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
England 12-0 France
31 mins: Penalty to England! Their forwards pile the pressure on the defence and try to get over the line with running plays.
A quick switch sends the ball out to Tatyana Heard and she passes it down the line. Jessy Tremouliere sticks out a hand and stops the pass illegally.
She earns a yellow cards and the French are down to 14.
England 12-0 France
29 mins: Marine Menager hits Ellie Kildunne with a strong tackle as France force England back past the halfway line. A late tacke on Marlie Packer from Manae Feleu wins the home side a penalty and keeps the England captain on the deck for a little while.
She’s fine to go on, of course.
England 12-0 France (Rowland, conv)
26 mins: Helena Rowland doesn’t miss this time and adds another couple to the score for the Red Rose. England are in control now.
TRY! England 10-0 France (M. Packer, 26’)
26 mins: Wonderful from England! Sadia Kabeya starts the move, breaking through a tackle before England flick the ball out to Tatyana Heard.
Heard drives down the inside right and offloads the ball to Marlie Packer. Packer skips inside, holds off the defender and forces the ball over the line.
Great strength and attacking play from England.
England 5-0 France
23 mins: Oh how good is this?! England’s front row dominate a France scrum and recover the ball winning themselves a penalty in the process.
They elect for field position and win a lineout on the 22 yard line.
England 5-0 France
22 mins: France’s defence certainly doesn’t look as strong as England’s. There are more gaps and England forwards are finding some joy getting into space.
A forward pass turns possession over to France just as the Red Roses get into their opponent’s half.
England 5-0 France
20 mins: Helena Rowland misses the conversion for England.
That was a lightning quick run from Abby Dow to score for the Red Roses on their first attack. Claudia MacDonald has been treated by some of the medical staff for a knock but she’s playing on for now.
TRY! England 5-0 France (Dow, 17’)
17 mins: That’s better! An England scrum sees Lucy Packer collect the ball and send it across to Tatyana Heard. She offloads to Helena Rowland who breaks through the French line and drives up the pitch.
A quick reset sees England send the ball over to the right wing where Abby Dow flies down the line and dives in for the opening try of the match.
England 0-0 France
14 mins: England are being tested now. Quick hands from France after their scrum send the ball down the line. They try to push through the centre but England hold them off on the edge of the try line.
Hannah Botterman comes through with a powerful tackle and turns the ball over to the delight of the onlooking English fans inside the stadium.
England 0-0 France
12 mins: Despite their dominance in possession France haven’t been able to test England. A small kick over the top comes to the right wing where Cyrielle Banet leaps above Lucy Packer to win the ball.
She knocks on but the referees judge that Packer tackled her in the air. Penalty to France.
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