France 33-31 England
Date:
Venue: Groupama Stadium, Lyon
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Attendance: 56,734
France v England Match Reports
France beat England 33-31 with a last-minute penalty kick in a thrilling Six Nations finale in Lyon. The home side had started strongly and built a 13-point lead heading towards the break with a try from Nolann Le Garrec and penalty kicks from Thomas Ramos. But England hit back with two tries from Ollie Lawrence either side of half-time to take the lead. Moments later, Marcus Smith swept over the line to score England's third try. Leo Barre and Gael Fickou then scored two tries within the space of five minutes to regain the lead for France. The match appeared to swing back in England's favour when Tommy Freeman scored in the corner and George Ford converted for a single point lead. But Ramos had the final say when his long-range penalty kick soared through the posts in the 79th minute to snatch victory for France. A selection of match reports is listed below:
- Six Nations Guide: France beat England to second spot in Six Nations by edging thriller in Lyon
- BBC: Late Ramos penalty sees France beat England in thriller
- Guardian: Ramos’ late penalty gives France win against England in seven-try thriller
- Telegraph: Six Nations heartbreak for England as 79th-minute penalty gives France victory
- Daily Mail: Six Nations comes to a thrilling end as Thomas Ramos' last-gasp kick gives the hosts a dramatic victory in 'Le Crunch' in Lyon
- Sky Sports: England denied second place as France snatch Six Nations thriller
- ESPN: France edge England 33-31 in blockbuster Six Nations finale
- England Rugby: England edged by France in seven-try thriller
France v England - Match Highlights
France v England - Match Stats
France (16) 33
Try: Le Garrec (20'), Barré (56'), Fickou (60')
Conversion: Ramos (21', 57', 62')
Penalty: Ramos (18', 32', 36', 79')
England (10) 31
Try: Lawrence (40'+1, 42'), Smith (46'), Freeman (75')
Conversion: Ford (40'+1, 43', 48', 76')
Penalty: Ford (12')
Man of the match: Léo Barré (France)
France v England - Team Line-ups
France Team Line-up
Forwards
- 1 Cyril Baille
- 2 Julien Marchand
- 3 Uini Atonio
- 4 Thibaud Flament
- 5 Emmanuel Meafou
- 6 François Cros
- 7 Charles Ollivon
- 8 Grégory Alldritt (Captain)
Backs
- 9 Nolann Le Garrec
- 10 Thomas Ramos
- 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey
- 12 Nicolas Depoortère
- 13 Gaël Fickou
- 14 Damian Penaud
- 15 Léo Barré
Replacements
- 16 Peato Mauvaka
- 17 Sébastien Taofifenua
- 18 Georges-Henri Colombe
- 19 Romain Taofifenua
- 20 Alexandre Roumat
- 21 Paul Boudehent
- 22 Maxime Lucu
- 23 Yoram Moefana
England Team Line-up
Forwards
- 1 Ellis Genge
- 2 Jamie George (Captain)
- 3 Dan Cole
- 4 Maro Itoje
- 5 George Martin
- 6 Ollie Chessum
- 7 Sam Underhill
- 8 Ben Earl
Backs
- 9 Alex Mitchell
- 10 George Ford
- 11 Elliot Daly
- 12 Ollie Lawrence
- 13 Henry Slade
- 14 Tommy Freeman
- 15 George Furbank
Replacements
- 16 Theo Dan
- 17 Joe Marler
- 18 Will Stuart
- 19 Ethan Roots
- 20 Alex Dombrandt
- 21 Danny Care
- 22 Marcus Smith
- 23 Manu Tuilagi