Exciting England capturing imagination in World Cup – but nagging doubt remains

The host nation began with the same intensity and control that forced Samoa to tap out in the opening game of the World Cup.

Wane's men dominated France through the middle and were clinical when opportunities presented themselves, Ryan Hall scoring twice and Luke Thompson benefiting from some individual brilliance by Victor Radley to make it 18-0 with barely 20 minutes on the clock.

It was almost too easy for England as they closed in on a 21st straight victory over the French but for the second week running, they let the opposition back in before half-time.

Thompson gave away a six again just inside his own half and Herbie Farnworth lost the ball coming out of yardage – the kind of errors not tolerated by Wane – and on each occasion England were punished.

Arthur Mourgue collected his own deflected kick to touch down and Eloi Pelissier helped himself to a try from dummy-half.

Despite the gulf in quality between the two sides, England somehow led only 18-12 at the break.

The BBC changing room camera offered a window into the England camp during the interval – but Wane stressed that he was not giving his team the hairdryer treatment.

“I wasn’t angry,” he insisted. “I just knew we could do better and was giving reminders to the players.

“I was frustrated because I thought in the first 20 minutes we were outstanding and in the second 20 we slightly went away from it.

"But I don’t want to talk the French down. I thought the French were good and challenged us.

"After the highs of last week, I knew it wasn’t going to be plain sailing. Overall, I’m happy to win a Test match and score 40 points in a difficult game against a good team.

"I know how much we can improve. Our standards are very, very high. We can and will improve, which is a real positive for English fans."

That will be music to the ears of supporters who have been pleasantly surprised by the way England have attacked the tournament in the early games.

A Shaun Wane team will always give as good as they get in the middle but there has been a nice balance to England's rugby so far.

As well as being physical and direct, England have not been afraid to chance their arm.

Fans enjoy the tough stuff and there is no substitute for a solid defence – but exciting, unpredictable rugby is what leaves spectators on the edge of their seats.

Wane was accused of playing boring rugby during his time in charge of Wigan Warriors with a win-at-all-costs attitude. Seventeen World Cup tries later and Wane may just be starting to change popular opinion.

The biggest difference between this World Cup and tournaments of the past is the strike on the edges.

Five years ago, John Bateman was used as a makeshift centre but now England have NRL starlet Farnworth and Kallum Watkins 2.0, although the former Leeds Rhinos star will miss the game against Greece following a head knock.

Wane is spoilt for choice on the wings with Hall, Dom Young and Tommy Makinson all in red-hot form.

England appear to have the tools to make life uncomfortable for the tournament's big hitters but it will ultimately come down to how they respond to a level of intensity they have rarely encountered.

The tireless Radley will help in that respect after quickly establishing himself as England's most valuable player. The Australia-born loose forward – a veteran of nine NRL play-off games at the ripe old age of 24 – pulls everything together in the middle with strength, poise and no little skill.

One set he will take the ball to the line and pass, and in the next he will cart it in with all the intensity of a front-rower. It is enough to give opposition defences nightmares and opens up the rest of the field for his team-mates.

His step to lay on Thompson's try was the moment of the match before Young stole the show with a 95-metre intercept try.

The Huddersfield Giants academy product is an electrifying talent and a natural athlete, as evidenced by the way he glided through the gears to leave French chasers in his wake.

That thrilling effort gave Young another World Cup double and made sure of an emphatic win for Wane's side after early second-half tries from Elliott Whitehead and Radley had taken the sting out of France's fightback.

But just as England threatened to run riot in a repeat of the St James' Park opener, they finished with another sloppy spell that leaves a nagging doubt going into the business end of the tournament.

Arthur Romano scored a late consolation courtesy of some tired defending and Samisoni Langi was unfortunate to see a try ruled out by the video referee.

In the dying seconds, Tom Burgess was sin-binned after a coming together with Pelissier, the type of moment that calls for a cool head.

As dominant as England were in the main, a repeat of the lapses seen in Bolton against Australia or New Zealand, or even Tonga, could spell the end of their World Cup hopes.

But right now, after two performances that have captured the nation's imagination, the dream is very much alive.