In a heart-stopping start, England's hopes of a thrilling debut from Benhard Janse van Rensburg were cruelly snuffed out in Sunday's 35-19 defeat against France XV in Vannes. The South Africa-born centre had barely stepped onto the pitch when he slipped up on a try-scoring opportunity that would have been a mere formality, leaving England to rue what might have been.
The experimental squad put together by Steve Borthwick's coaching staff struggled to gel, and it was clear from the off that this wasn't going to be their day. Young wing Noah Caluori showed flashes of brilliance, though – his pace and agility a constant thorn in France's side. And on the opposite flank, Cadan Murley made a real statement with an early try that briefly put England ahead.
But it was France who proved clinical and ruthless in possession, with Nicolas Depoortère scoring in just the ninth minute to set the tone for what would be a long afternoon for England. Grégoire Arfeuil soon added his name to the scoresheet, and despite some promising moments from the hosts – including a try by Marcus Smith just before half-time – France's lead seemed insurmountable.
The second half was more of the same, with Nolann Le Garrec and Antoine Hastoy extending France's advantage. England's scrum did come good at times, but ultimately it wasn't enough to stem the tide. A try by Caluori that would have been a real turning point was cruelly disallowed due to an earlier knock-on – Janse van Rensburg looked visibly frustrated by his own mistake.
It was left to Fabien Brau-Boirie to seal France's win in stoppage time, before Max Ojomoh managed a late consolation try for England. But it was too little, too late – the real disappointment being that this game could have been so much more.
Some positives did emerge from a tough day at the office, though: players like Tom Curry and George Martin got valuable game time under their belts, and will be expected to feature prominently in next month's Test series. It was a vital learning experience for this England squad – but one that they'll want to put behind them ahead of the Nations Championship opener against South Africa on July 4.