WE KNEW the French back three were thoroughbreds, but by full-time at the Stade de France last night England had made them look like old nags heading for the knacker’s yard. England showed an urgency, and a vitality, that we have not seen since they played France in the World Cup semi-final – and maybe it owed a lot to the senior players in the squad being told that they were poised for the axe.

Jamie Noon might have thought he was one of them, and there is no braver carrier or committed defender in the England back-line. England knew that if they kicked ball away badly, knocked it on through sloppy handling or allowed themselves to be out-muscled and turned over in contact, they would be savagely punished by the sparkling French back three of Vincent Clerc, Cédric Heymans and Aurèlien Rougerie. However, the tackle from Noon that jarred the ball free as he hit Heymans was a turning point. England captain Phil Vickery said afterwards that England had set a benchmark – for me, it started with Noon’s tackle.

The fact that Noon’s arm knocked the ball on was not relevant, because no referee or touch judge can be expected to pick something up like that in real time. The England centre’s bravery in going up so hard and fast on a player with Heymans’s pace paid off in full because there are few better finishers in the international game than Paul Sackey.

The Wasps wing has no airs and graces and, while you cannot question Lesley Vainikolo’s try-scoring record, Sackey is 100% predator – and as soon as Noon smashed Heymans in a classic man-and-ball tackle, you knew the French were in trouble.

Sackey’s try-scoring antenna was up and he zeroed in on the ball immediately for the try – and a heaven-sent start for England. There is an old tactical saying that any kick is only as good as the kick-chase, and England’s chasing was outstanding.

They only gave the French back three a couple of rare chances to run the ball back, and only gave them space in which to move once. Heymans was given a 15m run-up, and he beat Jonny Wilkinson for pace before linking with Clerc, but not for the first time England’s scrambling defence pushed him into touch.

England used the touchline as a last defender very cleverly throughout the match, and the French were naive in the way they allowed themselves to be corralled close to it, conceding a number of lineout throws. France normally use the blind side very effectively, but against England they overdid it and became predictable.

You got the sense that they expected England to run scared of their back three and fold under the pressure of facing such a pacey attack – but instead they were confronted by an England team as committed as any side they have played in the last decade.

Richard Wigglesworth and Wilkinson did not always kick with pinpoint accuracy, but the urgency of the chasing runners made almost every England kick work for them. There was one memorable occasion when Wigglesworth kicked long and Heymans collected, only to find himself confronted by Sackey and two other defenders. Realising that nothing was on, he passed to Rougerie, who, confronted by another brick wall of five white-shirted defenders, buckled under the pressure and hooked it straight into touch.

What we saw was a basic plan executed with high tempo and commitment. There was an inner pact within the team to go out and produce, and that effort was rewarded. Nor was it all about shutting the French down, because England showed ambition – with Wilkinson leading the way. He kept England on the front foot and brought his wings into the game at crucial moments, notably when Vainikolo smashed up the middle, allowing him to slot the drop goal. My only question is why they didn’t use the tactic more often.

The only one of the England back three who was not in the game much was Iain Balshaw, who is a man under pressure. Given Josh Lewsey’s strong form, coach Brian Ashton has to ask himself whether it is the right time to make changes to a winning side in the same way that Warren Gatland has done with Wales.

Competition is an essential element in keeping any side going forward, and now is the time for Ashton to make it clear that nobody can rest on their laurels.

Jeremy Guscott won 65 caps for England between 1989 and 1999