Manu Tuilagi picked up from where he left off at Twickenham, scoring England’s only try in their 23-13 victory over France to maintain his side’s pursuit of a first RBS 6 Nations Grand Slam since 2003.
Tuilagi last played on home soil for England when he inspired the Red Rose’s historic victory over New Zealand, and he was at it again against France, darting over in the corner for his side’s crucial score.
France were much improved from their first two matches with half-back pairing Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc excelling in a frenetic opening half – lit up by Wesley Fofana’s wonderful try.
But with Owen Farrell – and latterly Toby Flood – keeping the scoreboard ticking over, and Tuilagi pouncing after the break, England secured their third straight win of the 2013 RBS 6 Nations and a third straight Championship win over les Bleus.
As they had done in their previous two matches, England took the lead in the opening two minutes – Farrell notching from the tee after Yoann Maestri was penalised for going over the top.
France showed their attacking intent soon after however as Trinh-Duc chipped through the middle of the pitch, Fofana fielded the ball and England were penalised at the breakdown.
Parra, in for Maxime Machenaud, kicked France level on five minutes a the opening exchanges continued at a ferocious pace.
Mathieu Bastareaud and Tuilagi both embarked on bone-crunching runs as both sides carried the fight to one another, and both winning numerous turnovers.
Yoann Huget also caught the eye in the opening quarter which remained 3-3 as both teams jousted without troubling the scoreboard.
On 27 minutes, Tuilagi almost grabbed the first try of the match, ripping through the French defence but as the try-line beckoned, Parra’s last ditch tackle stopped the England centre in his tracks.
England recycled and Farrell looked for Chris Ashton on the right with the cross-field kick and while he was wayward, referee Craig Joubert had already awarded the penalty.
On the half hour mark came Fofana’s moment of magic.
Bastareaud proved he’s more than just a battering ram by attracting England defenders before releasing his centre partner, who evaded Courtney Lawes’ tackle before scorching down the left, leaving Ashton and Ben Youngs in his wake.
England were then handed the chance to trim the gap to one when France prop Thomas Domingo didn’t roll away from the ruck, and Farrell duly bisected the posts.
Parra had the chance to extend his side’s lead at the end of the half but he didn’t have the range from the halfway line and just after the break he was wayward again following a huge shove from the French pack.
And the hosts took advantage of that let-off when France were penalised for bringing down a maul on 47 minutes, giving Farrell a simple shot, by his standards, from les Bleus’ 22.
The first-half pattern of both side’s making headway then conceding possession ensued before Tuilagi’s opportunistic try came on 54 minutes.
A towering kick from Alex Goode was fielded by France but England pressure saw the ball fall loose and Tuilagi pounced on the ball and romped into the left-hand corner.
Farrell pushed his conversion wide however, his first miss of the match, and England then needlessly conceded a penalty in their own half for being offside.
Frederic Michalak, on for Trinh-Duc, slotted the kick on 58 minutes to bring France to within four points at 17-13.
A rare error from Fofana then saw Farrell look to extend England’s lead from all of 50 metres but he uncharacteristically fluffed his lines and injured himself in the process as Toby Flood entered the fray in his place soon after.
France then strung together numerous phases – a moment of magic from Michalak almost paying off when he chipped ahead – and England were forced to dig deep and keep their defence in tact.
But Flood did made his telling contribution with seven minutes remaining, giving England some crucial breathing space with a penalty after Bastareaud was called up by Joubert.
As France tired and England’s replacements outshone their counterparts, Flood racked up a second penalty to ensure the game was safe, condemning les Bleus to a sixth consecutive RBS 6 Nations match without victory.
