France v England LIVE: Result and reaction as Les Bleus edge thrilling Six Nations finale in Lyon
France 33-31 England: Thomas Ramos’s late penalty gave Les Bleus the win in a topsy-turvy thriller
England finished third in the Six Nations after a monster Thomas Ramos penalty in the final minute sent them spinning to a heartbreaking 33-31 defeat to France at Groupama Stadium.
Steve Borthwick’s men have trailed at half-time of every match of the championship and once more they faced an uphill battle, this time in the form of 16-6 deficit that included a try of the tournament contender for scrum half Nolann Le Garrec.
But they turned the contest on its head by amassing 21 unanswered points through two Ollie Lawrence tries and a Marcus Smith touch down as their attack ran amok through the France midfield. France regrouped to cross through Leo Barre and Gael Fickou but England were not done yet as Tommy Freeman stormed over in the right corner with five minutes remaining.
They appeared to have secured their fourth win of the Six Nations having staged multiple fightbacks but when they infringed just outside their half with seconds left, Ramos kept his nerve to hit the target.
Relive all the action below:
Steve Borthwick ‘hopeful’ Manu Tuilagi stays in England ahead of potential Six Nations farewell
Steve Borthwick is “hopeful” that Manu Tuilagi may yet stay in England and continue his international career ahead of what could be a Test farewell for the centre.
Tuilagi, who will feature off the bench against France in Lyon on Saturday, has been strongly linked with a move abroad throughout his career and is again the subject of interest from France, with Bayonne and Montpellier among his suitors.
The 32-year-old appears set to leave Sale Sharks, who would struggle to retain him within the Premiership’s salary cap.
Steve Borthwick ‘hopeful’ Manu Tuilagi stays in England ahead of potential farewell
Tuilagi will feature off the bench in what could be his final appearance in an England shirt
Manu Tuilagi responds to retirement speculation ahead of England clash with France
Manu Tuilagi has declined to reveal his plans for next season amid expectation that Saturday’s Six Nations clash with France would be his final game for England.
Tuilagi has held talks with Top 14 clubs Montpellier and Bayonne in a move that would make the 32-year-old unavailable for Test selection by Steve Borthwick.
It has raised the prospect that if he wins his 60th cap by stepping off the bench in Lyon, it will be the powerful Sale centre’s farewell in a Red Rose jersey.
Manu Tuilagi responds to retirement speculation ahead of England clash with France
Tuilagi has held talks with Top 14 clubs Montpellier and Bayonne in a move that would make him unavailable for Test selection
England still have more gears to find after Ireland win – Topsy Ojo
Topsy Ojo believes the best is yet to come from England after their dramatic 23-22 triumph over Ireland in the Six Nations.
Marcus Smith’s drop goal claimed an last-minute win at Twickenham, keeping their tournament hopes alive going into the final weekend.
Broadcaster and former player Ojo believes Steve Borthwick’s men can still go up a gear ahead of their Lyon showdown with France on Saturday.
England still have more gears to find after Ireland win – Topsy Ojo
Steve Borthwick’s side pipped the Six Nations favourites with a last-gasp drop goal at Twickenham.
Jamie George tells England not to get carried away with hype after Ireland win
England captain Jamie George has given his players a simple message ahead of their Six Nations clash with France – do not believe the hype.
England travel to Lyon on Saturday with an outside chance of snatching the title from Irish hands having stunned Andy Farrell’s favourites 23-22 in round four through a last-gasp Marcus Smith drop goal.
It was their finest performance since routing New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, but that seismic victory was followed by crushing final defeat to South Africa week later.
Jamie George tells England not to get carried away with hype after Ireland win
England head to France looking to build on their win over Six Nations favourites Ireland
England team news
England make a single change to their starting side with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso out after suffering a head injury.
Elliot Daly returns on the wing, while Ethan Roots and Manu Tuilagi are brought onto the bench with Chandler Cunningham-South absent with a calf issue.
It could yet be Tuilagi’s final appearance for England with the centre understood to be mulling a move overseas at the end of the season.
England XV: 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Jamie George (capt.), 3 Dan Cole; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Martin; 6 Ollie Chessum, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Ben Earl; 9 Alex Mitchell, 10 George Ford; 11 Elliot Daly, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 13 Henry Slade, 14 Tommy Freeman; 15 George Furbank.
Replacements: 16 Theo Dan, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ethan Roots, 20 Alex Dombrandt; 21 Danny Care, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Manu Tuilagi.
France team news
Fabien Galthie has named an unchanged French 23 after surging clear against Wales in Cardiff last Sunday.
Youngsters Nolann Le Garrec, Nicolas Depoortere and Leo Barre are backed in the backline having made their first starts in round four, with Emmanuel Meafou again providing plenty of threat in the second row. Thomas Ramos continues at fly half.
France XV: 1 Cyril Baille, 2 Julien Marchand, 3 Uini Atonio; 4 Thibaud Flament, 5 Emmanuel Meafou; 6 Francois Cros, 7 Charles Ollivon, 8 Gregory Alldritt (capt.); 9 Nolann Le Garrec, 10 Thomas Ramos; 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 12 Nicolas Depoortere, 13 Gael Fickou, 14 Damian Penaud; 15 Leo Barre
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Sebastien Taofifenua, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Alexandere Roumat, 21 Paul Boudehent; 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Yoram Moefana
How to watch France v England
When is France v England?
France v England is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Saturday 16 March at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage on the channel from 7.20pm GMT. A live stream will be available via the ITVX platform.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Everything you need to know about France v England
France and England meet in the final fixture of the 2024 men’s Six Nations hoping for a winning finish.
The two produced their best performances so far in this year’s championship last week, with France turning on the power to overwhelm Wales and Steve Borthwick’s side stunning Ireland to leave the destination of the title undecided ahead of the final weekend.
For both, this feels a pivotal fixture after a tournament of ups and downs, with England hoping to demonstrate the progress they’ve made since last year’s thrashing at the hands of Fabien Galthie’s team.
The 53-10 Twickenham drubbing was England’s heaviest home defeat.
Here’s everything you need to know.
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