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England tipped to 'finish on a high' against France by ex-wing


England/ Press Association
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Former England wing Jonny May has tipped Steve Borthwick’s side to back up their win against Ireland with another victory against France in the final round of the Guinness Six Nations.

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England produced their best performance in years against a Grand Slam-chasing Ireland side in round four at Twickenham, triumphing 23-22 to put themselves back in the frame to win the title in the final weekend.

While May, who retired from England duty after the World Cup, sees nothing other than an Ireland win against Scotland in Dublin, therefore securing the Championship, he has backed his compatriots to “finish on a high” against France in Lyon in his recent column for Six Nations Rugby.

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Boks Office on how physical France vs England will be | RPTV

The Boks Office crew preview France vs England in the final round of the Six Nations. Watch the full show on RugbyPass TV

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Les Bleus have looked out of sorts so far this Six Nations, but looked closer to their usual powerful selves against Wales in Cardiff, winning 45-24.

“I would love to see England go to Lyon and finish on a high this weekend. I believe they will,” May wrote.

Fixture
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France
33 - 31
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England
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“Elsewhere you’ve got an under-the-pump Scotland coming up against an Ireland team looking not just for a response, but the Championship title. I can’t see anything other than a green victory there.

“Then there’s Wales v Italy. That’s a difficult one to predict, but I think Wales are going to win in what should be another close game.”

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England’s second-highest try scorer also explained how playing in France always excited him as a winger, as he felt the game was always more open.

“Playing away against France always captured my imagination,” he added.

“When you play them there the game tends to be faster and freer. The game in France has a unique charisma and culture, so a trip there always excited me.

“Especially for a wing, you’ve got the nuts and bolts of your role to fulfil, but you always got the feeling the game would be more open. It’s that famous joué spirit.”

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NoLongerARuck 27 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

The Six Nations produced so many compelling games and so much of action packed moments that you can only conclude that its the best international comp out there at the moment except for a world cup. If Wales improve it will be even better especially given the strides Italy have made in recent times. The Rugby Championship is now taking a hiatus in a year it really should be building toward something better which is terrible considering the competition was so tight last year. The Nations Champs promises much but one gets the feeling that the 6 Nations teams will not be at their peak given its at the end of their long season. In terms of rugby quality and entertainment Id rather watch the 6 Nations over everything else other than a world cup right now. The North arguably offers more in terms of entertainment than the South at club level as well. The Prem, the Champs Cup, URC and Top 14 all feature plenty of scoring and different playing styles while Super Rugby seems to be the same thing game in game out. While the South tries to speed up the game artificially with new trials and law variations the North has shown you can do it with good refereeing which penalises cynical play harshly and encourages positive actions on the field. In terms of entertainment the North wins. In terms of winning? They are making strides but until they win another world cup or get a team to rank number 1 again for an extended time again they cant really say they are better than the South.

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