Six Nations Top Moments, The Inside Stories France 22-24 England, 2012 In 2011, France knocked England out of the Rugby World Cup. By 2012, a new-look side, led by Stuart Lancaster, headed to France hoping to exact a little revenge in the Six Nations. Alex Corbisiero’s memories of that day are very clear. He says with a smile: “Lancaster asked Peter Winterbottom to give us a speech in the build-up to the game. I remember him saying he would give Thierry Dusautoir a bit of a dig if he was playing and caught him in a ruck! “I remember seeing the crowd, the odd player warming up or starting to switch on. The pressure was on us. The build-up felt like a long time. “Once the game kicked off it was special. I can recall most of the game, it was just one of those days. I can remember the game being so tight, there was a lot of pressure coming from Nicolas Mas, who was doing so well at tighthead at the time.” England had a young team out, a new-look side that conceded hundreds of caps to their French counterparts. But that day they toughed it out to win 24-22, away from home. It was a defining moment for many careers and an instant classic that saw England clinch it by the skin of their teeth. Corbisiero looks back: “When Ben Foden scored in the first half I was swept up, there was relief. And then Tom Croft went sprinting through for a try near the end. We threw everything at it. I was hugging him under the sticks. “That try and the jumping around after, I think that was a moment that really brought us all together. For the collective, it was about believing and I’ll never forget that feeling. And maybe there was a bit of revenge for those of us who had lost to France in the 2011 World Cup.” With so many special Six Nations moments, ties can be decided as match clock, run by Official Timekeepers Tissot, ticks towards the conclusion. This match was no exception. Manu Tuilagi also scored for England, but they did not have things all their own way and had to grit their teeth in the second half. A late try by Wesley Fofana and an impossible conversion by Morgan Parra meant that there were two points in it at the death, with France hunting down the result. And then Francois Trinh-Duc had a drop-goal to win it… Only for the ball to fall short. England squeaked by. Corbisiero reflects: “After 2011, Lanny had faith in us to take hold of the culture. To put our demons to rest and prepare a new chapter. The thing I took away from that game was a bit of self-belief. “At the time everyone was doubting you – could you scrummage? Dylan Hartley and Dan Cole are very established now, but at that time they wondered about us against the French pack. … Continue reading Six Nations Top Moments, The Inside Stories