England secured a third consecutive Women’s Six Nations title as Simon Middleton’s side held off a second-half France fightback to triumph 10-6 at the Twickenham Stoop.
A first-half try from Poppy Cleall, converted by Emily Scarratt, on the cusp of half-time proved to be enough for the Red Roses to seal an eighth straight win over Les Bleues.
A couple of penalties from Caroline Drouin piled the pressure on the defending champions after the interval as France attempted to regain the crown they last clinched in 2018.
But a late penalty from Scarratt, who had missed a couple of penalties in the first half, ensured England got over the line again and confirmed a hat-trick of Championship titles.
POPPY POWER PUTS ENGLAND AHEAD
The opening stages provided a glimpse of the excitement that was to come, with the Red Roses gathering their own kick off before testing the France defence with multiple phases.
Les Bleues responded by turning the ball over and launching their own counter attack down the right wing before signalling their intent by dominating the game’s first scrum.
Buoyed by their pack’s early success, France pinned the hosts back as they came close to scoring down the wing only for England to wrestle Madoussou Fall into touch.
Having dealt with the visitors’ pressure, the Red Roses replied with their first sustained spell of possession which provided Scarratt with a chance to kick England ahead.
The 2020 Player of the Championship was unable to convert, however, and her afternoon did not get much better on 20 minutes when she pulled a much closer effort wide.
England’s captain was then forced off the field for a HIA, with 22-year-old Lagi Tuima briefly taking her place, and France quickly looked to take advantage of Scarratt’s absence.
Fall rampaged down the left wing to get her side into England’s half before superb handling got Les Bleues to within five metres, spreading the ball wide before a penalty was given.
But just as Scarratt had struggled from the tee, Drouin’s opening attempt also faded wide of the posts to leave the game scoreless with half an hour played.
Scarratt returned to the field moments later without any damage done to the scoreboard and rejoined the England attack as the white shirts piled forward for one final attack.
And with seconds to go before the break, the Red Roses finally struck as Cleall showed her physical prowess to start and finish the move following a scrum from 10 metres out.
The No.8 picked from the back of the scrum and charged towards the line before offloading brilliantly and collecting the ball from the next breakdown to crash over the whitewash.
Scarratt converted to send the defending champions into the half-time interval with a narrow 7-0 lead, avoiding a first scoreless opening half since Ireland v France in February 2015.
RED ROSES HOLD OF FRENCH FIGHTBACK
France came out of the blocks quickly in the second half as they looked for an instant response, gaining field position after Cleall made an uncharacteristic knock on from the restart.
An infringement from Vicki Cornborough then provided a chance for Drouin to cut the deficit and while she was unable to convert, the No.10 made no mistake from the tee on 45 minutes.
The score prompted Annick Hayraud to make a change at scrum-half, with Laure Sansus making way for Pauline Bourdon as France tried to capitalise on their early momentum.
Sarah Hunter and Amy Cockayne were also introduced to the battle by Middleton, replacing Lark Davies and Abbie Ward respectively, as both sides struggled to retain possession.
Knock ons from Leanne Riley and Sarah McKenna prevented England from threatening in attack while Helena Rowland was unable to find touch as the errors continued to mount.
And Les Bleues started to take encouragement from the hosts’ sloppiness as the final quarter arrived, with the blue shirts pouring forward as they tested the England defence.
A handling error caused France a brief setback but the visitors made amends in the following scrum, with a huge shove earning a penalty and a chance to kick to the corner.
Les Bleues were unable to take advantage from the lineout as England’s rearguard action withstood the pressure, with Hunter using all her experience to lead the line.
But Zoe Harrison conceded a penalty for a ruck infringement moments later, allowing Drouin to set up and cut the gap to just a point via the right post with eight minutes left.
Yet just as England’s title defence appeared in trouble, Middleton’s side showed their class to keep the ball deep in France territory before being awarded a penalty in front of the posts.
Scarratt made no mistake from the tee and despite France’s best efforts from the restart, England were able to retain possession before kicking the ball out to secure the win.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
In a low-scoring match, defence was king and no player embodied England’s resilience when under pressure better than Zoe Aldcroft – the deserved Women’s Six Nations Player of the Match.
Aldcroft put her body on the line time and time again as the hosts came under intense pressure from France in the second half, a fact that was hammered home by her individual statistics.
The 24-year-old finished the 80 punishing minutes with 15 tackles to her name – more than any other player on her team and the second most on the field behind France’s Rose Bernadou.
She also made a remarkable 14 carries for 46 metres at The Stoop, showing her incredible engine and wisdom beyond her age as she helped her team clinch the Championship title.
