“In a few years we will be able to beat England” – St Helens assistant Laurent Frayssinous explains why France will beat England soon

On the face of it, yesterday was a routine England win over France just like any of the over comprehensive triumphs over the French we’ve seen.

In fact, the last time France beat England was in Leeds back in 1990.

However, the 42-18 scoreline didn’t quite show just how much of a threat France seemed at the end of the first half.

Back-to-back tries for France saw them just six points behind at the break and there was a real danger of England losing.

A strong second half from England helped change that, but it was another indicator that France are on the rise and their coach, new St Helens assistant Laurent Frayssinous, believes that in the years to come we could see France beat England because the more often his side get used to games against them eventually a win will come.

He told BBC after the game: “Obviously the first 30 minutes were tough for us. England put massive pressure on us. But we managed to get back into the game which we can be proud of because England is a great team.

“I’m proud of the effort of the boys, we challenged a great England team in a few areas.

“Obviously, we’re not at that level yet but hopefully one day we will be.

“It’s all about small details, like the last play and how to absorb the pressure. You can only learn from that type of game so I’m pretty confident that in a few years we will be able to beat England.”