Clive Woodward wore the kind of fixed grin in the hour after England beat France for the first time in four years that Dennis the Menace used to display in the wake of an act of dark mischief. No doubt the England coach thoroughly relished the rampant mayhem his powerful forwards wreaked among the French, inducing a score of penalties, seven of which the masterly Jonny Wilkinson turned into match-winning goals.
England may have failed to score a try or to set the pulse racing with their stumbling three-quarter play but, rather like Frankenstein's monster, they were virtually unstoppable once they woke up and lumbered into motion. Small children would have been well advised to avert their eyes each time the English pack coldly smashed another opponent to the ground. As the Duke of Wellington remarked of his own troops "By God, they frighten me more than they do the French".
The tantalising prospect of a Grand Slam in World Cup year now beckons England when they meet revitalised Wales at Wembley on April 11th. It is difficult to see how the Welsh economy pack can halt the Anglo Saxon juggernaut but the persistent inability of England's over-rated backs to string two or three meaningful passes together is bound to give Wales hope. Besides, in Neil Jenkins the Welsh have the perfect answer to Wilkinson the goalkicker.
Woodward, who used to talk airily about "allowing the backs to go out and express themselves" must already be pondering how best to get the try-scoring machinery into action, having at last shrugged the French monkey off his back. The clamour for Wilkinson to be moved into the pivotal number 10 role grows stronger by the day, the error-prone form of Jeremy Guscott gives cause for concern, and the loss of David Rees with an ankle injury means a new right wing will have to be found.
England's major asset though is the self-confidence that goes with the winning habit: six victories from their last seven games represents a massive turnaround in Woodward's stewardship which produced just three wins and a draw in 15 matches in his first 12 months. The delicate chemistry that transforms a losing side into winners will have to be adjusted carefully when the selectors sit down to consider ways and means of adding tries to the steady flow of penalty goals.
Tim Rodber who gave another compelling display in the second row, admitted that the England dressing room had been unusually subdued after the game, despite the relief at seeing off France with a bit to spare. "We never seemed to get beyond the first or second phase and perhaps we panicked a little," he said. "We need to work harder on our continuity if we want to get people into decent scoring positions.".
In fact, England have scored just six tries in their last five Tests, a modest return that suggests this season's new emphasis on defence may have literally clipped their wings. Guscott used to be a consistent finisher, especially in Five Nations matches, but so far he has failed to add a Championship try to his career total of 24 in 59 Tests.
While Wilkinson goes from strength to strength at centre - surely the best argument for keeping him there - Guscott who will be 34 in July not only seemed to lack a yard of pace in attacking positions but also committed three uncharacteristic knock-ons which handed the initiative back to the French. The composure that has always been Guscott's trade mark was conspicuous by its absence, giving rise to the heretical thought that his World Cup place may be up for grabs when Will Greenwood and Phil de Glanville regain fitness.
Mike Catt too was at fault in scoring positions, at one stage ignoring a three-man overlap to his right as he made an ill-judged attempt to breach the French line on his own. The Bath fly half though punched his weight in contact situations as well as making a positive effort to turn scrappy possession into quick clean ball for his three-quarters to work with profitably. Very likely Catt would step up a gear against Wales.
Before Kyran Bracken withdrew near half-time with a sprained ankle, the England scrum half had been the catalyst of many of his side's most promising moves, setting a cracking pace around the fringes and often threatening the French defence with his sudden midfield breaks. His replacement Matt Dawson, also made an impressive contribution, albeit in a different way, delivering a total of 33 passes, mostly short and crisp, in his 46 minutes on the field and invariably getting into the correct body position when he was grounded.
Strangely the French, despite their meagre rations, tended to look more dangerous than England whenever they crossed the 22: only a foot in touch denied the right wing Xavier Garbajosa, a spectacular try in the first half and a minute from time the centre Franck Comba gathered a kick ahead by Philippe Carbonneau and raced away to score the game's only try. It was of course too little too late even though it did underline England's frustrating failure to exploit space and take up the correct angles of running.
In the final quarter a disgruntled section of the 74,000 crowd booed England's decision to go on kicking their penalties - Wilkinson sealed the victory with three goals in a critical eight minutes - but Laurance Dallaglio's tactical leadership was spot on, geared as it always was to getting points on the board.
ENGLAND: M Perry; D Rees, J Wilkinson, J Guscott, D Luger; M Catt, K Bracken; J Leonard, R Cockerill, D Garforth, M Johnson, T Rodber, R Hill, N Back, L Dallaglio. Replacements: N Beal for Rees (33 mins), M Dawson for Bracken (35 mins), M Corry for Hill (50 mins), V Ubogu for Garforth (78 mins).
FRANCE: E N'Tamack; X Garbajosa, P Giordani, F Comba, C Dominici; T Castaignede, P Carbonneau; S Marconnet, R Ibanez, F Tournaire, O Brouzet, F Pelous, R Castel, T Lievremont, C Juillet. Replacements: D Auradou for Pelous (65 mins).
Referee: C Hawke (New Zealand).
