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Match report
FULL TIME: France 22-16 England
France celebrate wildly as England crumple to the turf! French confidence is on the up again ... while England have lost two on the bounce! And it also means that IRELAND ARE THE 2018 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONS!!! A deserved victory for France tonight - they were resilient while England were stodgy - and a thoroughly deserved championship for the Irish. Can they close it out by winning the grand slam next weekend with victory over England at Twickenham? It’s going to be a blast finding out, not least because it’ll be St Patrick’s Day!
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80 min +4: But with France reeling, seriously worried that they’ve somehow thrown it away, there’s a knock-on, a yard from the tryline! It’s over!
80 min +3: Beauxis was under a little pressure there, but surely he tried to kick too far upfield. So close to victory and yet so far! And England snaffle possession at this lineout! They’ve set up camp in front of the French sticks!
80 min +2: It’s thrown long. Too long! Beauxis gathers ... but can’t find touch with his kick! England are still alive! This is astonishing! Another penalty for not rolling away! Farrell will surely go for the corner again.
80 min +1: England take their time over this lineout.
80 min: The clock’s up. But after 11 phases, France fail to roll away and it’s a penalty. Farrell slaps a superb kick towards the left-hand corner flag. What a dramatic end to this game!
79 min: England with a few phases just inside the French half. They’re up to six. Something’s got to happen soon!
Penalty. France 22-16 England (Beauxis 79)
Over it goes! Just under two minutes left on the clock.
77 min: Well, this is probably it. France go through a few phases, and then England fiddle about in the ruck. Penalty, right in front of the sticks. France will take their time.
76 min: Gomes Sa intercepts a Lawes pass out on the England right, as the visitors look for one last charge. That could be the final crucial moment of this match.
Conversion. France 19-16 England (Farrell 75)
Especially as Farrell strokes a stunning kick between the posts from tight on the chalk!
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TRY! France 19-14 England (May 74)
England win France’s lineout. They set up in front of the sticks. Daly flings a pass wide left. Care, out on the touchline, taps the ball back infield for May, who powers over the line! This isn’t over yet!
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73 min: Te’o bursts through the middle, and for a second it looks as though France are in serious trouble. But he throws a poor pass, the ball bounces around in the momentum-ruining style, and France regroup.
72 min: Couilloud and Beauxis are on for Machenaud and Trinh-Duc.
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71 min: A sweeping left-to-right French move nearly results in Grosso crossing over by the right-hand flag. He’s held up. France make a big heave for the line. Not quite. England push them a little ways back, and finally they fail to release at the breakdown. Decent defence by England.
69 min: Some nonsense at the scrum. Time is not England’s friend, the hosts are perfectly happy with this.
68 min: Lauret is replaced by Galletier. Care and Watson are replaced by Wigglesworth and Brown.
67 min: Poirot, Vahaamahina and Guirado are replaced by Priso, Le Roux and Pelissie.
65 min: Cowan-Dickie is on for George. England put together a few phases inside French territory. Ten phases, and then Simmonds fails to release. Penalty, and England’s grip on the Six Nations trophy is beginning to look very weak indeed. Down to the last couple of fingers.
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Penalty: France 19-9 England (Machenaud 63)
Machenaud takes his time, but it’s worth it. England now have to score twice just for the win; not only that, they’ve only got 17 minutes to score four tries for the bonus point they require.
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61 min: France probe a little down the left. England fail to roll away, and this is another penalty for France.
60 min: Joseph comes on for Ford.
58 min: France swap Slimani for Gomes Sa, while England exchange Cole for Sinckler. France escape from the corner by winning the lineout. And Watson comes back on.
57 min: France put ten phases together just inside the England half, but then refuse to release the ball at the breakdown. Farrell kicks majestically for the corner down the left, and England look to have seen out Watson’s yellow card.
55 min: This is extremely scrappy. France lose another of their own lineouts. Daly has a kick charged down. There’s little shape to it. But the home crowd are loving it.
53 min: France collapse the scrum! England were in serious trouble there, but the hosts have let them off. There’s polite. “This is painful viewing,” opines Guy Hornsby. “We’re isolated and weak at the breakdown, with France simply queuing up to pick us off. Given this happened against Scotland, you do have to wonder what on earth we were doing in training for two weeks.”
52 min: Guirado is down getting his right knee looked at. He’ll be OK to continue, it looks like. It’ll be a scrum to France, five metres out. Before that, Launchbury is replaced by Haskell.
51 min: France are very much on the front foot now, against England’s 14 men. Some fancy flinging, left to right. Guirado nearly crosses near the touchline, and they’re four on two, but a flick inside to Fickou doesn’t quite go to plan, and England hold them up on the line.
PENALTY TRY! France 16-9 England
That whole move was started by Guirado’s burst down the right flank, after which Trinh-Duc hoicked across the field to set up Fall. England are in a wee spot of trouble now, if they want to retain their title this season.
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49 min: Watson is yellow carded for a high tackle, and it’s ...
48 min: Trinh-Duc plays a crossfield kick towards the left-hand corner. Fall gathers, and looks for the line. Watson throws out an arm and tackles him by his neck. This one’s going to the TMO. A penalty try?
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47 min: France confuse themselves in the midfield, the ball squirting from the breakdown, allowing Farrell to run off with the ball. But then Itoje fails to release, and France are gifted possession back. This is not a showcase of technical brilliance.
45 min: England set up camp in the French 22. Seven phases, and France are rocking a bit. Vunipola goes down the right, but he runs into Bastareaud. He fails to release, and there goes that pressure.
43 min: All a bit scrappy in the early stages of this half. Bastareaud clatters into Te’o. Then Vahaamahina goes too far, taking Simmonds out. Penalty, and a chance for England to kick for the corner.
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41 min: And now Bonneval is off, with Fickou on.
And we’re off again! England get the party restarted. No replacements at half-time.
HALF TIME: France 9-9 England
After a couple of minutes of nonsense, the ball eventually comes out of a legal scrum. England fling it hither and yon. But the French intercept. A chance for the home side to tear upfield on the break. But Bastareaud flings a woeful forward pass into touch, a play that just about sums up the half. The whistle goes, and off trot the players. As things stand, Ireland will be the 2018 Six Nations champions in about an hour’s time. England can only stop them by scoring four tries in the second half on their way to victory.
40 min: A lot of faffing in the scrum, as you’d imagine. A penalty here conceded by France would be costly. A lot of faffing.
39 min: Camara knocks on, trying to gather a wild pass on his own 22. If he’d have taken that in, France were in clover down the right. But it’s a scrum to England, and a chance for the reigning Six Nations champions to establish a lead at the break.
Penalty: France 9-9 England (Machenaud 37)
No bother! A proper old welt, sent straight down the middle of the field and between the sticks. It’s three from three for Machenaud.
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36 min: England are offside in the middle of the park, just inside their own half. France will go for the posts. It’s a fair way out, though.
35 min: May comes haring down the right at great speed. Machenaud stops him in a very comprehensive fashion. A good old-fashioned crunching tackle. The crowd very much enjoyed that.
Penalty: France 6-9 England (Machenaud 33)
Over it goes. France are holding on in a stop-start game.
31 min: Bastareaud goes barging down the centre, his power and energy engaging the crowd. France up the tempo. A few phases. France set up in front of the posts, but then there’s a careless knock-on. France were playing a penalty advantage, so they’ll have a belt at the sticks, but that could have been so much better.
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Penalty: France 3-9 England (Farrell 29)
No problems there, as England reestablish their six-point lead.
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28 min: A collapsed maul in the middle of the park, and France have conceded another penalty. Farrell will gather the ball and have a crack from 50 metres, just to the right of the sticks.
26 min: Watson threads a kick down the right for May, who bravely reaches the ball under pressure and kicks on towards Daly. Grosso comes across to flop on the ball as it bounces over the tryline. England went truly expansive for the first time this afternoon, and it very nearly paid off.
Penalty: France 3-6 England (Machenaud 25)
No problem for Machenaud. France are on the board.
24 min: A few phases for France, just inside the England half. Then Fickou turns on the jets and eats up a good 20 yards down the right. He’s stopped eventually, but England are caught offside. Penalty for France. Before it can be taken, Hughes has picked up an injury and is replaced by Simmonds. Meanwhile Bonneval comes back on for Fickou.
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Penalty: France 0-6 England (Daly 22)
Over it goes, just. The perfect direction and distance. What a clatter he gave that. England are in control of the scoreboard, but they’re still four tries short in their quest to keep the 2018 Six Nations alive until the final weekend.
21 min: Slimani drops a scrum, and it’s another penalty for England. This is out on the halfway line, so Daly will have a dig.
20 min: France do their best to mess up another lineout. Having gathered it, Gabrillagues attempts a long pass inside and it’s nearly intercepted by Robshaw. The England man knocks on, but it was a brave attempt, and that was so nearly a very costly mistake by the French.
18 min: France break away from the back of the scrum. Trinh-Duc tries a chip and chase between the sticks. He’s given that far too much wellie, and he’s never getting to it. Out of play it goes.
16 min: England are penalised for failing to release, and France kick for the corner. Can they finally win a lineout? Oui! France set up in the centre of the field, Camara trying to barge his way through. Not quite. Scrum to France, and a good field position.
15 min: Bonneval has taken an innocent whack from May, and he’s forced to go off. Fickou comes on in his stead.
13 min: And then England over-elaborate as they fling a few passes wide right, Farrell’s backflick to Daly failing to come off. Grosso intercepts and suddenly France are tearing up the other end! That’s got the crowd going. A few phases in England territory this time. But Slimani mishandles and England can clear their lines. Better from the home side, though.
12 min: France almost immediately cede possession as they lose another of their own lineouts. The first audible mutterings from the home support; their side haven’t put anything together at all yet. England are bossing it in terms of possession and territory.
11 min: England win a lineout on the French 22. Another chance to probe. The home support has gone pretty quiet already. Some more phases. Farrell very nearly bursts clear down the right channel, but Slimani stops him in his tracks. After eight phases, possession is lost by England as they fail to release.
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8 min: More possession for England. Farrell sends a little grubber kick down the right. Bonneval intercepts, with May threatening to gather it. He then flicks a preposterous backwards pass inside, allowing George to snaffle possession again. France are struggling to keep hold of the ball in these opening exchanges.
6 min: May glides in from the right and very nearly scuttles through a huge gap in the middle of the French defence. The gap’s closed just in time. But England are putting a few phases together here, pressing France back to their 22.
Penalty! France 0-3 England (Farrell 4)
No bother for England’s stand-in captain. Over it goes. A fast start for the visitors instead, then.
3 min: A scrum collapses in the midfield. Both teams coming in at an angle. The ref awards a penalty to England. Farrell will have a go from 40 yards.
1 min: Tauleigne is sent scampering down the middle. He flings a pass wide left to Grosso, who nearly makes it over for a sensational start for France. But there was a fairly obvious forward pass at the start of the move. The referee was blowing his whistle like billy-o, to no avail.
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And we’re off! Trinh-Duc gets the game underway with the opening kick of the match.
The teams are out! It’s a very aesthetically pleasing scene, France in their bleu, England sporting their white, thousands of tricolores fluttering in the warm Parisian evening sky. A glorious atmosphere at the Stade de France. England belt out God Save... while the home fans give it a blast of La Marseillaise, which is a tune. We’ll be off in a minute or two!
Breaking news ... Ireland have just beaten the travelling circus troupe known as Scotland 28-8.
That means the Scots haven’t won away to a member of the old Five Nations since 2010. More important, of course, is what the result means for Ireland and England. The Irish can now travel to Twickenham next weekend with grand-slam hope in their hearts. And they might do battle for only the third grand slam in their history without the added pressure of playing for the Six Nations title, because they crossed the line four times at Lansdowne Road today, picking up a bonus point for their efforts ... and unless England match that four-try feat while beating France this evening, the title is Ireland’s tonight. No biggie, then, England!
1. Ireland P4 Pts19
2. England 3-9
3. Scotland 4-8
4. Wales 3-6
5. France 3-6
6. Italy 3-0
Preamble
France versus England! A famous rivalry best defined perhaps by this ...
... or maybe this ...
... or how about this ...
... or even this nonsense!
England go into this afternoon’s big event as favourites, having won their last three Six Nations meetings with France. Eddie Jones’s side are expected to bounce back from their thorough working over at Murrayfield and make it four on the spin against Les Bleus, keeping their championship hopes alive in the process. Owen Farrell will captain the side for the first time, with Dylan Hartley out injured, while Ben Te’o comes in to face down Mathieu Bastareaud.
The French have their own reasons to be cheerful, though. Jacques Brunel has lifted the mood in the camp – as reported by your friend and mine, Mr Andy Bull – though sadly there’s no room in the team for the exciting Teddy Thomas, who is still being punished for that boozy night in Edinburgh along with seven other naughty players. What an absolute shower.
Kick off: 4.45pm GMT, 5.45pm local time at the Stade de France.
France: H Bonneval (Toulon); B Fall (Montpellier), M Bastareaud (Toulon), G Doumayrou (La Rochelle), R Grosso (Clermont Auvergne); F Trinh-Duc (Toulon), M Machenaud (Racing 92); J Poirot (Bordeaux-Begles), G Guirado (Toulon, capt), R Slimani (Clermont Auvergne), P Gabrillagues (Stade Francais), S Vahaamahina (Clermont Auvergne), W Lauret (Racing 92), Y Camara (Montpellier), M Tauleigne (Bordeaux-Begles).
Replacements: A Pelissie (Bordeaux-Begles), D Priso (La Rochelle), C Gomes Sa (Racing 92), R Taofifenua (Toulon), K Galletier (Montpellier), B Couilloud (Lyon), L Beauxis (Lyon), G Fickou (Toulouse).
England: A Watson (Bath); J May (Leicester), B Te’o (Worcester), O Farrell (Saracens, capt), E Daly (Wasps); G Ford (Leicester), D Care (Harlequins); M Vunipola (Saracens), J George (Saracens), D Cole (Leicester), J Launchbury (Wasps), M Itoje (Saracens), C Lawes (Northampton), C Robshaw (Harlequins), N Hughes (Wasps).
Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter), J Marler (Harlequins), K Sinckler (Harlequins), J Haskell (Wasps), S Simmonds (Exeter), R Wigglesworth (Saracens), J Joseph (Bath), M Brown (Harlequins).
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa).
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) and Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa).
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