England player ratings vs France: 2025 Six Nations

Rugby News

by Harrison Clifford

Saturday, 08 February 2025 at 18:37

byHarrison Clifford

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England player ratings vs France: Steve Borthwick's men hung on for a memorable win against the title favourites.

Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

First blood went to Les Bleus in the 2025 instalment of Le Crunch, with wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey fastest to the whitewash. The flyer raced onto Damian Penaud's grubber kick and grounded the ball with Tommy Freeman in pursuit.

Thomas Ramos nailed the conversion, giving France a seven-point lead at the half-hour mark. However, the lead was short-lived, as after a series of England drives, Ollie Lawrence crossed to score, making it 7-7 at halftime.

It was an exhaustive second half at the Allianz Stadium, as back-to-back Thomas Ramos penalties handed France an advantage. Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith then connected for an exsquisite England try, but France would respond immediatly through Damian Penaud's score.

Fin Baxter's close range try lifted the England fans for the closing, before Bielle-Biarrey grabbed his brace to stun the stadium into silence.

Scroll down for England player ratings vs France.

England - 26

Tries: Ollie Lawrence (35'), Tommy Freeman (57'), Fin Baxter (69'), Daly (79')
Cons: Marcus Smith (35'), Fin Smith (70',79)
Pens:

France - 25

Tries: Louis Bielle-Biarrey (29', 74'), Damian Penaud(60')
Cons: Thomas Ramos (30', 75')
Pens: Thomas Ramos (49', 55')

England player ratings vs France:

1. Ellis Genge - 6

Not the best shift for the Bristol Bear. Player that is idolised by amateur and other professional props, but today he’s had a slow shift. Discipline not being the best, giving away penalties at the start, and not seeming to be massively involved in play. As the game went on he made some fantastic take downs and, rucking was excellent; the best is yet to be seen from the West Country prop.

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie - 5

Cowan Dickie had a very good ‘Gorilla Stance’ when it can to protecting the ruck that I imagine even George of the Jungle wouldn’t mess with. But sadly other than that it wasn’t a fantastic game for hooker. His effort was there for sure, but a few handling errors led to silly penalties given to France which they took with gratitude.

3. Will Stuart - 6

Having a slow start in the scrum at the start, Stuart made sure to be there for his fellow forwards during the tackles, and setting up Tom Curry for his turnover for the ball. He did his job to an international standard, but he was better during the autumn internationals; maybe the stres of it being the Six Nations, along with the rain was a factor.

4. Maro Itoje - 4

In all honesty, not sure why the England Captain wasn’t subbed off. He seemed shattered from the 20 minute mark. Itoje gave some immense support in the rucks, but that wasn’t enough compared to the number of tackles that was made. He was slow off the defensive line, even when he was meant to charge down. The ball was out in rucks and when England could’ve surrounded the 9 he just stood still. Not a great performance for the Captain.

5. George Martin - 4

George Martin usually has a great game, it’s why he’s an England international. But today, he had a slow game. It was a steady plateau from when he missed the practically uncontested line-out. He wasn’t afraid to get his body involved, and getting into the ruck. But some magic was missing.

6. Tom Curry - 8

Should’ve been man of the match. Tom Curry has put in a stellar performance, burning every ounce of fuel in his tank. Shooting off the defensive line to defend the English try line; his pressure forced a knock on from France, and attack in the ruck gave England a desperately needed turnover penalty. Some slight handling errors from the forward twin, but nothing that he didn’t make up for as his performance went on. It’s just a shame he didn’t score from the multiple opportunities he had.

7. Ben Earl - 7

Ben Earl is a unit. Getting injured in the first few minutes of the game, and then playing for the full 80 – it takes a special player for that. His speed was immense when it was needed to prevent France from scoring a try, and his knowledge of the sport was shown when he went from playing in the number 7 to 8 position when Ben Curry came on. A player I would love to see in the captaincy role.

8. Tom Willis - 7

One of, if not the best of the forward pack. His attack in defence was immense in the first half, smashing into the sea of blue that lay in front of him. His one on one tackling was most impressive when he was able to rip the ball…it was such a shame it was a France advantage. He would’ve made Phil Vickery proud when he smashed through the ruck, catching the visitors off guard and gaining some much needed territory for the rose. A solid performance which will only get better with more minutes played.

9. Alex Mitchell - 7

The best kicking game of all the players. Though Mitchell didn’t find touch as much as I think he would’ve, his hight and length were unmatched compared to his counterparts. The effort to get to the rucks, ball play, and lack of fear was something that some of the other back pack should take lessons from. An excellent performance.

10. Fin Smith - 8

Starting in a shirt the likes of Owen Farrell, Johnny Wilkinson, even your fullback would usually wear must be a daunting task to fulfil. Fin Smith made more of an impact as the game went on, his confidence grew within his game as a whole. Struggling with his kicking to start with, almost fumbling the ball (ALMOST) wasn’t the best start. But as time went on in the second half, his cross kicks became a vital part, which led to Tommy Freeman scoring the first try for England, and his tackles against the French made an impact for the England Team. He took over from Smith during the conversion and penalty kicks, some would say that decision was made too late, and his confidence only grew with each point his scored. A commendable start for the young half-back.

11. Ollie Sleightholme - 6

A player who was mentioned a lot, he was at almost every aspect of attacking play, but there was something missing from Sleightholme which has made him a fan favourite. He was lucky mot to be penalised by the referee after a cheeky shoulder into the back of Penaud, but his effort was on the game from minute 1 to 80. Maybe it was because he didn’t score this game, but something great is coming again from this man during this tournament.

12. Henry Slade - 7

Slade, much like Sleightholme, also had a very good game but was missing some flair. The kicking game from the inside centre was hit and miss; his length was there, but the destination to hitting touch was the miss. His highlight was spotting the space in the French defence and hitting some major yards. A game which I have no doubt he will be proud of, but there is room for improvement.

13. Ollie Lawrence - 7

Ollie Lawrence is a forward in a back’s body. The man is a machine. Smashing through defence as if a front row, but then being fast and quick thinking makes him one of the most valuable players that England has. His kicking game needs some touching up on; a kick that was slightly too heavy footed drove the ball into touch which would’ve set up arguably the greatest try in the whole game. But his influence on the field shouldn’t be over looked. His instinct led to England scoring their first try through his understanding of the laws, and the play of the french.

14. Tommy Freeman - 7

An excellent performance for the Northampton Saint. He had excellent defence on the wing, stoping the French for making their way froward, and forcing the ball back. His confidence in taking the ball into tackle, putting his body on the line is something that more of the England Backs should study and aspire to do. He struggled in the start to get a grip on the French players in the tackles, but his support to players in attack was excellent. His airplay was fantastic which led to Englands second try.

15. Marcus Smith - 5

Though Smith is an excellent ball player, there’s still some room for improvement of knowing when to kick, or not to kick. Thanks to France errors, its lucky they didn’t capitalise on all of the errors. His best aspect was watching the ball, and taking advantage when it was on the ground. But why does he find the need to kick the ball at almost every time, especially when the momentum is towards England. Also, watching in front of him – so he doesn’t kick the ball directly into the French legs. He also needs to have some confidence in taking the ball into tackles, don’t pass the ball when there’s no solid pass on. His confidence improved as the game went on, but it was still not the best performance from the superstar rugby player.

REPLACEMENTS:

16. Jamie George - 7

Maybe George should’ve been subbed on sooner, but his breath of fresh energy gave a new hope for England as he almost brought the team to scoring. The former captain has not lost any talent since having his captaincy stripped form him, and it’s honourable how he puts that jersey before himself. A strong force in the second half, which was a key factor into their win; from his attacking, and rucking defence, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the starting 15 next time.

17. Fin Baxter - 7

A shaky start for the prop, giving away a penalty from dropping the scrum. But his performance was the definition of making it up to your team mates. He made more tackles in his half na hour on the pitch than most the entire game, then smashed the french scrum to get England the penalty to bring them within touching distance of the try line…it was only right that he be the one to score it. His performance was fantastic, and will no doubt be a highlight of his career.

18. Joe Heyes - 6

Helping Baxter in the scrum that saved England from losing, his efforts may be overlooked but it was a vital part in the final quarter of the game. Heyes is someone who needs some more game time, to develop his skills as a player and to build his name on the international stage. A brilliant performance from the prop, but we could have seen more from him.

19. Ollie Chessum - 7

Simple, Ollie Chessum did his job. He came on, rucked hard, tackled hard, there isn’t much more to say – but that’s not bad. A rugby team is a machine, and each player is a part that gets that team working and moving functionally; that’s what he did. He played his part to the best he could, and it paid off.

20. Chandler Cunningham-South - N/A

21. Ben Curry - 6

Ben Curry might not have been the highlight of the Curry twins this match but it was a performance he can go away being proud of. Supporting his brother, taking over the number 7 role from Earl, and keeping that scrum solid was an excellent job. His performance was text book, and, like Jamie George, understood the Rose is bigger than one person.

22. Harry Randall - N/A

23. Elliot Daly - 7

Well, what a way to come on. On for five minutes, score the winning try and win England their first game in seven fixtures. He came on for Daly, and simply his support line into wide open space, charging towards the try line with Dupont hanging on your legs, it was a biblical end to the game. Of course Elliot Daly was the man to do it. His effort reignited the passion for English Rugby and got the whole stadium together singing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Charriot!’ that singular moment could’ve brought the whole country together.

Three players Steve Borthwick must drop despite win – and who should replace them

if England want to build on this momentum, changes are needed. Below, we look at three players Borthwick must drop – and who should come in.

1. Marcus Smith

Verdict: England’s full-back experiment needs rethinking

Despite his undeniable talent, the decision to play Smith at full-back remains a major talking point. His kicking off the tee was wayward, and he struggled defensively, nearly gifting a try when Bielle-Biarrey ripped the ball from his grasp.

Evening Standard – 5/10: “Struggled defensively… Kicking off the tee was poor, too.”
Telegraph – 4/10: “Turned most things to lead… threw himself in front of Alex Mitchell’s pass.”
Express – 5/10: “Missed key kicks and was taken off kicking duty after Baxter’s try.”
Planet Rugby – 4/10: “His reactions will be mixed… errors were to be expected, but his kicking woes made things difficult.”

Replacement: Freddie Steward

Steward has been a rock at full-back for England over the past few years, and while Smith offers attacking flair, Steward’s reliability under the high ball and defensive security make him the obvious choice to return.

2. George Martin

Verdict: Needs to make more of an impact

Martin is usually a powerhouse in England’s pack, but against France, he had an uncharacteristically quiet game. He missed an uncontested line-out and, while he worked hard, he failed to impose himself as expected.

RUCK – 4/10: “Had a slow game… wasn’t afraid to get involved, but some magic was missing.”
Guardian – 6/10: “Gets through plenty of work but isn’t quite making the desired impact.”

Replacement: Ollie Chessum

Chessum’s dynamism and physicality give England an extra edge in the second row. His presence at line-out time and ability to carry hard would add more balance to the pack.

3. Luke Cowan-Dickie

Verdict: Struggled at the set piece

Cowan-Dickie was busy in the loose but struggled with his line-out throwing, an area that proved costly. England lost several key throws while he was on the field, and Steve Borthwick made the right call to substitute him.

Telegraph – 5/10: “Line-out was a bit of a mess… Jamie George will be pushing hard for the starting shirt.”
Evening Standard – 5/10: “A bit loose in the line-out, with England losing three of their six while he was on.”
Express – 6/10: “Disappointing with his line-outs.”
RUCK – 5/10: “His effort was there, but handling errors led to silly penalties for France.”

Replacement: Jamie George

George offers experience and accuracy at the set piece, making him the natural choice to start against Scotland. His leadership and composure in key moments could prove vital.

Retro Six Nations Quiz:

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