England Counties 32 France Federale 3

 

The memory of their dismal showing at Galashiels a fortnight ago, where they were humbled 57-27 by Scotland Club XV, was quickly wiped away on Friday night as England Counties stormed a comprehensive victory against France Federale.

 

On a cold, but otherwise perfect evening for rugby, and in front of a Rectory Field crowd in excess of 1,500, the Counties side tore into their French counterparts, scoring five tries in a display that delighted head coach James Shanahan.

 

‘Chalk and cheese,’ he said comparing the two performances.  ‘I was embarrassed in Scotland and when the squad regathered on Tuesday I questioned our desire and our want and said if you’re going to put that shirt on you need to show pride in it.  I think every one of them did just that tonight in an outstanding team performance against a very physical French side.’

 

‘In the pack captain Keith Laughlin was immense leading from the front and doing a lot of the hard-graft, James Stokes’ finishing was superb, but the stand out player for me was Joe Tarrant whose game-management and decision-making was exceptional and gave us that edge.’

 

Indeed, from the outset Tarrant and half-back colleague Sam Stuart injected a pace and intensity that the French struggled to live with, and after just four minutes the Ampthill fly-half found the line-break to send Stokes across for the first try, converted by Cinderford full-back Mike Wilcox.

 

Their early scrum dominance should have given the French a platform to work from, but three times possession was turned-over denying them headway and allowing England to counter, and despite their set-piece advantage, a strike against the head in the 33rd minute saw Stuart dart towards the goal-line, the Richmond scrum-half setting the ruck before Joe Makin appeared on the short side to finish off.

 

At last France got into the English twenty-two long enough long enough to force a penalty converted by fly-half Stephane Guenin, but Leo Fielding raced forward to collect the re-start, and with support for the Blackheath wing arriving quickly, Redruth hooker Tom Cowan-Dickie grounded for a 17-3 lead at the interval.

 

Any thoughts of a second half French revival were quickly extinguished.  With the visitors from across the Channel temporarily reduced to 14-men, Tarrant sold the most outrageous dummy to race home from 45-metres and a penalty from Stokes on the hour pushed the lead beyond three scores.

 

Then, as the French looked for consolation, a break out from his own goal-line by Rosslyn Park’s Harry Broadbent saw Stokes on the open-sides’ shoulder to race home from half-way, the Cambridge wing converting his own score to complete a 15-point personal haul and a comfortable win ahead of the Counties three match summer tour to Canada.  

 

‘Playing and touring with England Counties was one of the highlights of my career and I’m very excited the trip to North America this year,’ continued Shanahan.

 

‘We’ll be looking at this performance and the County Championship in May for players to put their hands up for selection for the 27-man squad.’

 

England Counties

 

Tries:   Stokes 4, 65, Makin 33, Cowan-Dickie 40, Tarrant 46

Conv:  Wilcox 4, Stokes 65

Pens:    Stokes 62

 

France Federale

 

Pens:    Guenin 38

 

Attendance:   1,527