France fend off England to seal Grand Slam in Paris

France made it a clean sweep in this year’s Six Nations as they overcame England 25-13 to secure a famous Grand Slam in Paris on Saturday.

Led by player of the match Antoine Dupont, Les Bleus responded to Ireland’s win over Scotland as they saw off a gritty England at the Stade de France.

Tries from Gael Fickou, Francois Cros and Dupont were added to by 10 points off the tee from Melvyn Jaminet as Fabien Galthie’s men were victorious.

The battling nature of the England performance will spare Eddie Jones the harshest criticism, but another failed Six Nations Championship places his position as head coach under renewed scrutiny with the World Cup just 18 months away.

England’s best period came immediately after half-time and produced a try for Freddie Steward, but France showed their mettle to sustain only limited damage during a difficult spell.

Dupont ran in Les Bleus’ third try, adding to the earlier scores by Fickou and Cros, to seize back control and had their execution been sharper they would have been out of sight long ago.

England were turned over time and again to hamper their efforts of registering an upset, but they finished strongly and refused to throw in the towel even as France threatened to cut loose.

Victories by Ireland and Italy earlier on Saturday meant the visitors were certain to finish in third place before a ball was kicked in Paris, any hope of winning the title evaporating with a record home defeat by Andy Farrell’s men in round four.

Their evening began with Jones being loudly booed when his name was read out during the boisterous pre-match entertainment and by its end England fans might have shared the sentiment.

A feature of the opening stages was the over-reliance on Ellis Genge, who was stationed in the backfield to run the ball back, but the ploy produced little return and when the first scrum arrived he was penalised, allowing Jaminet to land three points.

Worse was to come as England’s early play was littered with mistakes and in the 15th minute the hosts accepted an invitation to strike by sweeping the ball from one touchline to the other for Fickou to touch down.

Marcus Smith and Jaminet exchanged penalties but France were in the driving seat as they swarmed over Maro Itoje to end a promising attack and soon after Jack Nowell left the field after falling on his arm when challenging for the ball.

If they could just make their passes stick, Les Bleus would be cantering out of sight but perhaps as a sign of nerves, their handling was often snatched.

There was greater precision just before half-time, however, and they were rewarded when waves of attacks that were given an injection of pace by Gabin Villiere and Romain Ntamack ended with Cros going over.

An 18-6 interval scoreline looked ominous for England and they were met with ferocious defending as they started the second half with renewed intent.

But slowly momentum was building and when Joe Marchant found space an opportunity opened up and clever handling sent Steward over in the right corner.

England then imposed themselves up-front through a thunderous maul but their hearts sank as another dominant spell highlighted by Steward’s kick and catch ended when they conceded a penalty.

Sensing their team needed lifting, the home crowd came alive and roared France on to their third try as a series of pick and goes reached the decisive moment as Gregory Alldritt sent Dupont through a gap and the scrum-half’s strength did the rest.

It proved to be the killer blow as for all England’s effort in the latter stages, they lacked the firepower to make any more dents.

Italy end 36-match losing run with shock win over Wales

Italy ended their 36-match losing streak in the Six Nations courtesy of a deserved 22-21 victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

In an entertaining and drama-filled encounter, the visitors were full value for their win as they had the upper-hand for long periods and were leading 12-7 at half-time.

Wales thought they had won the game after Josh Adams scored a try in the 70th minute but Italy had the last laugh as Edoardo Padovani crossed for the Azzurri’s only five-pointer 10 minutes later and Paolo Garbisi added the extras to seal a memorable win for the visitors.

Italy’s other points came via penalties from Garbisi (3) and Padovani also succeeded with a couple of three-pointers off the kicking tee.  For Wales, Owen Watkin and Dewi Lake also scored tries while Dan Biggar added three conversions.

Last season’s champions had hoped to give milestone men Biggar and Alun Wyn Jones a day to remember.

Skipper Biggar became the seventh Welshman to collect 100 caps, while Jones clocked up 150 Wales appearances, making him the first player in international rugby union history to reach that figure.

But the script was torn up by an Italian side that claimed a first Six Nations victory for seven years that ended that run of 36 successive losses in the competition.

It was also their first triumph on Welsh soil and ended a run of 16 successive defeats to last season’s Six Nations champions.

Italy clinched their spectacular triumph a minute from time when full-back Ange Capuozzo attacked from inside his own half, and Padovani claimed the try that Garbisi converted to spark wild scenes of Azzurri celebration.

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac made seven changes following a narrow defeat against France last time out, including a first Test start for hooker Lake, while full-back Johnny McNicholl, centre Uilisi Halaholo and prop Dillon Lewis were also among those called up.

Italy made a bright start, with wing Monty Ioane putting early defensive pressure on McNicholl, and it took Wales 10 minutes before they could establish any kind of threatening position inside the Azzurri’s 22.

But that opportunity was wasted after Lake, making his first Test start, overthrew an attacking lineout and Italy launched possession back downfield before Garbisi booted a 48-metre penalty to open the scoring.

Padovani then doubled Italy’s advantage, matching Garbisi’s long-range strike, and there was a look of lethargy about Wales, underlined when wing Louis Rees-Zammit spilled a scoring pass from McNicholl.

Halaholo then followed suit by dropping the ball following a strong Rees-Zammit break, which ended a dismal opening quarter for last season’s Six Nations champions.

Wales finally stirred 12 minutes before half-time, with Watkin applying a high-class finish following impressive approach work by Rees-Zammit and his fellow wing Adams, before Biggar’s conversion made it 7-6.

But the lead was short-lived, as Wales’ poor discipline allowed Italy chances from distance, and Garbisi and Padovani each kicked penalties from distance during a three-minute spell, giving Italy a five-point advantage.

Wales proved to be their own worst enemies, coughing up possession through poor handling and positioning, with Italy not requiring a second invitation to capitalise on such elementary errors.

Ioane put them back on the front foot as half-time approached, breaking clear from just inside his own half, and Italy finished strongly, securing a 12-7 interval lead.

Wales boss Pivac made a half-time change, sending on prop Leon Brown for Lewis, while Nick Tompkins replaced Halaholo within five minutes of the restart, as Ioane was then only denied a try by Adams’ brilliant cover-tackle.

Wales went ahead after 52 minutes, though, when they drove a close-range lineout and Lake touched down for a try that Biggar converted.

But the outstanding Ioane responded by launching a thrilling counter-attack, then Wales infringed inside their own 22 and Garbisi completed his penalty hat-trick to make it 15-14.

Jones played for an hour on his first appearance more than four months after suffering a shoulder injury, being replaced by Will Rowlands, and Callum Sheedy took up fly-half duties as Biggar moved to full-back instead of McNicholl.

Adams sprinkled a bit of magic on proceedings with his clinching score, but it was a forgettable performance by Wales that provided little cause for optimism ahead of a three-Test South Africa tour in July, with Padovani and Garbisi combining to complete their misery.

Ireland do the job against Scotland to win Triple Crown

Ireland ended their Six Nations campaign in fine style to win the Triple Crown after overcoming Scotland 26-5 in Dublin on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough for the title.

Andy Farrell’s men controlled the majority of the match and moved into a 14-0 lead thanks to tries from Dan Sheehan and Cian Healy.

To the visitors’ credit, they remained resilient throughout and hit back via Pierre Schoeman, who reduced the arrears to nine points at the break.

However, after Stuart Hogg butchered a try, Scotland’s chances went as Josh van der Flier and Conor Murray touched down to secure an Irish victory.

Captain Johnny Sexton successfully converted three of the four scores to help Ireland end an 18-year wait to secure silverware on home soil.

Scotland had prevented Ireland winning the Triple Crown at Croke Park back in 2010 ― their last victory in Dublin.

But Gregor Townsend’s visitors never seriously threatened to mastermind an upset and Schoeman’s first-half score was scant consolation as their miserable run in this Six Nations fixture continued on a chastening evening.

Defeat for the Scots ― an 11th from the past 12 meetings between the teams ― was a disappointing end to a largely forgettable campaign which began so positively with the jubilation of retaining the Calcutta Cup.

However, they at least avoid finishing second bottom of the table thanks to Italy’s shock win in Wales.

Scotland’s hopes of springing a surprise were not helped by Finn Russell, Ali Price and captain Stuart Hogg being among six players disciplined for breaching team protocols by visiting a bar following last weekend’s win over Italy.

With influential fly-half Russell dropped the bench, the away side began relatively brightly in a frantic opening quarter before Irish hooker Sheehan burrowed over in the 17th minute to calm home nerves.

Ireland’s misfiring scrum was subject to much scrutiny following victory over 14-man England at Twickenham in round four.

Veteran prop Healy struggled on that occasion but became the second member of the Irish front row to cross, bulldozing through the Scottish defence to claim his 10th Test try as the hosts took control.

Scotland were in danger of being overpowered.  Yet they sufficiently varied their attack to claw a way back into the contest just before the break, aided by a fine break from Darcy Graham.

South Africa-born prop Schoeman was the man to benefit from sustained pressure as he touched down, although Blair Kinghorn ― selected in the number 10 role ahead of talisman Russell ― was well off target with the conversion attempt.

Ireland began the second period with renewed purpose as they attempted to enliven a fairly subdued crowd.  However, it took a stunning last-ditch tackle from Hugo Keenan to deny Hogg a certain score in the right corner.

Referee Wayne Barnes subsequently angered home supporters by ruling Schoeman had not committed an act of foul play in the build up having caught Iain Henderson with a raised arm.

Ireland restored their two-try advantage with an hour played when Van der Flier exploited a gap to capitalise on a spell of dominance and break Scottish resistance.

Ireland pushed hard for the bonus point.

They looked set to be denied but, after Scotland replacement scrum-half Ben White was sin-binned for a deliberate knock on, Murray ― who has been a peripheral figure this campaign ― touched down his country’s 24th try of the competition to the delight of the majority inside the Aviva Stadium.

Sexton missed the resultant kick to ruin his perfect record.  Yet he cared little as he lifted silverware for the first time as skipper.

Ireland shake off 14-man England to keep title dreams alive

Ireland kept their Six Nations title hopes alive after they managed to avoid a shock defeat to a 14-man England, winning 32-15 at Twickenham.

A red card for England second-row Charlie Ewels with just over a minute played handed the hosts a monumental task of overcoming Andy Farrell’s men.

But the Red Rose showed real spirit to stay in touch for the majority of the contest before late scores for Ireland sealed the result and also a bonus-point.

The scrum emerged as England’s greatest weapon, producing six penalties on a traumatising afternoon for the Irish set-piece and enabling Marcus Smith to keep his side in contention from the kicking tee.

Even with wing Jack Nowell packing down in the back row they were utterly dominant and the visitors suffered terribly through their indiscipline across all areas as referee Mathieu Raynal penalised them freely.

The home resistance was led by Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge amid an inspired performance from the pack, but eventually the pressure told as Jack Conan crossed in the 72nd minute before Finlay Bealham gave the scoreline a lop-sided look that was harsh on England.

It means Ireland remain in title contention on the final weekend while England must discover how much they have left in the tank as they head to France with the aim of finishing third.

An action-packed first half unfolded at lightning pace and produced brutal collisions to the extent that neither James Ryan, Tom Curry nor Kyle Sinckler made it to the interval.

But there were also moments of artistry and the first of these arrived in the sixth minute when an undermanned England blindside was expertly exploited by Josh van der Flier and Dan Sheehan, with the pace of James Lowe doing the rest.

A second Ireland try was chalked off because of a knock-on and even as England celebrated winning a scrum penalty close to their line, their joy quickly turned to despair as Curry injured his hamstring while running.

Alex Dombrandt had been limited to one training session all week due to Covid but he now found himself in the back row that was swimming against the tide.

Ireland were pummelled at the scrum once more, however, and this time the penalty was in Smith’s range so the fly-half duly obliged to get his side off the mark.

Until Jamie George knocked on at the back of a dangerously-positioned maul, the home side had defied the odds to seize control with their pack making an impact in all departments.

A thrilling raid by Ireland ended with a third scrum penalty and they just could not escape Raynal’s whistle as Smith found the target once more.

But when given the opportunity to accelerate the tempo they were irrepressible and even in the face of heroic home defence, a second try was added as Jamison Gibson-Park took a quick tap and sent Hugo Keenan over.

The first half finished with Smith splitting the posts and the second began with the rivals trading blows in attack, Sam Simmonds flattening Tadhg Furlong one highlight.

Smith kicked another three points as England continued to win key moments, but the most profitable platform remained the scrum and when Raynal raised his hand for the sixth time Harlequins’ fly-half levelled the score.

Johnny Sexton nudged Ireland back in front, however, and as pressure built again on the home line, Conan was able to stride through a big gap before Bealham secured the bonus point.

Scotland claim bonus-point win over Italy

Scotland bounced back from two recent Six Nations losses as they beat Italy 33-22 in a bonus-point success at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.

While the defeat once again leaves the Azzurri with the Wooden Spoon, there were plenty of positives for the hosts as they crossed through Callum Braley and a second-half double from impressive replacement Ange Capuozzo, who was making his Test debut.

For Scotland their scorers were Sam Johnson, Chris Harris (2), Darcy Graham and Stuart Hogg as they got their Six Nations campaign back on track.

Italy went in to the match without a Six Nations victory since winning away to Scotland in 2015 and it looked in the early stages like they might finally be equipped to end their seven-year drought.

The hosts enjoyed the majority of territory and possession in the opening quarter of an hour and were unfortunate not to have more than just a fourth-minute penalty from Paolo Garbisi to show for their efforts.

Gregor Townsend’s side suddenly sparked into life in the 17th minute, however, as they edged themselves in front with a brilliant try.

George Turner started the move on the right before Ali Price, Graham and Finn Russell ― with an outstanding offload ― all played their part in shifting the ball across to the left for Johnson to touch down.  Russell sent his conversion attempt just wide.

Five minutes later, Russell appeared to have put his side in trouble with a loose pass deep inside his own half but Price ― on his 50th appearance ― made a superb interception inside his own 22 and surged forward before tossing it to his left to Kyle Steyn.

The Glasgow wing, who was being closed down by a cluster of Italians, improvised by kicking the ball over the top for Harris who darted through unchecked to slam down behind the posts.  Russell converted.

Italy got themselves back into the game on the half hour when Braley had the easy task of forcing the ball down over the line after Pierre Bruno did superbly to keep the ball in play and flip a pass inside while being tackled by Hogg wide on the right.  Garbisi was successful with the conversion.

Scotland regained command three minutes before the break when Price claimed the ball from the back of the scrum and it was helped on by Russell and Hogg to Harris who waltzed in behind the Italians for his second try of the match.  Russell converted.

The visitors stretched their lead eight minutes into the second half when another lovely pass from Russell paved the way for Graham to ghost in and touch down to secure the bonus point.  Russell again converted.

Scotland captain Hogg helped himself to a straightforward touchdown in the 61st minute after great work by Price to lay it on a plate for him.

Two tries from debutant replacement Capuozzo in the closing 14 minutes made the scoreline more respectable for Italy but the Scots had already done the damage as they set themselves up nicely for their campaign-concluding trip to Ireland next weekend.

France maintain Grand Slam hopes after win over Wales

France kept their Grand Slam dreams alive but it proved to be a huge struggle as they narrowly overcame Wales 13-9 at the Principality Stadium on Friday.

Les Bleus now go into their final game against England with a huge chance of claiming their first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010.

Fabien Galthie’s men were given a massive fright, however, as the Welsh produced a resilient display and almost snatched the win.

The hosts simply lacked the power and quality to breach France’s impressive defence, with the visitors making several key turnovers.

In the end, Anthony Jelonch’s try and eight points from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet sealed the win.

Dan Biggar kept Wales in contention with three penalties but it wasn’t enough and Wayne Pivac’s charges fell to their third defeat of the competition.

Wales boss Pivac made four changes from the side beaten by England last time out, with fit-again Josh Navidi, fellow flanker Seb Davies, prop Gareth Thomas and centre Jonathan Davies called up.

Nick Tompkins missed out due to concussion, and there was no place in the matchday 23 for back-row prospect Taine Basham.  France, meanwhile, showed a solitary switch as wing Gabin Villiere replaced Damian Penaud, who was sidelined after testing positive for Covid-19.

France were quickest out of the traps, with skipper Antoine Dupont immediately testing Wales’ defence before Jaminet kicked a third-minute penalty after Navidi drifted offside.

Wales were level two minutes later, though, as a 40-metre Biggar penalty punished French obstruction.

But France were quickly back in charge when Jelonch rounded off a flowing move to touch down after Les Bleus initially looked like they had blown the chance when Villiere ignored an unmarked Dupont alongside him.

Jaminet converted and Wales also lost scrum-half Tomos Williams, who was removed from the field by medical staff after suffering a head injury.

A second Biggar penalty narrowed the gap, then Wales saw prop Gareth Thomas go off for a head injury assessment, with Wyn Jones joining the action.

Given the level of disruption, Wales regrouped strongly, threatening through number eight Taulupe Faletau and wing Alex Cuthbert to give France plenty to think about.

Thomas rejoined the action and Wales continued pressing, being handed a strong attacking platform after Biggar launched a 60-metre touch-finder.

Wales were on top as the interval approached, and Biggar completed his penalty hat-trick, making it 10-9 at half-time and setting up an engrossing second period.

Jaminet opened the second-half scoring when he landed a short-range penalty, but Wales then drove a close-range line-out after a brilliant Biggar kick, only for hooker Ryan Elias to be held up over the line.

France were unquestionably flustered, and Wales continued to hassle them, moving into the final quarter on top in terms of territory.

At times, it was backs to the wall for Les Bleus, yet the defensive structure given to them by their former Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards survived considerable scrutiny.

Pivac and his France counterpart Galthie rang the changes, but it was the home side who maintained momentum, keeping their opponents under pressure as the clock ticked down.

Wales, despite unremitting efforts, could not find a way through, and French relief was palpable as they kicked the ball out of play to set up next week’s enticing Paris spectacle.