A Six-Nation crown will have to wait another year for France, but any talk of a rebellion has been firmly ruled out. France finished the tournament, which was in danger of falling into disaster, as Ireland’s closest rival, with Thomas Ramos’ last-minute long-range penalty victory on a turbulent night in Lyon.
Despite the rivalry meaning this was never going to be a boring championship code, few could have expected something with this much action and hostility. This was boosted by the crowd bouncing home as they enjoyed a rare chance to see the men in blue in the Six Nations, at one point shaking the uprights with a powerful thunderclap. They were the ones who lifted the home team at the last moment to deny England victory.
The St Patrick’s Day bash will be spectacular in Dublin again with Andy Farrell’s side kings, but there’s also something to celebrate in Twickenham and Paris, where both Steve Borthwick and Fabien Galthie are relatively happy with their efforts and are sure of more to come. England may have fallen short in the end but they backed up Ireland’s derailment of their grand slam hopes with another performance of real character and confidence; But familiar flaws in the first half will worry their head coach.
For France, any concerns about Galthie’s future or the union’s precarious financial situation can wait for now; French people are behind Les Bleus. This ended a run of three games without a home win, which is both a beautiful and a beast. The extraordinary Damian Penaud may not have scored one of the three tries he needed to overtake Serge Blanco as France’s all-time men’s record holder, but he was superb from start to finish; Full-back Leo Barre, who can also play further forward, looks like a real discovery. . France have used some harsh rhythms in this tournament, but they can still create their own dizzying rhythm.
Although they started the day with a mathematical chance of lifting the trophy, the pair’s title bid was more than an hour before kick-off, with Ireland unconvincing but ultimately taking care of business against Scotland to seal back-to-back crowns. This left these two in contention for second place; It was one rung below the level they had hoped to climb before the championship, but they still achieved sufficient success given that both France and England looked set to fall off the ladder after mid-round disasters.
Such was Ramos’ eagerness to start the game that the France fly half took the kick-off too early, with referee Angus Gardner responding by whistling at his pursuers after a false start. This reflected the French side’s willingness to fire out of the blocks; The home side were starting quicker with two meaty mauls pushing England back.
The desire for urgency encouraged the crowd; French fans booed George Ford’s targeting and George Furbank’s kneeling. But Furbank was of greater concern to England; A calf injury meant the night was over almost before it started; Marcus Smith was reprising his World Cup role at full-back 10 minutes after the start. Ford resumed kicking duties and soon took the first three points from a scrum penalty, but Ramos soon responded in kind following a breakdown infringement.
Nolann Le Garrec’s opening try was quite overdone. After stealing England’s field ball in the frontcourt, France appeared to retreat as the attacking side swung the ball towards midfield. However, Gael Fickou realized that there was space in front of him and called on the insiders to transfer quickly, and the insiders obliged. Fickou rounded the corner and linked up with Barre; he, too, puppeteered delightfully and found Le Garrec building insider support for something of coast-to-coast beauty.
While England tried to slow the game down, France stepped on the gas pedal. Penaud scythed through several kick chasers and moved ahead as a hare for Louis Bielle-Biarrey to follow for the greyhound. Only a burst of extra acceleration from the retreating Smith saved the situation for England.
Ramos added another six points from the starting spot and France’s lead began to increase. There was a feeling that England were playing into the hands of the home side with their strategy of slowing down, giving the big forward monsters time to recover and a chance to switch to the sharp backs.
The visitors needed something before half-time and eventually came to life, taking advantage of the lack of defensive synergy in France’s revamped midfield. Henry Slade lined up to find Ollie Lawrence walking through the open front door.
England were at least in familiar territory, trailing at half-time for the fifth time in this Six Nations. They reemerged with enthusiasm and strength; Tommy Freeman, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl were eating the open pastures on the right just before plowing more central furrows. Lawrence once again put the finishing touches on, the tougher hurdles still brushing aside with a strong score from close range.
England was energized; France was angry. From the brilliant line-out ball, the brilliant Earl groped his way through two French defenders to get neat hands on the line, Smith rode shotgun and crashed home.
The game had turned, England were now eight-a-side. France turned to row ballast to try and stabilize the ship, which was pushing forward four tight five at a time in the choppy waters. It worked almost instantly; Peato Mauvaka and his team pushed back England’s eight and made room for Barre on the right. The game soon changed direction again, with the electric Penaud stepping in after half-volleying the loose ball and combining with Fickou for France’s third try.
Britain had gone deep into the well last week and finding deep reserves again was looking like a challenge. Manu Tuilagi – perhaps bidding farewell in white – joined Lawrence in the centers for Borthwick’s own bench powerplay and helped create a platform for Freeman to advance along the right touchline, Ford’s nerveless conversion pushing England forward. But there was time left for Ramos to strike the ball and finally bring this writhing struggle to full conclusion.