France won a thrilling Seven Nations match against England, with Thomas Ramos’ penalty kick at the halfway line in the closing stages giving France the edge in a seven-try game. The home side led 16-3 before Ollie Lawrence scored two tries, giving England an advantage. Marcus Smith increased England’s lead, but Leo Barre and Gael Fickou reeled them back before George Ford converted Tommy Freeman’s late try, shifting the momentum towards England. However, Ramos had the final say with his winning penalty, securing France’s second place finish in the competition.
The match between France and England was one of the most entertaining games in the tournament finale. Both teams had already lost their title hopes before the game started, after Ireland retained their crown with victory over Scotland. France’s victory was their first at home since they were eliminated from the World Cup quarter-finals with defeat at the hands of South Africa in Paris last year.
England’s two bonus points for trailing France by fewer than seven points and scoring four tries for the first time in this campaign ensured they finished third, with Scotland trailing behind. Despite being behind in all five games at half-time, England’s best Six Nations return since Steve Borthwick took charge as head coach follows a third-place finish at last year’s World Cup.
In the opening minutes, Ford and Ramos exchanged penalties before Nolann le Garrec scored the opening try with a stunning French move. The scrum-half capitalized on England’s failure to retain their own line-out to fire the ball wide as the hosts got their first try
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