England vs France - Six Nations: Live score and updates from ...
20:11
That's all from Twickenham tonight!
Well, it was a difficult afternoon for England at Twickenham. They'll close out their Six Nations campaign in Dublin against Ireland next week.
France, meanwhile, certainly showed they are the team to beat heading into the Rugby World Cup later this year. They can still claim the trophy next week, should Ireland drop points against Scotland tomorrow or England next week.
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Make sure to check out our full report below for all the analysis from the match.
For now, it's goodnight from me and thanks for joining our live coverage!
19:29
So as we wind down after the match let's take a look at the current standings
Following their epic win, France will climb to the top of the Six Nations standings level on points with Ireland, who play tomorrow against Scotland.
Scotland sit below them both on 10 points, with a bonus point win putting them within a shout of claiming the title in Round 5.
England sit below them all in fourth place also on ten points, with a trip to Dublin on the horizon next weekend.
While Wales lifted themselves off the bottom of the table, with a win against Italy who sit int the bottom rung of the ladder.
19:21
'I thought we were well beaten today': Ellis Genge speaks following the game
Speaking on the defeat, Ellis Genge said: ‘Yeah we were [well beaten] by 43 points. I think I sugar-coat it, probably one of the worst performances we’ve had. When you’re against a team that is that well coached and that clinical if you’re 10 percent or 20 percent off, then you’re going to get punished.
‘We asked the boys to keep fighting and I think probably for 80 percent of it we were fighting but for the other 20 we weren’t.’
When pressed on what England were missing, Genge said: ‘Just momentum it was against us for too long. It was just against us for too long and they built a great score and we didn’t claw it back. Too many mistakes on our behalf. Like I said I am not going to hide away from it, I thought we were well beaten today.’
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Ellis Genge of England looks dejected after their side's defeat during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
19:14
'Steve's got a lot of learning to do': Clive Woodward reflects on the match
The former England coach gives his verdict.
'What's my emotion now? I thought it was a well selected team [England], I thought it was the best selected team he could have put out. But just the physicality and the athleticism of the French team was amazing.
'You've just not got to over-react as Benjamin says, England we're never going to win that game today, we were second by a long long way. But it's not that big of a gap. But just thinking we've got to go play Ireland next week, it's a sobering thought.'
'I think Steve's [Borthwick] got a lot of learning to do. He's a young coach at the start of his international career and we've got to get our mentality right and we want the ball at all times and feel comfortable on the ball,' he added.
'But it's a sobering game, there's no doubt about that.'
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Sir Clive Woodward, Former England Manager speaks ahead of the Six Nations Rugby match between England and Italy at Twickenham Stadium on February 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images,)
19:04
'Extremely proud of the performance': Benjamin Kaiser
Former France international Benjamin Kaiser gives his verdict on France's biggest ever win at Twickenham.
'Extremely proud of the performance,' He told ITV. 'Completely over the moon by the quality of rugby they were able to play. Now does it refelct the distance between the two teams, I don't think so. But on the day I can only say well done. Huge performance done with a lot of grit.'
18:32
And that's full time! England 10-53 France
A disappointing loss for Steve Borthwick's side, but wow, France look the real deal.
Final score England 10-53 France.
We'll have all the post-match reaction here so stay tuned!
18:31
TRY! Straight from the training ground!
Beautiful execution from France off the line-out see's Penaud touch down in the corner for his second try in quick succession.
France are in full flow here, and look very dangerous.
Ramos puts his first foot wrong all match and can't quite convert the ckick.
18:27
England 10-53 France :Ramos adds the extras
Ramos converts the extras to extend their lead to 43 points.
18:26
TRY! France are running riot!
Wow! France really are running riot here. Fickou's excellent vision see's Alex Dombrant mismatched against Penaud on the wing, and while Dombrant gets the tap on the France 14, he can't quite bring him down.
Penaud goes under to score his first of the match.
18:24
Crazy game of rugby!
England win the ball from the scrum, but the pass out to Henry Arundel now on the pitch is intercepted by the French defence who break away! But play is called back by the referee as England have the advantage and kick to the corner with the resulting penalty.
18:22
England on the attack
England advance upfield thanks to a nice turnover from Maro Itoje, and a great kick through from Watson gives England good field position infront of the sticks.
Dupont is bossing this game! While Ellis Genge is substituted
The scrum half is a magician, showing off his excellent kicking skills tapping over the England defence before tearing away up the field. Thankfully for England, his attack leads to nothing.
Ellis Genge meanwhile has departed the field, and while it's been a tough day at the office for the Bristol forward, I'm sure this won't be the last time we'll see him captain England.
18:13
Ollie Lawrence off! Walker in at centre.
Yes you read that right. England are out of subs, so Jack Walker has returned to the field to take Ollie Lawrence's place in the midfield.
18:13
Ramos flawless from the tee! England 10-41 France
Ramos slots another conversion to bring the French past 40 points.
18:12
TRY! FRANCE!
Ollivon has scored! The referee explains to Farrell that the try was legal as Ollivon was allowed to dive and reach over for the ball (which was out of the back of the ruck) to score the try, and was not off his feet in the ruck.
18:09
TMO REVIEW: England in real trouble...
France have the bonus point but are hunting for more, as Ramos puts a ball over the top, and Dupot and co are chasing.
France recover possession and bundle the ball over the England try line. It looks as though the French openside Ollivon may have scored with the TMO checking now!
18:07
England 10-34 France: Ramos slots the conversion!
Ramos slots the conversion to amass a whopping 19 points from the match! Clinical.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Thomas Ramos of France converts their kick after Charles Ollivon ( not pictured ) scores the teams fourth try during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
18:05
Try! FLAMENT!
Flament bags his second after a cheeky box kick from Dupont has Stewart and Lawrence in disarray. The second row picks up the spoils and finds his way over the line.
18:01
England dominant at the scrum!
England dominate at the scrum and win the penalty but can't quite find touch with the resulting kick.
England recover the ball though, but the French counter ruck is too good for them with Jack Willis conceding another penalty for a neck roll on Danty.
17:56
TRY! STEWARD!
Freddie Steward gets England's first try after 47 minutes, crashing over with a brilliant line to make the scores 10-27.
Owen Farrell takes the field!
Owen Farrell has come on for Jack van Poortvliet. Marcus Smith stays on the field too.
17:52
NO TRY!
Malins looked to have touched down but after a TMO review, the officials ruled the 15 had knocked the ball on.
The full-back looked to have replicated his try against Scotland, receiving a perfectly weighted cross-field kick from Smith, but couldn't quite control the ball to make the score.
17:50
England looking sharper here!
England have the advantage and are putting together a nice attack together inside the French 22.
The fruits of their efforts turn to a scrum just off the French try line.
17:44
We're underway again as France kick off!
France get the second half underway and the rain is certainly coming down now!
17:39
'Magnifique': France take largest ever half-time advantage against England in the Six Nations
France have been 'magnifique' in the opening term taking full advantage of England's mistakes and lack of discipline. According to Opta, their 24-point lead is the largest any side has had at half time over England in the Six Nations.
England meanwhile just haven't been quick enough to get to the breakdown to support their ball carriers. The home side have not quite mounted a fluid attack yet.
17:34
England 3-27 France: Steve Borthwick marches to the changing rooms after England's dismal first half
Steve Borthwick has made an early exit from the stands as England march in 24 points down to Les Bleus at half-time following a scrappy first half.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Ellis Genge of England looks dejected as they speaks with Henry Slade during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
17:32
Ramos Slots the conversion
Ramos again strikes true to add to France's score.
17:30
TRY! Ollivon crashes over!
France take the spoils from the scrum and Ollivon brushes off Smith to crash over.
17:29
England again struggle to keep possession
France have the feed on England's 22 line as Alex Dombrant couldn't quite gather a pass from midfield.
17:27
England really struggling to hold onto the ball conceding ANOTHER penalty
England have conceded eight penalties this half, as they again fail to get enough support to their ball carriers, before Malins concedes a high tackle on Ramos.
France will again use the boot to build the territory pushing the home side back to their 22.
17:25
France conversion: Penalties are becoming a worry for Borthwick
But England undo their hard work conceding a penalty for handling the ball on the floor. Ramos is on hand to add to the French score line.
17:23
England 3-17 France: Smith gets England on the board
England are awarded a penalty in the middle of the park and Smith curls a brilliant kick round to put his side on the scoreboard.
England 3-17 France
17:21
France dominating at the breakdown
France are showing that quick ball really does help you dominate, with their ruck speed being much faster than Englands.
73% of their rucks in the first half have been between 1-3 seconds, an impressive figure compared to England's 57%.
17:17
Shot of the try
A brilliant snap of Flament's try.
France's lock Thibaud Flament (C) dives over the line to score their second try during the Six Nations international rugby union match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium, south-west London, on March 11, 2023. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
17:17
England concede another penalty!
England have been the victims of their own mistakes conceding yet another penalty in a dangerous attacking position.
17:15
Conversion is good! England 0-17 France
Ramos has no problem converting the kick, giving Les Bleus a 17-0 lead after 27 minutes.
17:13
TRY! Flament drives over!
Flament wins the resulting line-out from Dupont's kick, France recover and some fantastic play from their forwards see's the second row rewarded for his excellent work so far this half with a score of his own
17:12
50-20! Monster kick from Dupont!
Antoine Dupont's vision is sublime as he boots the ball nearly 50 metres from the back of a ruck to pin England back into the corner.
17:11
England 0-10 France: Rain is starting to come down here at Twickenham
Rugby Union - Six Nations Championship - England v France - Twickenham Stadium, London, Britain - March 11, 2023 England's Marcus Smith in action with France's Francois Cros REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
17:09
Slippery conditions under the high ball!
France's kicking game pays off as a Watson fails to gather a high ball inside his own half, knocking on to concede a scrum.
France gather the ball off the set piece and send it midfield, mounting some dangerous attacks, but Ntmack cannot find a way through to the try line. England recover the ball and clear their lines.
17:07
Penatlty to England
It's been a scrappy start for England. France have certainly got off on the front foot, with England making several mistakes. But they have a penalty and smith kicks to the corner.
George throws in and Chesshum takes a brilliant one-handed catch, but England cannot keep possession, with French openside Ollivon stealing the ball right on their try line. They boot the ball away and breathe a sigh of relief.
17:00
England get the free kick!
France concede the free kick from the scrum, with the French pack driving too early, and Smith opts to boot the ball high into the air but it comes to nothing.
16:58
First scrum!
Loose play from England sees them concede a knockon, and we have our first scrum.
France have the feed here, but England's pack weigh sliightly more than the French, coming in at 925kg with Les Bleus starting pack 920kg.
16:56
England on the attack, but can't get enough numbers to the ruck!
England mount a strong attack on the French, but can't get enough numbers to the ruck.
The home side are caught by the French counter ruckers, and referee Damon Murphy awards a penalty to Les Bleus who pin England back into their own half with a huge kick.
Clive Woodward: Le crunch will be a 'Humdinger'
Before the match Clive Woodward said this game is set to be a 'humdinger' and boy has it been some start in south west London.
16:52
More missed tackles! England 0-10 France
More missed tackles lead to another breakaway from France. England can't cope with the pressure conceding a penalty inside their own half.
Ramos converts to bring the French score up to 10 points.
16:51
Poor start from England
Missed tackles in midfield allowed French second row Flament to break through the miiddle of the park, offloading to Dumortier who finds Ramos on his left.
Defence coach Kevin Sinfield will not be happy.
16:50
Conversion: England 0-7 France
Ramos converts his own try from a difficult angle!
16:48
France crash back up field
Poor start for England, as the French break away to score a brilliant try with Thomas Ramos dotting down in the corner.
16:45
KICK OFF
And we're underway here at Twickenham, with England kicking to France!
16:44
Marcus Smith - License to Thrill
Conditions are cold but dry here at Twickenham which should prove for a great game of attacking rugby and with Marcus Smith in at ten we should have a lot of running rugby!
16:42
Its time for the anthems!
The teams have taken the field and we are T-minus five minutes from kick off!
First up it's the French national anthem!
16:33
'I think it's a sign of the pedigree we're building': Steve Borthwick talks before the game
Speaking on Marcus Smith's selection over Owen Farrell, Steve Borthwick believes he has picked the right team to beat France.
Borthwick said before the game: 'I think this team is the right team for the way we need to play today and we are very blessed to have such incredible talent. To be able to have Owen [Farrell] to come on and finish the game'
'We're playing one of the best teams in the world and from our point of view as a team we're excited about that challenge and see how our development is going.'
On Picking Ellis Genge as captain he added: 'Well I think everybody sees what a fantastic leader Ellis is and you're right I saw that very close at first hand [at Leicester].
'For us to have Ellis and Owen as leaders in this team, to have people with such pedigree that the team follows, I think that's a sign of the pedigree we're building
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Steve Borthwick, Head Coach of England, looks on prior to the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
16:21
England team news
The big news for England this week is that Steve Borthwick will select Marcus Smith as the starting fly-half for Le Crunch, with Owen Farrell dropping to the bench for the game.
Dave Ribbans comes into the the team in place of Courtney Lawes, who is out for the remainder of the campaign with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Ellis Genge will captain the side for the first time in his career.
Full team below...
England XV: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Max Malins, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Lawrence, 11 Anthony Watson, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Jack van Poortvliet; 1 Ellis Genge (c), 2 Jamie George, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Ollie Chessum, 6 Lewis Ludlam, 7 Jack Willis, 8 Alex Dombrandt
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Dan Cole, 19 David Ribbans, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Henry Arundell
16:16
France team news
Fabien Galthie has made several changes from his team that narrowly beat Scotland 32-21 at Murrayfield two weeks ago.
Dorian Aldegheri will drop into the tightwad position for Mohamed Haouas who was banned after he received a red card at Scotland.
Flanker Anthony Jelonch is out after he suffered a serious knee injury against Scotland. He is replaced by Francois Crois on the blindside.
While Les Bleus welcome back some ballast in the midfield with Jonathan Danty returning to don the 12 shirt, partnering Gael Fickou as Yoram Moefana drops to the bench.
Full team below...
France XV: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c); 1 Cyril Baille, 2 Julien Marchand, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 4 Thibaud Flament, 5 Paul Willemse, 6 Francois Cros, 7 Charles Ollivon, 8 Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Sekou Macalou, 21 Maxime Lucu, 22 Yoram Moefana, 23 Melvyn Jaminet
16:07
France are in the house!
France have also arrived!
16:04
England Arrive at Twickenham
England are in the hosue!
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: <<enter caption here>> during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)
15:59
As it stands...
With two games left, there is still plenty to play for and things are looking very tight at the top of the Six Nations, with four teams still mathematically able to win the title.
Ireland currently top the table with 15 points.
They hold a five point cushion on each of Scotland, England and France who all sit below them on 10 points each.
A bonus point win for either England or France today will put them level with Ireland at the top of the standings, while Scotland can also draw level with Ireland, if they beat them with more than four tries tomorrow at Murrayfield.
Italy currently occupy fifth place with one point, while Wales make up the numbers at the bottom of the table.
15:50
The Build Up...
We’re gearing up for a feast of rugby action this afternoon, with both sides able to able to put pressure on Ireland at the top of the Six Nations table with a bonus point win today.
Steve Borthwick’s side come into Le Crunch following a gruelling kicking battle in Cardiff last week but are out to prove their mettle against perhaps their toughest test yet this campaign. Having re-configured his team throughout the tournament, the England boss looks set to play a running game against the French, with Ellis Genge set to captain the side for the first time in his career.
France come into the match the favourites to win, but struggled to reach fifth gear thus far in the competition, being run close by Italy in the first round, losing to Ireland in the pursuant match and being taken the distance by Scotland two weeks ago.
A win today at Twickenham would be a huge statement for Fabien Galthie’s side in preparations for the World Cup coming later this year.
15:38
Hello and welcome!
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of England's Six Nations match against France!
I'll be bringing you all the live news, scores and updates from Twickenham this afternoon as we prepare for Le Crunch.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: A general view of the Twickenham stadium during the Six Nations Rugby match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on March 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
