England winger Matty Ashton has stressed the need to balance the chase for points with retaining discipline when they face France in Perth on Saturday in their second World Cup group fixture. Defeat by Tonga last weekend has left England needing results elsewhere to go in their favour over rounds two and three. Brian Mc Dermott's side also need to make up a hefty points difference in Group B-C after Samoa thrashed the French 78-4 in their first match.
However, Ashton, 28, insists the focus will be on repeating and adding to their performance against Tonga, which was brimming with promise but undermined by errors at key moments. "We know that game is a bit different for us this week. I don't think anything changes in our process," Ashton said. "We all know points have got to be scored but we are not going to do that without sticking to our process and we can't take France lightly."
England have scored 106 points across their two previous meetings with France while conceding 18. Laurent Frayssinous' side found themselves 28-0 down inside the first 20 minutes against Samoa, but Ashton expects them to be a different proposition on Saturday (07:35 BST). "We know what style of rugby they can play. They are pretty exciting when they get their game on," added Ashton, who has replaced Wigan's Zach Eckersley in the starting line-up.
With England's points difference currently 92 worse than Ben Gardiner's Samoa team in a combined Pool B and C table, they will almost certainly also need to defeat Papua New Guinea on Friday, 30 October (09:05 GMT), to have any chance of reaching the last four. Tonga are currently in pole position after a 36-0 victory over Lebanon on Friday.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing