- England beat France 38-33 in front of a record women’s crowd of 58,498 at Twickenham to seal a Six Nation’s Grand Slam
- The Red Roses scored six tries in the Grand Slam decider through skipper Marlie Packer, wing Abby Dow, No 8 Alex Matthews, hooker Lark Davies, lock Zoe Aldcroft and a penalty try
England beat France 38-33 in front of a record women’s crowd of 58,498 at Twickenham to seal a Six Nation’s Grand Slam.
A stunning first-half performance ensured England won their fifth Six Nations title at Twickenham in south-west London. The Red Roses scored six tries in the Grand Slam decider through skipper Marlie Packer, wing Abby Dow, No 8 Alex Matthews, hooker Lark Davies, lock Zoe Aldcroft and a penalty try.
England beat France to win another Women’s Six Nations grand slam. Photo/ CNN.
This was Simon Middleton’s final game in charge as England head coach. And speaking after the win, the 57-year-old said it was a an honour and privilege to be England’s head coach. The victory over France gave him more than he ever dreamed of.
“You couldn’t wish for more than this. It’s been an honour and privilege to do this job. I have been very lucky. The girls should be massively proud of what they are doing. I am so proud. To produce a game like that on a stage like this is everything that is good about the game. It’s been incredible. It’s a great learning experience that second half and they will continue to grow. This game has given me more than I’ve ever dreamed of.” BBC Sports quotes Simon Middleton.
How England Beat France
Saturday’s contest was the first time a standalone Red Roses Test was played at Twickenham. The announcement of the attendance surpassing the 42,579 set at last year’s World Cup final in New Zealand breathed joy into the air at Twickenham.
France started the game much stronger, totally dominating possession for the opening quarter. However, they failed to find a breakthrough despite making numerous attacks within the Red Roses territory. It took England resolute defending to deny France early on the game.
France’s pressure was halted when England pounced against the run of play, with Helena Rowland and Abby Dow combining well to give the home fans a reason to celebrate.
Tatyana Heard swat away blue shirts in the middle before being eventually halted and Packer using her strength to crash over. France’s defense was creaking, with fly-half Tremouliere being shown a yellow card for an intentional knock-on. Afterwards, there was a damaging spell with Mathew cross and a penalty try.
France bounced back in the second half as England showed cracks in their defense. France got on the board when Emilie Boulard scored the opening try before Gabrielle Vernier went through England’s defense for a second. Both England and France scored to make things 38-21 with 65 minutes on the clock.
As the game drew closer to an end, France rallied with two more tries, thanks to Emeline Gros and Cyrielle Banet. However, Tremouliere missed the first conversion as England won the title.
England beat a spirited France 38-33. Photo/ Sky News.
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