England got off to the perfect start in Perpignan with a powerful driving maul leading to a penalty that Louie Johnson comfortably slotted over inside two minutes for the first three points of the evening.

The hosts responded instantly from the restart as a strong drive from a lineout brought them within touching distance of the English line where Elliott Yemsi found just enough room to cross over from short range. Leo Barre added the extras to give Les Bleus a 7-3 lead inside the opening five minutes.

Torrid weather was plaguing both sides in attack but set piece was where the French found their advantage. Barre extended the lead to seven from the tee following a string of penalties at the scrum before Johnson missed a shot at goal giving Jean Marc-Bederede’s men a 10-3 lead at the interval.  

France continued to apply pressure despite slippery conditions as a Max Auriac penalty increased their lead to ten points with half an hour to go.

England hit back immediately with a magnificent solo effort from Henry Arundell running in from 40 metres to cut the deficit to five.

The Stade Aime Giral became a cauldron of noise as tensions briefly spilled over shortly before Barre put through a precision kick for Enzo Raybier to expertly pick up and dot down in the corner for a 20-8 lead.

The visitors however weren’t going down easily with a late penaltry try and Lucas Brooke score as well as another penalty from Auriac setting up a nail-biting finish.

A disallowed try on review in the closing moments gave Alan Dickens’ men hope of fronting one final attack from deep in their own territory, but the home side saw it out to claim a memorable 26-22 victory.

The result means England finish the competition in third place with Ireland having earlier secured the Grand Slam.