England Must Bounce Back Against France in Perth, Says Ashton
England need a response. Their Rugby League World Cup campaign stalled in the opening round, when they lost to Tonga, and now they face France in Perth on Saturday. Winger Matty Ashton, 28, has said the side must balance the hunt for points with staying disciplined.
Rugby league is a game of field position. Teams get six tackles to move the ball forward before they must hand it over, so kicking and territory matter as much as flair. Ashton said England will not score against France unless they stick to their process, and he warned the squad not to take the opponents lightly. BBC Sport
The result against Tonga was a hard one to take. Sione Katoa and Jojo Fifita scored two tries each for Tonga, and Paul Alamoti and Leka Halasima added one apiece. Ashton was an unused substitute in that match. England have kept the same side for this game, with Warrington's Mikey Lewis named among the replacements. Sky Sports
Head coach Brian McDermott has led England into this match with a group that now has real pressure on it. The World Cup groups have been arranged so that Pools B and C are merged into one six-team league. Only the top two sides in that table reach the semi-finals.
England's position is tighter than their record suggests. They sit 92 points behind Samoa on points difference, after Samoa beat France 78-4 in their first match. Samoa's coach is Ben Gardiner. France were 28-0 down inside the first 20 minutes of that game, a start that left them chasing the match from the first whistle.
Frayssinous, France's head coach Laurent Frayssinous, will have to find a way to stop the bleeding. England have an encouraging history against this opponent. In their two previous meetings they have scored 106 points and conceded 18, so the stats favour the English. Stats do not kick the ball, though, and France will be keen to avoid another heavy start.
The match is scheduled for 11:35pm GMT on Friday, which is 7:35am on Saturday in Perth. It will be played at HBF Park, and tickets are on sale from $19. Whatever happens, England return to action against Papua New Guinea on Friday, 30 October, at 09:05 GMT. That game is another chance to keep their hopes of a semi-final place alive.
The World Cup runs until 15 November, so there is still plenty of tournament left. For England, though, the message from Ashton is simple. Keep the discipline, play to the plan, and don't give France a single easy point.
