsettle the French.
When a team is used to winning or being ahead by a healthy amount, they can get a little nervy if you start to turn the screw late in the game and that might open up opportunities for England.
This is even more the case when playing at Allianz Stadium. If the team are in the game late on then the crowd get excited, the players get an extra yard of speed and get off the ground that bit harder. That home advantage is so important.
In terms of the game itself, I would also like to see the England back three being utilised to full effect. If you look at the likes of Tommy Freeman and Freddie Steward, they are so good in the air and the new kicking rules around escorts means that there are more opportunities to recover the ball aerially.
France scored a few tries from cross-field kicks against Wales, so I think it’s about neutralising their back three while making the most of our own.
We know the dangers posed by Antoine Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Thomas Ramos, so it’s important that England kick well and correct any mistakes as quickly as possible.
Knock-ons are part of the game, but if the ball goes down then you have to become even more alert because if you don’t they might well score. Keeping the ball away from the back three and staying alert even after an error will go a long way to putting the pressure on France going into those closing moments.
This England side is definitely on the cusp of better results. It hasn’t quite clicked just yet, but they are close.
