England snatched a dramatic victory over Six Nations favourites France in an entertaining encounter at a rapturous Twickenham.
LAST-GASP VICTORY
England roared back from the brink of another sickening Six Nations defeat to clinch a vital victory over a French team many had touted as pre-tournament favourites.
In a thrilling clash at Twickenham, Elliot Daly snuck past the sleeping France defence for a decisive, match-winning try in the 79th minute which ignited rapturous scenes of delirium amongst the legions of English fans.
Seconds later, Fin Smith, making his first start for the national team at fly-half, courageously held his nerve with the ensuing conversion. Eerily reminiscent of the last-play defeat by Australia in the autumn, which still lives fresh in the memory, his team secured a hard-fought victory.
The last-gasp drama served as a fitting conclusion to a frantically scrappy slugfest, which saw both sides make numerous errors in what became a brutal and bruising encounter at the home of English rugby.
England were looking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss to Les Bleus, but heading into the tense final stages of this enthralling encounter in London, it could have gone either way as both sides played out a back-and-forth game of free-flowing rugby.
The lead traded hands three times in the final chaotic 10 minutes of play as substitute prop Fin Baxter’s try gave England a slender momentary lead, only for French winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey to crash through the English lines to seemingly deny the hosts.
However, from unknown reserves of energy found deep within, England summoned the strength to deal one final knockout blow in the penultimate passage of play as Fin Smith’s missile of a pass put Daly clear through, holding off a despairing lunge from Antoine Dupont as he crossed the line.
A GAME OF TWO HALVES
In stark contrast to the frenetic finale, the scoreboard remained ominously blank for what seemed like an eternal opening 29 minutes which was littered with careless mistakes from both sides.
Through relentless pouring rain, the visitors enjoyed the majority of possession but failed to capitalise on their dominance, making a litany of handling errors in the gloomy London drizzle.
The French wide pair of Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud both knocked the ball on in promising positions, with Dupont dropping a laser-like Thomas Ramos pass just as the try line beckoned, much to the delight of the Twickenham faithful.
A frustrated England remained pointless with Fin Smith being promoted to fly-half in an attempt to boost the host’s attack but, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lack of cohesion and cutting-edge limited them to scraps early in the match.
France, who triumphed 53-10 on their last visit to Twickenham two years ago, couldn’t accelerate away, eventually succumbing to their first loss of this year’s Six Nations in an unforgettably chaotic end to a true modern classic.
MEMORABLE OUTING
It was a coming-of-age performance for England fly-half Fin Smith, named Player of the Match after his valuable contribution to an iconic England victory.
A first home start for the national side and kicking the match-winning penalty added up to a memorable day for the 22-year-old Northampton Saints player.
He took over the enormous pressure of kicking duties from teammate Marcus Smith after the full-back’s accuracy proved wayward at crucial moments, and the former Under-20s Six Nations Grand Slam winner proved up to the task and never looked back.
Fin Smith then went on to convert both late tries in the dying moments of the match, including one that he set up with an assist for Daly’s 79th-minute heroics.
Speaking after the game, he admitted to feeling like a rabbit in the headlights on his first Test start before finding his feet towards the end.
It was a day when this promising youngster delivered against the heavy favourites to help England secure a dramatic last-gasp victory and avoid a fourth consecutive loss to Les Bleus.
MATCH DETAILS
- Date: Saturday 8th February 2025
- Venue: Twickenham
- Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
- Attendance: 81,000
ENGLAND – 26
- Tries: Lawrence (36), Freeman (58), Baxter (70), Daly (79)
- Conversions: Marcus Smith (36), Fin Smith (71, 80)
FRANCE – 25
- Tries: Bielle-Biarrey (30, 75), Penaud (61)
- Conversions: Ramos (31, 76)
- Penalties: Ramos (50, 56)
Player of the Match: Fin Smith (England)
