England vs France rugby LIVE: Result and reaction as England win Women’s Six Nations grand slam decider
England 38-33 France: A world-record crowd of more than 58,000 were at Twickenham to see England seal another Women’s Six Nations grand slam
England beat a spirited France 38-33 to win their fifth straight Women’s Six Nations title with a grand slam in front of a world-record crowd at Twickenham to give coach Simon Middleton a fitting farewell.
With 58,498 fans in attendance, England struggled with nerves at first before pulling away from fellow unbeaten side France to go into the break with a commanding 33-0 lead.
Abby Dow scored England’s first try and although Helena Rowland missed the conversion, she made no mistake when captain Marlie Packer and Alex Matthews powered over. France were also temporarily down to 14 players when Jessy Tremouliere was sent to the sin bin, which also welcomed Rose Bernadou later in the half, helping England to score from a penalty try before Zoe Aldcroft also went over.
But England took their foot off the gas in the second half and France got on the board when Emilie Boulard scored the opening try before Gabrielle Vernier went through the English defence for a second. Both teams then scored from rolling mauls to make it 38-21 to England with 65 minutes on the clock. With five minutes left, France rallied with two more tries from Emeline Gros and Cyrielle Banet, but Tremouliere missed the first conversion as England held on for another grand slam.
Relive England’s historic win over France in the Women’s Six Nations, below
HT England 33-0 France
Here’s the try from Zoe Aldcroft, scored just on the stroke of half-time.
Half-time: England 33-0 France
That’s a perfect first 40 minutes for England. After weathering an early storm from France, the Red Roses wrestled the momentum and flew up the pitch scoring from their first attack.
From there it was a one-sided show, tries for Abby Dow, Marlie Packer, Zoe Aldcroft and Alex Matthews has given them a serious lead.
England 33-0 France (Rowland, conv)
An easy kick for Helena Rowland adds to England’s lead.
TRY! England 31-0 France (Aldcroft, 40+2’)
40+2 mins: Powerful direct drives from England see them cross the line once again. The Red Roses stretch the play out to the left, quickly move it back inside and a gap opens up for Zoe Aldcroft who flies through and scores.
PENALTY TRY! England 26-0 France
37 mins: The decision is made, Bernadou is given a yellow card, France are down to 13 players and England are awarded a penalty try which also earns them a bonus point.
England 19-0 France
36 mins: Another TMO consultation to see if England should be awarded a penalty try. Lucy Packer lunges for the line as Rose Bernadou tackles her from an offside position.
England 19-0 France
35 mins: Close! Lark Davies gets over the try line but seems to have just been held up by Audrey Forlani. The TMO can’t find a compelling reason to overturn the referee’s decision and England miss out on their fourth try of the half.
England 19-0 France (Rowland, conv)
Another simple one for Helena Rowland who kicks it over the top. England are totally dominant now.
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