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Was it legal? Either way, Jules Plisson did incredibly well to shake off any last effects from this monster tackle by England lock Courtney Lawes.
England’s renowned enforcer timed his hit to perfection – or illegally hit the France fly-half late, depending how you look at it – during the incredible 55-35 Six Nations victory at Twickenham. While the English missed out on the championship bragging rights by just six points and finished second for the fourth straight year, the put in one of the most memorable performances seen at HQ for quite some time.
Plisson didn’t have the best of games, but he can be forgiven for anything that didn’t go his way after Lawes got hold of him.
The tackle, which was deemed legal by referee Nigel Owens even after he took a second look at it, sparked a mini-scuffle between the two teams that forced the Welshman to halt the game and deal with the matter.
Watch the video below…
Show all 30 1 /30England 55 France 35 player ratings England 55 France 35 player ratings 15. Mike Brown - 8/10 Solid at the back and invariably took right option in attack. Got so worked up that he was ticked off by referee.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 14. Anthony Watson - 7 Flaws in his game but so much to admire in this young tyro. Looks to have nailed the right-wing spot.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 13. Jonathan Joseph - 7 Not best day, partly as so many line breaks occurred closer to the ruck. Tournament’s top try scorer.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 12. Luther Burrell - 6 Played his part in exhilarating match. Perhaps harsh to say that question marks remain.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 11. Jack Nowell - 7 After his amazing yardage against the Scots, took a while to join in the fun. Two second-half tries.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 10. George Ford - 9 Kicking accuracy out of hand wavered but puts fear into every opponent. Superb goal kicking.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 9. Ben Youngs - 10 Situation was made for him. Remarkable verve and energy, and two tries and assist to boot. Perhaps his finest game for England.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 1. Joe Marler - 8 Stepped up impressively from last week by outmuscling the veteran Mas. Put himself about in the loose.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 2. Dylan Hartley - 6 Good shift in tight but struggled to keep pace with breathtaking action.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 3. Dan Cole - 8 Strong over the ruck ball, something England have missed, and solid in the scrum. Marked 50th cap splendidly.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 4. Geoff Parling - 6 First Test start since last summer’s tour. Tackled his heart out and made a difference in the line-out.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 5. Courtney Lawes - 8 Physical and menacing. His thumping tackle on Plisson was arguably the highlight of an amazing 80 minutes.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 6. James Haskell - 4 Marred busy performance with poor hands and cynical trip that earned yellow card. But still has lot to offer.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 7. Chris Robshaw - 7 Has played every minute of the past 20 England Tests. Huge tackle count this year. Need you say more?
England 55 France 35 player ratings 8. Billy Vunipola - 9 Pillar of strength during England’s horror first quarter. The tournament’s top carrier and bagged important try.
England 55 France 35 player ratings France: 15. Scott Spedding - 6 Has been one of France’s successes but not quite as sharp yesterday.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 14. Yoann Huget - 6 Has been accused of showboating and play-acting – but no doubting his talent. Strong in the air.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 13. Gael Fickou - 6 At last the centre – 21 next week – came out of his shell. Winning try in this fixture last year.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 12. Maxime Mermoz -7 Key cog in often malfunctioning back line. Clever block on Watson in build-up to Debaty’s try.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 11. Noa Nakaitaci - 6 Almost made hash of his try when delaying touchdown. France’s first Fiji-born international.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 10. Jules Plisson - 5 Mixed performance and far from lethal off the tee. Not helped by poor service by his No 9.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 9. Sebastian Tillous-Borde - 4 Took try well but erratic passing put Plisson under pressure. Totally outplayed by the electric Youngs.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 1. Vincent Debaty - 6 For such a huge man, miraculous effort to get his 60th-minute try.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 2. Guilhelm Guirado - 8 Relished the looseness of the match. Superb offload for Mermoz try and scoring pass to Nakaitaci.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 3. Nicolas Mas - 6 Making up for lost time after his omission last month. No Frenchman has started more Tests (78) at prop.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 4. Alexandre Flanquart - 6 Going from strength to strength since his 2014 debut against England. But met his match in Parling.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 5. Yohann Maestri - 5 Has become a permanent fixture in French eight but below par here
England 55 France 35 player ratings 6. Thierry Dusautoir - 9 The former World Player of the Year shows no sign of diminishing. A maestro of the breakdown.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 7. Bernard Le Roux - 6 Few positives for the South African-born flanker on a day when England had most of the momentum.
England 55 France 35 player ratings 8. Loann Goujon - 6 A newcomer to the side and made plenty of carries in a losing cause.
His verdict? Handbags and nothing more, though he did have a quiet word with Lawes that he was only saved by having been deemed committed to the tackle before Plisson got rid of the ball.
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