England hold on to deny France

By CAM STEPHENS

England ……………………….38pts

Tries: Dow 16, M Packer 25, Matthews 31, Penalty 35, Aldcroft 41, Davies 59

Conversions: Rowland 25, 32, 42

France………………………….33pts

Tries: Boulard 48, Vernier 55, Escudero 65, Gros 75, Banet 80

Conversions: Tremouliere 49, 56, 66; Arbez 80+1

England marked a historic day with a thrilling win over France to secure the Grand Slam and their fifth straight Six Nations title in front of the largest-ever crowd in women's rugby.

The 58,498 in attendance were treated to a free-flowing affair as a five-try blitz in the first-half from the Red Roses was met by the threat of a monumental second-half comeback by the French.

But, as England held on to win, they secured their fifth Grand Slam in eight years and provided the perfect swansong for departing coach Simon Middleton.

“The girls put everything out there today, I'm super proud. Every player in the squad has played a part. It's amazing,” said winning captain Marlie Packer. “France came at us. We knew we would have a tough game.

They've grown over the tournament and played the full 80 minutes.” Back row Sadia Kabeya added: “It's been absolutely amazing. It's been an amazing tournament and today it all came together. “It was definitely a game of two halves. They gave it to us but we stuck to it and kept to the game plan.”

Racing home: Abbie Dow scores the first try

The record crowd provided a magnet of tension early on as both sides participated in a nervy game of kick tennis to open, wary not to give the other any opportunities. The visitors then began to command proceedings and piled the pressure on England as they enjoyed the lion's share of possession.

But as France hammered away, England were merciless in defence and Hannah Botterman's crucial turnover on the goal line provided relief for the Red Roses. Then, England burst into life.

After riding the early wave of French attack, the hosts completely turned the tide as they began to flourish. Helena Rowland's delicate footwork off the scrum led to a scintillating linebreak before England recycled and pounced down the short side, with Claudia MacDonald's pass allowing Abby Dow to race down the touchline to score the first points of the afternoon.

The score becalmed England as they settled into their attacking patterns. And just before the half-hour mark, the second try came as Tatyana Heard bust through three French defenders before expertly offloading to captain Marlie Packer who crossed for her seventh try of the campaign. The avalanche of points then continued as the French defence couldn't cope with England's relentless attack.

On the attack: Marlie Packer breaks through to score the second try

The third score came minutes after fly-half Jessy Tremouliere was yellow carded for a deliberate knockdown with Alex Matthews darting over the line from the base of the scrum. The bonus-point try quickly followed as a lengthy deliberation with the TMO saw England awarded a penalty try after prop Rose Bernadou denied Lucy Packer's snipe from an offside position.

A fifth score then came on the stroke of half-time as Sarah Beckett linked up with her second-row partner Zoe Aldcroft to put an emphatic stamp on a 33-point first-half performance.

France were determined not to lie down after the break, and as they did in the first half, dominated the opening stages. But, unlike the firsthalf, they were able to capitalise as full back Emilie Boulard crashed over in the channel to finally give the visitors something to show for their efforts.

The momentum snowballed as France continued swinging for the fences, eventually getting a second score as Gabrielle Vernier's snipe from the base of the ruck injected a slightly fidgety feeling into the Twickenham crowd. England hooker Lark Davies then crossed from the back of the maul to settle the nerves on the hour mark and extend the lead back beyond three scores.

But the try wasn't enough to quash France's energy as they continued to dominate possession and constantly chipped away at the English defence. The pressure paid dividends as No.8 Charlotte Escudero benefited from the back of the maul to reignite the glimmer of hope for a famous comeback.

And then with five minutes to go, those hopes grew bigger as Emeline Gros' try drew France to within two scores. England were left clinging on for dear life in the closing stages, desperately trying to avoid a historic comeback.

Despite Cyrielle Banet adding a fifth second-half try for France to close the game out, it was too late and as the final whistle blew, it sent the Twickenham crowd into a frenzy on one of the most important days in the history of women's rugby.

Delight: England coach Simon Middleton celebrates victory