France …………….25pts
Tries: Fickou 14, Cros 39, Dupont 59
Conversions: Jaminet 40, 60
Penalties: Jaminet 8, 23
England …………..13pts
Tries: Steward 48
Conversions: Smith 50
Penalties: Smith 20, 30
FRANCE has fallen in love with its rugby team again, and we saw why as they clinched their first Grand Slam since 2010 thanks to a final flourish by their captain fantastic, Antoine Dupont, on the hour, to outclass a tenacious England side.
Dupont's try was timely because, although France had turned around with a comfortable 18-6 lead, an England side that looked in the first half as if it might be swamped, struck back soon after the interval with a well constructed try by Freddie Steward.
The towering Leicester full-back, who had been moved to wing for this encounter by Eddie Jones, made the most of a Joe Marchant break up the middle, and clever passing by Marcus Smith and Elliot Daly, by going over in the corner to narrow the gap to 18-13.
France then endured some fraught moments as Smith came close to unlocking the door again, but their Shaun Edwards constructed defence held firm and, when they forced their way back downfield, it was Dupont who made sure his team were winners – and the crowd hit the bars of Paris to celebrate with a smile on their faces.
The all-important third French try started with a sidewinder run by Damian Penaud on the edge of the England 22, and with heavyweight bench forwards Mohamed Haouas and Romain Taofifenua making further dents, they were poised to strike.
The breakthrough came when the perpetual motion Greg Alldritt made a half break before slipping a lovely one-handed pass to Dupont, whose power and pace did the rest, as he shrugged off the tackles of Jamie George and Ben Youngs to send the Stade de France crowd into orbit.
Melvyn Jaminet's conversion put the last jewel on the crown, as France held their ground, and their composure, to claim the biggest Six Nations prize of all, despite a dogged England effort.
The spectre of the pressure on France intensifying to the extent that they choked on this Grand Slam challenge was ramped-up by Ireland's four try bonus point victory over the Scots in Dublin.
It left Fabien Galthie's team in no doubt that only a victory against England would do, but if anyone doubted their ability to not just hold their nerve at the Stade de France but to claim a clean-sweep, it was soon banished.
The early portents were not good for England because everywhere you looked France appeared to have all the advantages.
There appeared to be little chance of England being able to whip-wheel at the scrum against the French juggernaut pack in the way they did against Ireland, and get away with it.
In the loose, the French ruck speed had been much faster and their breakdown counter-rucking, turn-over technique, and ball presentation far superior. Add to that superior passing, cohesion, support play and linebreaking ability, and England had a mountain to climb.
England made a solid enough start in the supercharged atmosphere at the Stade de France, but the home side showed signs of the threat that they pose when, with the England midfield opening up like a yaning chasm after a set play from a line-out, Gael Fickou spilled the ball.
France were not deterred and took the lead when Ellis Genge was penalised for collapsing at the second scrum of the game, and Melvyn Jaminet kicked the penalty to give France a 3-0 lead.
Although England managed to win their share of possession in the opening exchanges their attempts to get any advantage were disrupted continuously by France winning breakdown turnovers, with Alldritt the main thorn in their side.
France, who were quicker in thought and deed in the loose, threatened again when Jonathan Danty escaped up the middle, only for France to knockon again. However, they were building ahead of steam, and they put together a flowing attack from a Cameron Woki lineout catch with Marchand, Romain Ntamack, Jaminet, Gabin Villiere spearing into the England 22.
Enter Dupont, who provided the link three times – between François Cros, Villiere, and Woki – before passing to Ntamack, whose long scoring pass was taken on the bounce by Fickou, who scored with the England defence outmanoeuvred and outnumbered.
Although Jaminet failed to add the conversion from the touchline France led 8-0 with 15 minutes on the clock, and although Marcus Smith kicked a penalty midway through the half to make it 8-3, it was France, making all the running.
France's ruck speed was causing England constant headaches in defence, and they came within a whisker of scoring when a great handling attack from an Aldritt line-out saw the No.8, almost put Dupont over. However, an earlier infringement saw Jaminet kick the points to put France, 11-3 ahead.
England managed to raise a gallop through Joe Marchant, Genge and Will Stuart, which saw France concede a penalty which Smith kicked to make it 11-6, just before the half-hour.
However, even though Jaminet missed with a penalty after Genge had been blitzed at a scrum by Uini Atonio, they made their first-half superiority tell when they scored just before half-time from an irresistible attack, which started with the French full-back picking off a Smith cross-kick.
It resulted in a rollicking raid which saw Cyrille Baille, Dupont, Ntamack, Fickou, and Villiere handle to send Jelonch storming down the left wing, and when France recycled for Ntamack to make a searing break for the line he was stopped just short by the tenacious Genge.
It was not enough because Cros picked up from the ruck and drilled his way over, Jaminet converting to give France a deserved 18-6 half-time lead.
So, while France head to the World Cup that they will host next year with a spring in their step, where do England go from here? The first and biggest question is whether they continue down the yellow brick road, hand-in-hand with Eddie Jones as head coach.
As the dust settles on this French Grand Slam, it is glaringly obvious that England's trajectory under Jones has flat-lined after a third place finish this year, with three losses, to set alongside a fifth place finish last year.
The wizard of Oz, as he was billed after his own England Grand Slam six years ago, has big holes in his own game, and it should not have taken until the last game of the tournament for England to produce their best performance.
Regardless, they were still outclassed by France, who outscored them three tries to one and have another gear when it comes to pace, power, and precision. It is time for RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney and his ‘nonames no-packdrill' review panel to muster the courage to replace Jones with 18 months to go until the 2023 World Cup.
