Rugby Union: England 26 - 25 France

England kick-started their Six Nations campaign with a win over France

They sealed a dramatic 26-25 victory at Twickenham with a last-gasp try from Elliot Daly.

Author - Amy W

In wet and slippery conditions, Louis Bielle-Biarrey looked to have snatched the win for France with five minutes to go, but England had other ideas.

Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman, and replacement prop Fin Baxter also crossed the try line for the hosts, who battled back from six points down in the second half to take the lead with nine minutes remaining against a heavily fancied French side.

Bielle-Biarrey (twice) and Damian Penaud scored tries for France, while full-back Thomas Ramos added 10 points with the boot. Meanwhile, Marcus Smith had a tough day off the kicking tee, missing five points, while France were forced to reshuffle in the absence of the suspended Romain Ntamack, with Antoine Dupont stepping into the fly-half role. The visitors never quite found their rhythm.

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Despite settling into possession quicker, France were plagued by handling errors early on. Pierre-Louis Barassi’s stray pass was too difficult for Bielle-Biarrey to gather, Alexandre Roumat dropped the ball deep in England’s 22, Dupont fumbled in the corner, and Penaud twice let promising attacks slip through his fingers – one of which looked a certain try on the left. Ramos also failed to convert a straightforward penalty from directly in front of the posts.

Eventually, France made their pressure count on the half-hour mark after an England mistake gifted them possession. Dupont pounced on a poor Yoram Moefana offload, sprinted past Fin Smith and fed Penaud, who then dinked a clever kick forward. Bielle-Biarrey showed blistering pace to reach it first and touch down.

England’s response was immediate and determined. Marcus Smith, Freeman, and Alex Mitchell injected pace into the attack, forcing French prop Jean-Baptiste Gros to carry the ball back over his own try-line. From five metres out, England piled on relentless pressure before finally drawing level.

France started the second half as they had the first – with costly errors. Roumat knocked on once more in England’s 22, hooker Peato Mauvaka spilled a Bielle-Biarrey pass with the try-line in sight, and No. 8 Gregory Alldritt lost control of the ball under little pressure.

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A Ramos penalty on 50 minutes nudged France back in front after England were caught offside, but the hosts responded once again, with Maro Itoje winning a breakdown penalty. England turned down an opportunity to level the scores by opting for the corner, only for Mauvaka to snatch possession and relieve the pressure.

Another scrum penalty against England allowed Ramos to stretch France’s lead to six points, but within two minutes, Freeman soared to collect a pinpoint cross-field kick from Fin Smith, beating Bielle-Biarrey in the air. However, Marcus Smith’s wayward conversion meant England remained a point behind.

France struck again through Penaud in the corner on 61 minutes, and when Smith missed another shot at goal, England looked in trouble. But with nine minutes left, Baxter powered over, and Fin Smith’s conversion nudged England into a one-point lead.

Bielle-Biarrey then seemed to have won it for France, ruthlessly punishing English errors. However, a scrum penalty gave England one last chance, and they took it in style – Daly bursting onto the ball and charging over the line to seal a thrilling victory.