England restore pride in thrilling end to France’s tilt at Six Nations grand slam (2024)

A glorious international, and an absolutely outstanding revivalist England win. Suddenly, out of the blue, you could even begin to grasp why someone would pay tens of millions for a chunk of rugby’s future after some days when you would not give twopence.

England could easily have been clean out of the contest after a sublime first half of rugby in which the promise of this relatively young but brilliantly talented French side came bursting out all over. It is hard to recall a better half in the Six Nations, so good and so fast that conversely the pace was bound to drop.

Yet even in the first half, England did their best to match France with bold attacking rugby of their own and stayed close despite everything that Matthieu Jalibert, Gaël Fickou — now one of the sport’s greats — and the rest could throw at them.

This included one of the greatest one-phase tries ever scored. Even in the moment of the French defeat you could feel joyous at the prospects of this developing team playing in their own World Cup in 2023.

But when the vapour trails dissipated England were still there. In the second half England improved and had the better of the final quarter with George Ford and Owen Farrell, abetted by a supercharged Billy Vunipola, launching thunderous attacks even though the French lead of 20-16, annoyingly, remained throughout the third quarter and almost all of the fourth.

And then deep in the last five minutes, after the tension of a protracted examination of the angles by the television match official, there was confirmation that a deft pick-up and powerful lunge by Maro Itoje meant he had scored the try from the driving maul that won the match.

Where did this performance spring from? It was England’s first of merit since the semi-final of the World Cup. Rugby is too complicated an activity to be sure. Ben Youngs, Ford and Farrell were the conductors, England’s pack eventually wielded authority, orchestrating, both Vunipolas were back to their mighty best and Tom Curry, in the back row, contributed a wondrous performance that was every bit as good as that which dominated the New Zealand back row in that semi.

It will not help England in terms of their whole championship season, it will bewilder many who had begun to despair, and many who had taken in the words of Eddie Jones that it was impossible to play like this. But suddenly we saw Anthony Watson and Henry Slade with the ball in their hands. Phew.

As for France, what could you possibly say? In the first half they were brilliant. Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa were brilliant in midfield and Jalibert and Antoine Dupont just magical. The pack were moving quite wonderfully.

We knew which way the wind was blowing in the first two minutes when Dupont, Dylan Cretin and Vakatawa attacked down the left, Teddy Thomas kicked on and Dupont controlled the ball with his hand and scored.

But England replied immediately, with courage and skill. They dragged a superb series of defensive stands out of France, then opened the defence when Mako Vunipola popped a clever inside pass to Slade after Ford had set the line moving and when the ball came back, England worked Watson over quite beautifully down the right.

Farrell then put England 13-7 ahead with two penalties, one from a bonkers offside drive into a ruck by France and the other highly questionable when France appeared to counter-ruck successfully but were penalised.

But France produced three glorious passages of play as the half wore on. From the first, after the half-backs had initiated play and the outstanding Romain Taofifenua had driven the ball on. With the referee playing penalty advantage to France, Dupont chipped deep into the English in-goal and Jalibert almost reached it. In fact, he appeared to claw the ball down on to his own knee before it went dead.

France took the lead with a try of such majesty from one phase that it almost took the breath away. They went long at a lineout, shaped to drive around the tail but Dupont came round behind the play, moved it to the right and with Vakatawa drawing defenders, Fickou took the ball on. Jalibert held on fractionally to draw the defence and dump the ball perfectly over the top for the try by Damian Penaud.

With the third great attack down the left wing, again with Thomas, Cretin and Dupont prominent, France were hauled down just short. With unmarked backs screaming for the ball and a potential 24-13 half-time lead, Curry won a sensational turnover and it was only 17-13 when everyone went to draw breath.

The action became less abandoned, more intense but retained its fascination. There was a penalty each from Farrell and Jalibert; Elliot Daly and Jamie George helped energise England while France defended brilliantly against some titanic attacks.

Then England kicked to touch from a penalty with five minutes left. They tried to surge, were halted, then surged again and Itoje was over the line. Did he get it down? Oddly, he continued to wriggle and wrestle as if he had not. But the television match official correctly overruled the referee’s call on the field, awarded the try, which Farrell converted, and France had no more brilliant attacks left in them.

Perhaps the signature of their second half was a ludicrous attempt by Brice Dulin to drop for goal from miles out, just brainless and so unrepresentative of what France had been all about.

It goes without saying that you missed horribly the 82,000 people who should have had the honour and pleasure to be present, to see England so transformed, and to see international rugby back on its plinth.

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