SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: Six Nations showed that England don’t have a game plan to beat the world’s best

The Six Nations showed that England are outdated whilst Ireland Grand Slam champions France have a future to look forward to. 

With all the talent that Eddie Jones’ side have, it seems they have no coherent game plan or structure that could allow them to compete with the likes of France and Ireland.

Scotland and Wales showed plenty of effort but lacked consistency and ability to back up big performances. 

England: C- 

England at best are treading water while France and Ireland disappear into the distance. A few point to an ‘improvement’ from fifth place to third but frankly don’t even go there.

The Six Nations has never been about position in league tables — it is about Grand Slams or winning the title — and certainly not a development tool for future World Cups and hence a means of job retention.

England lost three of their five games and all the big questions about the side remain unanswered.

What is clear is the head coach answers to nobody who understands international rugby. And I mean nobody. Eddie Jones reports to himself and that has been a recipe for disaster since his appointment. This is where the fault lines start and finish.

England manager Eddie Jones has received an astonishing vote of confidence from the RFU

I really feel for the players because they deserve better than this but none of them, currently, actually knows what good looks like at Test level.

Individually there were some fine performances in Paris — heroic even.

Ellis Genge was phenomenal, Maro Itoje was again an iconic figure in adversity, Sam Underhill and Joe Marchant impressed and Freddie Steward had a brilliant match.

Steward has something special about him, he is clearly very strong mentally, and now I would like to see those attacking skills more fully deployed at full back to complement his defensive qualities.

For all those individual qualities England don’t have the game plan or even the attacking ambition to beat the best in the world. They are still playing outdated rugby which Jones believes is the English DNA but which needs to be confined to the dustbin.

Successful rugby at the elite level is all about lightning quick rucks, forwards handling like backs, backs rucking like forwards, extreme pace, pinpoint kick-passes and exceptional discipline.

In fact, it always has been. It’s certainly not about endless box kicking and slavishly trying to win the ‘territory’ battle. And because they don’t have a game plan Jones and England don’t have a Gun XV in mind. Nobody knows what England’s best side is, including Jones and his bloated backroom staff.

Other than a determination to give Marcus Smith an extended run at 10, which I applaud, I have no idea what England’s first-choice back division looks like. It changes every week.

Jones believes England can improve with the likes of Marcus Smith involved in the side

Imagine for a minute you are Smith. Will it be Ben Youngs or Harry Randall at nine? Who are the centres this week? What’s the back three this time around? Where has Max Malins gone? Test rugby is difficult enough without all that uncertainty.

And to what end? If England are going to try a few players —something that should have been done two years ago — why haven’t we seen Adam Radwan or Ollie Hassell-Collins get extended runs in big matches that really count?

It’s much the same in the back row. England have great players but are struggling to get the right combination. That process is not helped by insisting on playing locks at No 6, which again is just very old school.

Assuming full fitness, the back row should be Tom Curry at seven, Sam Simmonds at six and Alex Dombrandt at No 8.

Then you have the batting order below — the likes of Underhill, Ben Curry, Alfie Barbeary or another really promising youngster such as Tom Pearson at London Irish — all pushing for places. But not Courtney Lawes or Itoje who are as good as it gets for your second row.

Marcus Smith finished as the tournament’s top points scorer after penalties against France

Jones needs to be held to account by somebody at Twickenham. And not the Walter Mitty characters who stroll the corridors in rose-tinted glasses believing in the future rather than being accountable for the present.

A rugby personality is needed who is more than Eddie’s equal, who not only asks the hard questions but most importantly can explain to the English public what exactly is going on.

Because as a lifelong fan, former player and coach and someone who now works in the media, none of us has a clue!

France: A 

Thoroughly deserved a Grand Slam but the scary thing about this team is that they are nowhere near their full potential.

They were very nervous and far from faultless on Saturday night, but such is their athleticism and tempo that they can still beat a world-ranked team while not even in top gear. They could have played England 10 times and they would have won 10 times.

It started at the top when Bernard Laporte identified Fabien Galthie — not a notably successful club coach but a hard man and visionary — as the individual to crack the whip and take France forward.

Antoine Dupont’s team will now be targeting World Cup glory after their Grand Slam victory

Galthie in turn got the coaching team he demanded, headed up by Shaun Edwards, Raphael Ibanez and William Servat. What that quintet don’t know about rugby frankly isn’t worth knowing

And then they went to work on a golden generation headed up by Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Cameron Woki, Gregory Alldritt, Damian Penaud and others.

When you get a golden generation you do two things. Firstly, you back them all the way. You don’t chop and change unnecessarily when you hit a few bumps on the way. And secondly you work even harder because talent alone is never enough.

The skill, speed and physicality of this France team is off the scale but there is also now a rigid discipline. Edwards’ message is to hurt the other guy by tackling him hard, and legally, again and again until he wilts. Gone are the days of needless penalties and cards.

For years we have had the cliche about which France is going to turn up. Well that still stands, but now it’s whether France are just very good or off the charts!

France are Six Nations and Grand Slam champions after ending their club versus country row

Ireland: A- 

Ireland are beginning to purr and but for a sloppy opening half-hour in Paris could even be Grand Slam champions. 

Andy Farrell and Mike Catt have speeded up their game plan, box kicks are largely spurned, they have strike runners behind and big powerful ball-playing units up front. 

They also have plenty of rugby maturity, nous and bags of skill.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell celebrates after beating Scotland on Saturday night

Scotland: C

That opening-day win over England, when they weren’t at their best but dug out a victory, should have been the cue for a big performance and a win in Cardiff but they fluffed their lines and struggled to recover after that — although they did manage a win in Rome. 

Wales: C

A difficult season to call, Wales were outclassed in Dublin but came closest to beating France and only the week before had outscored England three tries to one at Twickenham. 

But then they fell to bits against Italy at home. They need to back a world beater in Louis Rees-Zammit and must also stop obsessing about whether Alun Wyn Jones makes it to the World Cup. Leaving Will Rowlands out of the starting XV against Italy was a massive error.

 Italy: C

The most encouraging season for a good while under inspirational skipper and tackling machine Michele Lamaro. 

Their wonderful win in Cardiff will lift spirits. Need to work out where best to play Ange Capuozzo, who looks a bit special. It looks like he can play anywhere behind the scrum. 

Alun Wyn Jones looks on during Wales’ disappointing 23-22 defeat to Italy on Saturday