France not carried away by English woes

ENGLAND’S below-par performance against Samoa last night has provided prospective semi-final opponents France with some vital information – but it will not be assessed until they eventually reach the last four.

Hooker Raphael Ibanez and the rest of his international team-mates tuned in to watch England on television and sat in amazement as Clive Woodward’s side struggled to overcome the combative South Sea Islanders.

Having almost contemptuously dismissed the threat of Scotland 24 hours earlier, France’s hopes of becoming the first northern hemisphere country to capture the Webb Ellis Trophy appear to have increased significantly.