England suffer opening-half shutout for first time since 1988

February 02, 2020
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Ultimate Rugby

France produced a dazzling opening 40 minutes to lead England 17-0 in Paris, Vincent Rattez and Charles Ollivon both scoring tries.

England suffered an early case of Les Bleus against France in Paris, failing to score a point in the opening half of a Five or Six Nations fixture for the first time in 32 years.

Vincent Rattez and Charles Ollivon crossed for tries as a rampant France - now under the leadership of coach Fabien Galthie - scored 17 points without reply.

Romain Ntamack landed both conversion attempts as well as a penalty, giving the hosts a huge lead at the halfway stage - much to the delight of a raucous crowd in the French capital.

As for England, they had not been shut out in the first 40 minutes of a game in the tournament since 1988.

It was a bleak start to the new campaign for Eddie Jones' side, who suffered the disappointment of losing to South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final last year.