Who is this stretching over to score a try?

ENGLAND’S first Six Nations title for eight years was a strange affair, for rather than build towards their best performances they fizzled out. The Calcutta Cup game made painful viewing while Ireland blew them away so violently that England’s title feat was seriously tarnished.

As if proof were needed that England did indeed score more tries and points than anybody else, making more line breaks (28) than Wales and France put together, this DVD allows England fans to relive the élan of early Feb. Swallow-diver Chris Ashton’s six tries all came in the championship’s opening eight days, with the 59-13 rout of Italy producing arguably the best rugby of the tournament. A little surprising, then, that the match chosen to be shown in full in the two-disc box set is England-France.

Most fans will probably content themselves with the one-disc highlights DVD and if you like your rugby served plain and simple, this will do for you. But this reviewer, ever the dreamer, would like to have seen some effort made to narrate a story, piecing together the journey from Cardiff to Dublin; instead, the games (with TV commentary) are thrown in front of you, with passages missing here and there to bring the viewing time down to a still-long 150 minutes. A few snippets from Martin Johnson’s reluctant post-match interviews complete the package.

Readers can buy the box set (RRP £24.99) for just £19.99 by ringing 01273 202220 or emailing emma@lacegroup.com and quoting ‘Rugby World reader offer’. The single disc (RRP £22.99) is available for £16.99. P&P for both is free – allow five working days for delivery.

We also have six box sets to give away. For a chance to win one, tell us: Who is scoring a try above? Send your answer by Friday 10 June to our editorial address on page six or email rugbyworldcompetitions@ipcmedia.com. Please give a phone number.

RW RATING 3/5

RRP:  £24.99   RELEASED BY:  Lace

This article appeared in the June 2011 issue of Rugby World Magazine.

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