England survive French scare to seal fourth straight Grand Slam

England clinched a dramatic 43-42 victory over France at the Allianz Stadium to claim their fourth successive Grand Slam, surviving a ferocious second-half fightback in one of the most thrilling matches in Women's Six Nations history.

It was Abby Dow’s brace that ultimately made the difference, as England held their nerve after a relentless French resurgence.

The Red Roses wasted no time stamping their authority. Inside the first three minutes, a clever grubber from Zoe Harrison allowed Abby Dow to collect and dance past the final defender for the opening try. Although Harrison’s conversion attempt drifted wide, England had an early 5-0 lead.

France responded immediately. Marine Ménager's electric break through the middle set the stage for Carla Arbez to crash over, leveling the contest.

The French momentum was short-lived, though, as England struck back in typical fashion. A driving maul pushed them deep into French territory, and quick hands out wide saw Emma Sing finish off the move. Harrison slotted the conversion to restore England’s advantage at 12-7.

England’s rolling maul continued to wreak havoc. After 12 minutes, Lark Atkin-Davies capitalized on another surge to claim England’s third try. Although the conversion was missed, England led 17-7.

Just five minutes later, poor handling from France at a defensive lineout allowed England to launch another assault, culminating in Sing’s second try of the afternoon. Harrison’s conversion stretched the lead to 24-7.

France’s problems deepened when Assia Khalfaoui was shown a yellow card for a head-on-head tackle. England took full advantage, with Claudia MacDonald finishing off another sweeping move. Harrison again added the extras, putting England comfortably ahead at 31-7 by the 25-minute mark.

However, France refused to crumble. A loose pass inside England's own in-goal area allowed Pauline Bourdon-Sansus to pounce for a crucial French try, converted coolly by Morgane Bourgeois.

Minutes later, after a superb 50:22 kick pinned England back, Ménager powered over from a maul to score France’s third try. Another touchline conversion from Bourgeois closed the gap to 31-21 at halftime, swinging momentum towards the visitors.

The second half opened with France nearly scoring again through Joanna Grisez, only for England’s defence to stand firm. Breathing a sigh of relief, England regrouped and produced a brilliant counter-attack.

Harrison’s wide pass released Dow, who surged forward, and when the ball was recycled, Harrison threaded a gap for captain Zoe Aldcroft to score under the posts. Harrison’s conversion pushed England 38-21 ahead.

France, showing remarkable resilience, hit back immediately. From a scrum 30 metres out, the ball was shifted wide to Kelly Arbey, who beat two defenders to score France’s fourth try, once again converted by Bourgeois.

England’s attack remained potent. Sustained pressure eventually saw Dow cross for her second try following another wide pass from Harrison. This try, which extended the lead to 43-28, would prove critical.

France were not done. Ten minutes from time, Bourgeois finished off a clever offload from Axelle Berthoumieu to score and then landed a brilliant touchline conversion, narrowing the deficit to 43-35. They almost closed the gap even further when Ménager broke down the right but failed to execute a two-on-one, stepping into touch.

Undeterred, France mounted one last charge. Grisez produced a sensational solo run down the left wing, outpacing multiple defenders to score in the corner. Bourgeois coolly nailed the sideline conversion, making it a one-point game at 43-42 with seconds left.

But in heartbreaking fashion for the visitors, an error from the restart ended their final chance. England pounced on the mistake, kicking the ball out to seal a famous victory and a seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title.