An outstanding French performance at the Stade de France last month saw England lose a possible RBS Six Nations Championship and France win the Grand Slam.

England came back from 21-3 down to lose by 24-21, with tries from Ben Cohen, Josh Lewsey and a conversion and three penalties from Olly Barkley.

Said England Head Coach, Clive Woodward, as Les Bleus celebrated, “We are going through a bit of change. You don’t like it, you don’t want it to happen, but you have to coach and play your way through it.”

Relishing the coming tour down under and the chance to see how new, young players perform, he said, “In past eras we would have shied away from those sort of places, but you can’t be afraid of losing especially with new players. They’ve got to know what it’s all about. That’s the place to rebuild.

“You’ve got to try to get something out of those three summer games. In the autumn you’ll see the team really kick off again.”