As England's Red Roses prepare for Sunday's Grand Slam decider against France in Bordeaux, a troubling question looms: can their leaky defence hold up against a French side that just put 69 points on Scotland?
Last year, heading into the same championship-deciding clash, England had conceded just 29 points across four games. Fast forward twelve months, and that number has ballooned to 76. The world champions, riding an unprecedented 37-match winning streak, suddenly look vulnerable in the defensive third.
The warning signs have been flashing. In their last two outings, Wales and Italy—neither of whom made the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals—combined for nine tries against England. Both sides even secured rare bonus points, a feat that would have seemed unthinkable when this campaign began.
England's attack remains formidable, worthy of a fifth consecutive Grand Slam. But the defensive cracks are hard to ignore. The team started strong, conceding just 12 points to Ireland and seven to Scotland. However, injuries have taken their toll on head coach John Mitchell's squad, who were already missing four World Cup winners due to pregnancy.
The numbers tell the story: 30 players have featured in this campaign, including five debutants. A shortage of locks has forced 19-year-old Haineala Lutui—typically a back rower for Loughborough Lightning—into the second row. Flanker Abi Burton has also been asked to play out of position. Against Italy in Parma, nine of the forwards who started the World Cup final were unavailable.
"We are going through a lot of changes and the players are still learning and growing," Mitchell explained after Saturday's match. "I am trying to explain to the younger players how important it is, and they are only growing. They don't understand how important it is at this point in their careers."
The statistics underscore the growing pains: England are now conceding an average of 4.8 more points and 0.8 more tries per game compared to last year's championship—a tally that includes the epic 43-42 Grand Slam decider. With France scoring 42 points in last year's finale and looking even sharper this time around, Sunday's showdown carries a sense of jeopardy few predicted when the tournament kicked off.