Photo credit: www.theguardian.com
England vs. France: A Grand Slam Decider
The atmosphere is charged at Twickenham as England faces France in a decisive match for both teams. With England aiming for their seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and France looking to claim their own grand slam, this clash promises to be intense.
Key events
37 min: As it stands, England leads the table with 28 points, a notable nine ahead of France.
35 min: Les Bleues resume with Khalfaoui back on the pitch after serving her 10-minute penalty.
34 min: France surges powerfully into England’s territory, showcasing their combination of strength and skillful offloading. Harrison narrowly avoids a penalty before play resumes with a scrum for France.
England 31-14 France: Try by Bourdon Sansus
England’s fly-half Harrison makes an unfortunate error, knocking on in-goal. Bourdon Sansus seizes the chance to score France’s second try, and Bourgeois converts with precision. Despite Harrison’s blunder, such mistakes are a part of the game.
28 min: Arbez targets the far side for a kick but it’s kept in play by an England hand. A subsequent knock-on by England presents France with a scrum in a promising position.
26 min: France penetrates the England 22 for the third time but is met with a turnover as Ward reacts quickly. Khalfaoui retains her yellow card status while commentators discuss its validity.
England 31-7 France: Try by MacDonald
MacDonald finds herself in space on the left wing following an expansive pass from Jones. She swiftly sidesteps a French defender and touches down, further solidifying England’s lead.
Yellow Card for France: Khalfaoui
In a critical moment, Khalfaoui is shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Maud Muir, leading to a review. The emotional impact is evident as she takes her place on the bench.
22 min: Jones delivers an expansive pass to MacDonald, who charges forward, though this time France manages to halt her advancement.
20 min: Vernier returns post HIA, and England accelerates down the middle courtesy of Jones’s impressive carry, but her kick goes slightly long, resulting in a goal-line dropout.
England 24-7 France: Try by Sing
England executes a powerful driving maul after a lineout, sucking in defenders. The ball spins left and Sing claims a straightforward score behind the posts with an easy conversion for Harrison.
15 min: France builds promising phase play in England’s 22 but is thwarted again by Botterman’s critical turnover. A penalty for England soon follows.
England 17-7 France: Try by Atkin-Davies
England wins a crucial lineout close to France’s try line, leading to a textbook maul. Atkin-Davies dives over for another try, although the conversion attempt is missed.
11 min: Botterman shines again, turning over French possession. England quickly wins a penalty and positions themselves for another lineout.
England 12-7 France: Try by Sing
A brilliant play by Jones initiates England’s attack, offloading to Sing, who finds space to score. Harrison successfully converts amidst some earlier panic.
England 5-7 France: Try by Arbez
France demonstrates their offensive capabilities with slick offloading and coordination, allowing Arbez to score with Bourgeois converting successfully.
England 5-0 France: Try by Dow
Dow capitalizes on excellent groundwork by Botterman, demonstrating remarkable agility to score. The conversion attempt, however, is unsuccessful.
2 min: Aldcroft secures the kick-off confidently. Following a mishap by Feleu, England gains the put-in at the first scrum as they attempt to regroup.
First Half Kick-off!
Allez!
Despite the traditional rendition of “God Save the King,” the atmosphere remains lively among the English fans.
The teams are gathered on the Twickenham pitch! Emotions run high as they prepare for the national anthems, with French players visibly moved.
John Mitchell, speaking on selection decisions, emphasizes the importance of consistency in skills to form a competitive squad, particularly with the World Cup on the horizon.
A brief overview of the teams: England boasts 682 caps amongst their players, while France has 373, indicating the experience advantage for the English side.
The anticipation is palpable as both teams step onto the pitch, with England’s last match seeing them lead with nine tries against Scotland. They are eager to maintain their winning streak against France, who has shown formidable form this tournament.
As England seeks to solidify its dominance, fans await the kickoff eagerly.
Kick-off is set for 4:45 PM UK time.
Source
www.theguardian.com