Following a nail-biting game, France defeated England 33-31 in the Guinness Six Nations, thanks to a last-minute penalty kick by Thomas Ramos. The English squad, managed by Steve Borthwick, found themselves trailing after the halftime in every match this championship, with a notable matchup deficit of 16-6 including a spectacular try by France’s scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec during this game.
Despite the uphill struggle, England managed a comeback with 21 unanswered points sparked by two tries from Ollie Lawrence and a touch down by Marcus Smith who tore through French midfield. As England revived, France responded with Leo Barre and Gael Fickou crossing the line but England’s Tommy Freeman also stormed over in the last five minutes.
Even as England seemed to have clinched their fourth victory in the Six Nations through repeated recoveries, a penalty from Ramos in the final seconds turned the tide. Manu Tuilagi took what might have been his last England appearance, culminating in an exciting climax.
Though Ireland had already claimed the championship title by defeating Scotland, the intense France-England match resonated the game’s spirit. After recovering from a false start of the game that saw Ramos kicking off early, England faced wave after wave of French offensives.
George Furbank had to bow out due to a calf injury, and George Ford spearheaded England by scoring the first penalty. However, the unstoppable French momentum climaxed with a phenomenal try, starting with Fickou and ending with Le Garrec hitting the target. Despite scrambling to thwart an extended range goal from the French, an amplified lead by Ramos’s second penalty left England on shaky ground. Damian Penaud, despite making no progress in a crabbing run, created another chance for Ramos, who successfully kicked yet another goal.
In an invigorating display, England demonstrated their tenacity when Lawrence made reparations; an essential try at the threshold of half-time, lessening the half-time disadvantage to 16-10.
More was yet to come, as a fluid strategy, driven by impressive runs from Sam Underhill and Ben Earl, culminated in Lawrence’s second try.
In an unlikely turn-around, England was now consistently breaking the French defence as Underhill and Earl again allied efforts to lay the groundwork before Smith’s arrival resulted in a score.
Refinding their energy, France capitalised when their rivals depleted in defence, allowing Barre to break through, reducing the gap to a single point as the final quarter approached.
The recharge allowed the upcoming 2023 World Cup hosts to manifest a third try masterminded by Fickou, courtesy of Theo Dan’s line-out blunder.
Nevertheless, England remained up for the fight, orchestrating an intelligently crafted offence that created an overlap and an easy run through for Freeman.
However, with the Test apparently secured, Ramos emerged to dictate a contrasting finale.