LONDON :England overcame irrepressible France 43-42 to clinch a fourth straight Grand Slam and seventh successive Women’s Six Nations title at Twickenham on Saturday as they extended their record winning streak in the tournament to 34 matches.
The Red Roses were clinical during a breathless first half with tries from Abby Dow, Emma Sing (2), Lark Atkin-Davies and Claudia MacDonald but leaked three scores to the resilient visitors to squander a 31-7 lead and go in 31-21 up at halftime.
The game sustained its breakneck, tit-for-tat pace in the second half as England captain Zoe Aldcroft finished after Dow cut through before French winger Kelly Arbey replied.
France were never out of it and when Joanna Grisez scorched over down the left to make it 43-42 with a minute left, the upset for an England team that had not lost a Six Nations game since 2018 looked on before the hosts finally triumphed.
It was a showcase of attacking rugby from both sides that left serious questions about England’s defence ahead of a home World Cup in August that they are desperate to win and exorcise the demons of their defeat in the 2021 final to New Zealand.
England laid down a marker with a sharp score after four minutes, prolific winger Dow collecting a kick through from Zoe Harrison and fending off a tackle to score in the corner.
But France struck back within a minute, fly half Carla Arbez darting over after direct running and a brilliant midfield offload carved space through the hosts’ defence.
Sing, in at fullback for England’s injured supreme finisher Ellie Kildunne, then scored the game’s third try in 10 minutes as she finished an overlap on the left.
Hooker Atkin-Davies put England 17-7 ahead from a powerful lineout drive after they kicked for the corner instead of goal, before Sing added her second as England seemed to be waltzing to the Grand Slam.
The hosts could never hold on to a commanding lead throughout the game, however, with France striking back every time it looked like the Red Roses could pull away.
A fumble from flyhalf Zoe Harrison, fielding a scrappy pass behind her own line that gifted Pauline Bourdon France’s second try, was typical of their defensive errors.
The game resembled a highlights package as both sides scored with almost every attack, England mixing up their passing and kicking game to lethal effect while France made sharp use of the scraps of possession they could win.
It took a French knock-on from the game’s final restart for England to launch their celebrations, clinging on to an encounter they had been tipped to win more comfortably.
The result leaves England with a few months to add more defensive rigour to their undoubted attacking verve ahead of a home World Cup which kicks off on August 22 when the Red Roses take on the United States.
While Twickenham Sstadium, now known as the Aviva, was not full, a crowd of 37,573 were on hand to see England lift the trophy in a haze of purple smoke, with the Grand Slam secure but thoughts already turning to the bigger challenge ahead.
