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England Men

19 Mar 2022 | 4 min |

England beaten by France in Paris

England were beaten 25-13 in Paris, as Les Bleus claimed a first Grand Slam in 12 years.

England started brightly, as Marcus Smith and Henry Slade put France under pressure with probing kicks into their territory, and the returning Sam Underhill made his presence felt in defence.

The hosts bagged the first points of the Test through full back Melvyn Jaminet, who slotted a penalty in the eighth minute after a collapsed English scrum, and eight minutes later Gaël Fickou crossed for a try, making it 8-0.

Smith landed a penalty to get England on the scoreboard, before Jaminet restored Les Bleus' eight point lead with one of his own on the 23-minute mark.

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As half time approached, Ellis Genge caused France problems with abrasive carrying that punctured holes in their defensive line - the prop making 78 metres in the opening half.

Smith bagged another penalty before flanker François Cros scored Les Bleus' second try on the stroke of half time - Jaminet's extras making it 18-6 at the break.

Steward scored England's first try eight minutes into the second half. It came off the back of a Joe Marchant break - the centre brought down 10 metres from the whitewash.

The ball was recycled quickly and spread through the hands to Steward on the wing, who cut back inside before powering over. Smith's extras cut the deficit to five points.

But just as the visitors were growing in confidence, scrum half Antoine Dupont clinched Frances' third try, wrestling back momentum on the hour mark.

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England remained competitive as the Test neared its end, as replacements Harry Randall, Alex Dombrandt, Ollie Chessum and Joe Marler made notable contributions.

Smith brought England's attack to life, and Steward was inches away from latching onto one of his grubber kicks and a second try, but the spirited attack was thwarted by staunch French defence, and Les Bleus held on to record a 25-13 win.

Teams

England

15. George Furbank, 14. Freddie Steward, 13. Joe Marchant, 12. Henry Slade, 11. Jack Nowell, 10. Marcus Smith, 9. Ben Youngs, 1. Ellis Genge, 2. Jamie George, 3. Will Stuart, 4. Maro Itoje, 5. Nick Isiekwe, 6. Courtney Lawes (c), 7. Sam Underhill, 8. Sam Simmonds.

Finishers

16. Nic Dolly, 17. Joe Marler, 18. Kyle Sinckler, 19. Ollie Chessum, 20. Alex Dombrandt, 21. Harry Randall, 22. George Ford, 23. Elliot Daly.

France

15. Melvyn Jaminet, 14. Damian Penaud, 13. Gaël Fickou, 12. Jonathan Danty, 11. Gabin Villière, 10. Romain Ntamack. 9. Antoine Dupont (c), 1. Cyril Baille, 2. Julien Marchand, 3. Uini Atonio, 4. Cameron Woki, 5. Paul Willemse, 6. François Cros, 7. Anthony Jelonch, 8. Grégory Alldritt.

Replacements

16. Peato Mauvaka, 17. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18. Mohamed Haouas, 19. Romain Taofifenua, 20. Thibaud Flament, 21. Dylan Cretin, 22. Maxime Lucu, 23. Thomas Ramos.