Summary

  • France seal Grand Slam with impressive victory in jubilant Paris

  • Captain Antoine Dupont scores in 61st minute as France clinch first Six Nations since 2010

  • Freddie Steward went over for England to reduce France's 18-6 first-half lead

  • Gael Fickou and Francois Crois scored in first half to delight Stade de France

  • Ireland beat Scotland earlier and finish second

  • England finish third after three defeats

  1. try

    Try - France 8-0 Englandpublished at 15 mins

    Gael Fickou

    The Stade de France erupts!

    Now the France attack is flowing. Wing Gabin Villiere goes close on the left before he's stopped.

    France then recycle possession quickly, before a floated miss-pass by Romain Ntamack to the right flank bounces on the turf and then into the hands of Gael Fickou, who runs over for the game's opening try.

    Melvyn Jaminet pulls his difficult conversion narrowly wide.

    Fickou scoresImage source, Getty Images
  2. Postpublished at 14 mins

    France 3-0 England

    More good work at the breakdown from Gregory Alldritt earns France a turnover and the home side look to counter-attack through Jonathan Danty.

    Another drop gives England a reprieve but France are just starting to find their feet.

  3. Postpublished at 12 mins

    France 3-0 England

    France have been a little messy by their high standards so far, knocking on again from the back of a line-out.

    England will hope this next scrum goes better than the first. And it does, allowing Henry Slade to kick clear.

  4. Postpublished at 20:11 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France 3-0 England

    Ugo Monye
    Former England winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Pure adrenaline running through Jaminet's veins. It was like he was kicking at altitude there.

  5. Postpublished at 11 mins

    France 3-0 England

    Like Wales did last weekend, England are looking to test Jaminet and France's back three with some booming kicks.

    Freddie Steward claims one such up-and-under but then France wing Gabin Villiere earns the turnover penalty.

  6. Penalty - France 3-0 Englandpublished at 9 mins

    Melvyn Jaminet

    That's a straightforward kick for the full-back, and France have the lead.

  7. Postpublished at 8 mins

    France 0-0 England

    From the game's first scrum, referee Jaco Peyper awards France a penalty.

    Man-mountain prop Uini Atonio gets the congratulations from his team-mates.

    Melvyn Jaminet will have a shot at goal around 40 metres out.

  8. Postpublished at 7 mins

    France 0-0 England

    That penalty gives France a decent attacking platform midway through England's half and, while the line-out is solid enough, centre Gael Fickou knocks on when it looked like he had broken through the English midfield.

    A first glimpse of France's threat.

  9. Postpublished at 6 mins

    France 0-0 England

    England prop Ellis Genge, who was superb against Ireland last weekend, goes on the rampage in midfield.

    This is a decent early spell of possession for the visitors, with Jack Nowell finding a little space on the left wing.

    But that attack is stopped in its tracks by France number eight Gregory Alldritt, who earns a turnover penalty.

  10. Postpublished at 4 mins

    France 0-0 England

    England seem to think that attacking kicking might be the way around this Shaun Edwards-drilled defence of France.

    Smith tries his luck with a cross-field kick which bobbles out of play.

  11. Postpublished at 3 mins

    France 0-0 England

    Marcus Smith prods a kick behind the French defence and full-back Melvyn Jaminet is quick to cover for the hosts.

    Antoine Dupont then launches a hefty clearance from France's 22 into touch in the England half.

  12. Postpublished at 20:02 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France 0-0 England

    Paul Grayson
    Former England fly-half on BBC Radio 5 Live

    We saw last week that when England lost a man against Ireland, they found something completely different and were brilliant. They need to tap into that.

  13. Postpublished at 1 min

    France 0-0 England

    England safety gather the kick-off and Ben Youngs box-kicks clear.

    France's first spell of possession ends with a knock-on from flanker Anthony Jelonch.

    Nerves?

  14. Kick-offpublished at 1 min

    France 0-0 England

    It's France fly-half Romain Ntamack who takes kick-off, and the final act of Six Nations Super Saturday is under way.

  15. Postpublished at 19:59 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    Forgetting about emotion will be easier said than done in a cauldron like the Stade de France tonight.

    That was a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise.

    Kick-off is moments away.

  16. 'Forget emotion, manage the game'published at 19:57 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    Ugo Monye
    Former England winger on BBC Radio 5 Live

    Emotion will get the players through the national anthems and kick-off, but it was Mike Tyson who once said: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth."

    You can have the greatest plan in the world, but if after 10 minutes you've been under your sticks twice and you're scratching your head, forget the emotion it's about how you manage the game.

    That is key for me, everyone has a different philosophy, but once the game starts you need to be there for every moment.

    England will need more than a few good moments today.

  17. Match statspublished at 19:55 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    • France have never lost a Six Nations Grand Slam game.

    • The away team has won just one of the last nine Six Nations games between these two teams. That was England winning their own Grand Slam 31-21 in Paris in 2016.

    • Five of the last six encounters have been won by seven points or fewer at an average of just 4.4 points per victory. The anomaly was England's 44-8 victory at Twickenham in 2019
    France Grand Slam graphicImage source, Getty Images
  18. Six Nations table as it standspublished at 19:54 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    Here's a reminder of how the Six Nations table looks following Ireland's win over Scotland earlier.

    If France win, a first Grand Slam since 2010 is theirs.

    Lose or draw and the title goes to Ireland.

    Six Nations standingsImage source, BBC Sport
  19. Postpublished at 19:53 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    The teams are in the tunnel, waiting to make their way out on to the pitch.

    Not long now.

  20. Tonight's refereepublished at 19:51 Greenwich Mean Time 19 March 2022

    France v England (20:00 GMT)

    Jaco Peyper shows Josh Adams a yellow cardImage source, Getty Images

    Jaco Peyper is tonight's referee, taking charge of his second match of this Six Nations.

    The South African sin-binned Josh Adams during Wales' defeat in Ireland on the opening weekend.