Women's Six Nations: England secure fourth successive Grand Slam with nail-biting France win at Twickenham

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England rounded out a perfect Women's Six Nations with a 43-42 win over France, having been pushed all the way by the French at Twickenham in an incredible Test match. England let huge leads slip away from them multiple times as France fired back with thrilling comebacks throughout the second half, but the Red Roses held it together to win, and reassert themselves as World Cup favourites.

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England won their fourth Grand Slam in a row, and seventh Six Nations title in a row in a thrilling and nail-biting 43-42 win at Twickenham.

France overcame a disorganised first-half display, where they were at one point down 31-7, to mount a stirring comeback that saw them push John Mitchell's Red Roses to the edge.

Joanna Grisez had silenced Twicknham in the 79th minute with a stunning try, only for France to knock the ball on at the restart and confirm the most nervous of wins for England.

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With that win, it extends England's Six Nations winning streak yet again and their last loss in the competition was in 2018 at French hands.

England had this game in their hands multiple times, and yet the French resistance fired back again and again.

And so, in a competition where England's dominance, while insanely impressive, is at risk of becoming repetitive, the visitors' inspirational rally produced a gripping Test match that this tournament needs more of.

The first half was a whirlwind of tries and it took England less than five minutes to get the first score through Abby Dow, pouncing on a nicely weighted kick from Zoe Harrison.

Only two minutes later did France fire back as their forwards did the damage and set up an easy try for Carla Abrez.

Three tries then fell for England through Lark Atkin-Davies, Emma Sing, and Claudia MacDonald and the lead was 31-7 before the 25-minute mark.

But in typical French style, the comeback was on. A poor pass towards Harrison, which she could not gather, allowed Pauline Bourdon to dive on it and touch down and the tension in Twickenham was suddenly raised.

They scored again right before half-time as captain Marine Menager evaded a challenge in the wide channel and dived over the line.

With the momentum having drifted in France’s favour, it was up to skipper Zoe Aldcroft to restore control. Harrison jinked her way through the French defence and popped a pass to Aldcroft to score under the posts.

The game was non-stop, with Kella Arbey scoring for France and Dow replying in tow.

With a 15-point deficit coming into the final 10 minutes, the French mustered all their energy and a try either side of that period put English supporters on the edge of their seats, but that devastating knock-on by the French from the last restart secured England's title.

Scotland clinch thrilling late win against Ireland with last-gasp try

Scotland secured a 26-19 win over Ireland in the final round of the Women's Six Nations thanks to a last-minute try from Francesca McGhie in Edinburgh.

It was only the Scots' second win of the championship, but the bonus point win ensures they will not finish bottom of the table.

Ireland had drawn level in the final 10 minutes thanks to Emily Lane's 71st-minute try, but an incredible late shove from Scotland produced McGhie's try in the corner just seconds after the clock went red.

Scotland played through two yellow cards across the match, the second of which saw them play almost the entirety of the final 10 minutes without Helen Nelson.

Despite that, they took advantage of the fact that Ireland missed out on several points throughout the clash.

Ireland had taken the lead in the opening 10 minutes thanks to a brilliant break from Molly Scuffil-McCabe, and the No. 9 found Amee-Leigh Costigan, who dotted down after showing the Scotland defence a clean pair of heels.

Scotland replied with their first real attack of the afternoon, as Evie Gallagher turned the ball over, winning a crucial penalty, and Lana Skeldon bundled over from the resulting maul in the corner, although Hannah Nelson's conversion was wide of the mark.

The hosts went in ahead at half-time through Emma Orr, who found the gap and sped over, with Nelson converting at the second time of asking.

Ireland refused to back down, and levelled proceedings after Linda Djougang was rewarded for her persistence, having seen two potential first-half tries chalked off.

The first of Scotland's yellows came at the same time, given to Rhona Lloyd, but they managed to find another try in that period.

It was during the second yellow card to Helen Nelson that Ireland's pressure finally paid off as replacement scrum-half Emily Lane danced over from close range.

But patience was key for the hosts, and their own pressure told when it mattered most, winning it on the final play and making up for a disappointing home loss to Italy in the previous round.

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