England complete Six Nations Grand Slam with win in Paris

A tense 31-21 victory over France in Paris propelled England to their first Grand Slam since 2003, completing a triumphant debut campaign at the helm for Eddie Jones.

Tries from Danny Care, Dan Cole and Anthony Watson ensured there was no repeat of past failures at the final hurdle for the English - most recently in Dublin five years ago - on a glorious night for a team that had underwhelmed so significantly at last autumn's World Cup.

The celebrations looked like being muted, after captain Dylan Hartley was knocked unconscious during a tackle in the 68th minute and had to be carried from the pitch on a stretcher after receiving lengthy medical treatment.

But a proud Hartley was back on the pitch after the final whistle and lifted the trophy as England's celebrations began.

England had already secured the RBS 6 Nations title in round four, but claiming a 13th Red Rose Grand Slam was given preeminence in the England camp this week as Eddie Jones' side looked to end a sequence of four successive runners-up finishes under his predecessor Stuart Lancaster.

Jones had predicted the opening 20 minutes would see France at their best, but it was the new champions who dominated the scoreboard through tries from Care and Cole.

Care had been picked ahead of Ben Youngs in the belief his energy and pace would help nullify Les Blues' early endeavour and it proved an inspired selection as the scrum-half used his wits to plunder an opportunist score.

But having led 17-6 after the first quarter, England were reeled in to 20-18 with the kicking of Maxime Machenaud punishing their indiscipline time and again.

With the match entering its pivotal phase, Anthony Watson's try (England's third) spurred momentum back into the English's favour before the kicking of Owen Farrell swept them clear.

Machenaud kicked France into an early lead when Maro Itoje was penalised for an infringement at a ruck before Farrell levelled the scores thanks to a fortuitous bounce off the upright amid a frantic opening that saw momentum largely on the hosts' side.

However it was France's turn to be found on the back foot in the 12th minute when the ultra-alert Danny Care exploited a huge gap at the breakdown to race under the posts from 40 yards out.

And the home side crumbled far too easily for a second time eight minutes later when, several phases after Watson had caught a crossfield kick, Cole shrugged off Scott Spedding to barrel over.

Their dire defending for the two tries aside, France were far from a lost cause as every time they attacked they made ground and with better handling they would have crossed the try-line themselves.

Machenaud landed a third penalty, but that was the prelude to a patient attack from England who offered Brown a half-chance that the full-back was unable to finish.

A French scrum was turned over five metres out, allowing the assault to be renewed with flanker James Haskell being used as the main battering ram in a period of sustained pressure from the champions.

France had the final say of the half, however, when Machenaud was on target for a fourth time.

Wing Virimi Vakatawa brushed aside a succession of tackles with worrying ease to begin the second forty until Jack Nowell finally brought him down and then only Chris Robshaw's late intervention prevented Bernard Le Roux from crossing in the corner.

Machenaud and Farrell exchanged penalties and the teams took it in turn to attack as an absorbing match continued to unfold, although the regular interruptions for penalties took their toll on the spectacle.

A chaotic spell ensued, with each team seizing a turnover only to then squander it, and England's decision-making was falling short of the standard seen previously in the tournament.

There was nothing wrong with their play in the 57th minute, however, as man of the match Billy Vunipola carried with intent, Ben Youngs sped free and grubbered through for Watson to gather and score in the right corner.

The boot of Machenaud kept France in touch, but England were now spending more time in their opponents' half.

Two penalties by Farrell then put them out of France's reach and with two minutes to go their supporters were able to begin the celebrations.

TalkingRugbyUnion's official partners for the 2016 RBS Six Nations are http://www.fentonsportsonline.com/rugby/ and http://www.fisherinvestments.eu