Ollie Phillips: England may have won but France were the real stars of the Autumn Nations Cup
It was brilliant to see England claim the Autumn Nations Cup in such dramatic fashion on Sunday.
Rugby fans have been missing that kind of competitive tension, so it was awesome that the competition was decided by a golden penalty.
But while England took the silverware, much of the plaudits will rightfully go to the losing finalists.
France’s renaissance has been the real story of this tournament.
It’s a well-worn cliche that you never know which France side will turn up, but it’s not true any more.
Fabien Galthie and Shaun Edwards have banished that tag. They now have the defensive solidity to back up their trademark flair.
I suspected before the Autumn Nations Cup that France would be dangerous and they didn’t disappoint.
The team they put out against England was meant to be a second or even third string. If so, that is scary.
Les Bleus are a proper side now. And you could see from their faces at the end of the final that they know it now.
I’m convinced they are on course to become the best team in the northern hemisphere and I fancy them to confirm that at next year’s Six Nations.
Boring England
England, meanwhile, were machine-like when it mattered and will go down in the record books as winners. That’s what will be remembered for longest.
On the positive side, they were excellent in the set-piece and in defence.
They beat Ireland, Wales and France to get their hands on the trophy. Winning is a habit and they now have momentum to take into 2021.
Eddie Jones hit back at criticism of England’s style of play after the final, and he has a point.
If you’d offered people an outcome in which England were the dominant team and won the tournament, they’d have taken it.
But Jones must have some concerns about their very average attacking, though.
It felt as though England played the Autumn Nations Cup in second or third gear.
Yes, they did really well to come back from seven points behind in the second half with France.
They showed all their experience, kicking it to the corner for a perfectly executed catch and drive to force extra time.
But had the deficit been greater, I’m not sure England could have gone to fourth or fifth gear when they really needed it.
As a purist, I want to see talent on show and Jones has some phenomenal attacking players.
Take Jonny May’s try against Wales, which is talked about as one of the best ever scored at Twickenham.
George Ford is a fantastic player but his instinct now is to kick it up in the air. That’s tragic.
Meanwhile, you have Fiji and France chucking it around and it makes me want to root for them.
Autumn Nations Cup format works
It’s not all doom and gloom because England won and have a base of success on which to build.
But the rugby is drab and boring and won’t be inspiring any young players.
All eyes will now be on Jones and attack coach Simon Amor to add some excitement to the efficiency.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching the Autumn Nations Cup.
Having a trophy to play for made the usual programme more interesting and engaging.
And while the line-up will change, I’d be firmly in favour of using the same format when South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Japan are in town.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development & behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.