Following the disastrous 33-31 loss to France in the Six Nations Test at the Groupama Stadium on Saturday, here are my thoughts on England's players.
15 George Furbank: He suffered what appeared to be a calf injury and left the game early. Not applicable
14 Tommy Freeman: He improved greatly in the second half and became an influential player. 7
midfield excellence
13 Henry Slade: Some great passes showed his ability, including a try for Ollie Lawrence. It's been a mixed Six Nations for Slade, but there have been signs over the past two weeks that he could become a very good player under manager Steve Borthwick. 7
12 Ollie Lawrence: Defensive effort was needed, but there were also some great individual moments as the midfield link-up caused all sorts of problems for France. 7
11 Elliot Daly: He chased hard and did a good job under the high ball, but it wasn't enough to take away Immanuel Faye-Waboso in the July series. 6
inspired by ford
10 George Ford: Truly a masterpiece. With all the chaos going on around him, Ford remained calm and was the main reason England remained in the game at half-time. In the second period, he got back on track and almost led the Red Rose to victory. 9
9 Alex Mitchell: He had a tough 20 minutes in the first half where nothing seemed to go right, but after that he regained his composure and provided great service on the bases. 7
Planet Rugby player evaluation key.
8 Ben Earl: A nice break from the No. 8 led to a try for Marcus Smith, but he wasn't as prominent in his carries this weekend. But he was phenomenal defensively, racking up a game-high 19 hits. He will also feel harsh that he was done with the last penalty. 8
7 Sam Underhill: I tried my best and made some classic big hits, but I made too many mistakes. 6
Impressive young back five forwards
6 Ollie Chetham: They focus on themselves and rarely take a step back physically. He was challenged by the French army, but overcame it and left his mark. 7
5 George Martin: That alone has a huge impact. He withstood France's onslaught well and played well at set pieces. England are working well because of him and Chetham. 7
4 Maro Itoje: He tried to be a man, but it's rare to see him bullied like he was on Saturday. The second half was much better though. 6
Set piece comes up
3 Dan Cole: Excellent scrum shift from a reliable tight head as he withstood huge French set-pieces. 6
2 Jamie George (c): Apart from one misdirection, the lineout worked well and the captain put in another solid performance. 6
1 Ellis Genge: The scrum went well and Smith's try was a nice touch, but there were some frustrating moments, including a missed penalty and a missed tackle. Overall, it ended with credits. 6
Replacement: Theo Dunn will not like the lineout misstep that led to Gael Fickou's goal, but otherwise left a positive impression. Smith also performed very well apart from a few mistakes, with Alex Dombrandt getting a key turnover. Will Stewart gave away a poor penalty and Danny Care's kick let us down in the end, but overall the bench did a very good job. 6
read more: France player ratings: Thomas Ramos drives Les Bleus to narrow victory over England, 'superstar' shines in Six Nations thriller
