England beats France 26-25 and shakes up Six Nations title race
LONDON (AP) — Fin Smith’s match-winning conversion of the last-gasp try he set up lifted England over Six Nations title favorite France 26-25 in a Twickenham thriller on Saturday.
The score changed three times in the last 10 minutes of a frenetic and intense match.
England grabbed the lead for the first time in the match in the 70th through replacement prop Fin Baxter. Smith converted for 19-18, taking over the goalkicking from Marcus Smith, who badly pulled his last two goalkicks.
Five minutes later, France retook the lead after Antoine Dupont and Damian Penaud counterattacked from deep to give Louis Bielle-Biarrey his second try of the match. France led 25-19.
Then England forced a lineout in France territory, mauled it, and Fin Smith fed Elliot Daly in a huge gap to score beside the posts in the 79th. Fin Smith’s conversion completed a remarkable fightback.
For the past year, England has been criticized for its failure to finish off winning positions in the last quarter. But it finally finished the job with a bonus-point win that puts it into title contention.
After swatting aside Wales 43-0 last week, France also had most of the run of play in London but suffered from spilled passes that kept alive a stubborn England.
In a scoreless first quarter on a damp field, Dupont and Penaud shelled try-scoring passes and Thomas Ramos missed his first goalkick. When France finally did score from a turnover, Dupont ran back for a dropped pass and Penaud’s grubber was picked up by Bielle-Biarrey.
But England hit straight back in a sign of things to come. Somehow, despite a dropped pass behind Tom Curry and Fin Smith dropping the ball, England got it to midfielder Ollie Lawrence to score and make it 7-7 at the break.
France’s fumbles continued in the second half and Bielle-Biarrey ruined a sure try for Peato Mauvaka by passing over his head.
Ramos penalties made it 13-7 and England should have gone ahead in the 58th when, in the same movement, winger Tommy Freeman caught Fin Smith’s restart then caught his cross-field chip to score. But Marcus Smith blew the conversion.
Bielle-Biarrey came off his wing to give Penaud his 37th test try, one short of France’s record held by Serge Blanco.
France led 18-12 going into the last quarter, and Nolann Le Garrec was sent in, moving Dupont from scrumhalf to flyhalf. That’s who England attacked peeling off the back of a lineout for the Baxter try that launched a madcap last 10 minutes.
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