England player ratings: St Helens man excels, Wigan star shines

Harry Smith – 8

Harry Smith was excellent and played a key role in England’s undoing of France’s early dominance of the game. Two handballs early in the first half gave England precious field position as France were well in front and helped turn the game in their side’s favour. His handballs and passing were virtually flawless all night and he was involved in setting up several of England’s tries. The only flaw in his performance was his tee shot, which remains a work in progress. Overall an excellent performance.

George Williams – 7

George Williams stepped up in the game to produce a fine performance for England, however, others shone brighter than the captain. He took some time to find his feet in the game as England started on the back foot. But Williams is always capable of producing moments of magic and all he did was find a wonderful final pass to set up Johnstone to score in the first half. He scored a try of his own in the second half, although Mikey Lewis produced the magic on that occasion. Lewis’ inspired cameo off the bench keeps the pressure on Williams to keep producing.

Credit: Imago Images

Luke Thompson – 5

England’s forward pack was outclassed by France in the opening exchanges and improved once Thompson and Lees were replaced midway through the first half. Thompson grew into the game as France’s forward pack tired. He was guilty of a handling error midway through the first half that gave France the field position to kick the penalty. He is capable of better and will be back.

Brad O’Neill – 6

Another player who has been solid, if not spectacular, but the introduction of Lewis in place of O’Neill highlighted some of the qualities O’Neill needs to work on. O’Neill was strong in defence, and his supply from the spare half is always reliable, however, he lacked the spark to put France on the back foot regularly. Guilty of a particularly bad attack early in the second half. A solid debut, though.

Matty Lees – 5

Like front-row partner Thompson, he was outmatched by France’s intensity in the opening exchanges as England spent most of the opening 20 minutes on the back foot. He improved in the second spell when the game was already won, but will be hoping to do more to stake his claim as a mainstay in England’s starting line-up.

Ben Currie – 8

A candidate for man of the match as he produced an error-free display in an otherwise lackluster encounter. He produced a moment of brilliance as he weaved his way through the French line before releasing Welsby to score his second of the night.

Matty Nicholson – 6

He suffered from a difficult start to the game, knocking the ball around in the opening exchanges to give France the field position to score their early try. Struggled to click with Newman at times but grew into the game and capped his debut with a try thanks to a neat kick from Harry Smith. He will have a long future in the England shirt.

Elliot Minchella – 7

Combat performance of the Hull KR cap, which improved as the game went on. He showed his handling skills when he linked up with Smith and Williams in the build-up to Tom Johnstone’s try in the 31st minute. He will have been pleased with his overall performance and combined well with Lewis once brought on from the bench.

Exchanges:

Mikey Lewis – 8

Lifted England when introduced off the bench and looked a constant threat when picking up the ball and running from half-way. Lewis is a nightmare for tired defenses and produced a sublime piece of skill to break the French line and free Williams to score. England must find a way to put him in the side.

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James Harrison – 7

He produced a few handling errors, however, his introduction was crucial in helping England turn the game around. He carried the ball hard and ate up yards while being solid in defense. He should be pleased with his outing.

Tyler Dupree – 7

He looks at home in an England shirt and, like Harrison, has made a real difference off the bench. He carried the ball hard and was aggressive in defense as usual. Another who made a few unforced errors, which is an area for improvement.

Oliver Wilson – 6

Wilson made a good impact off the bench and helped England maintain their momentum once they regained control of the game. His late tackle on Mourgue gave France a needless penalty and they need to work on balancing aggression with control.