England edge France in thriller to claim Women's Six Nations Grand Slam
Rugby Union - Women's Six Nations - England v France - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Britain - April 26, 2025 England's Abby Dow celebrates with Emma Sing after scoring their seventh try Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra REUTERS
Rugby Union - Women's Six Nations - England v France - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London, Britain - April 26, 2025 England's Sarah Bern in action with France's Manae Feleu, Alexandra Chambon and Madoussou Fall Raclot Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra REUTERS
LONDON - England overcame irrepressible France 43-42 to clinch a fourth straight Grand Slam and seventh successive Women's Six Nations title at Twickenham on Saturday as they extended their record winning streak in the tournament to 34 matches.
The Red Roses were clinical during a breathless first half with tries from Abby Dow, Emma Sing (2), Lark Atkin-Davies and Claudia MacDonald but leaked three scores to the resilient visitors to squander a 31-7 lead and go in 31-21 up at halftime.
The game sustained its breakneck, tit-for-tat pace in the second half as England captain Zoe Aldcroft finished after Dow cut through before French winger Kelly Arbey replied.
France were never out of it and when Joanna Grisez scorched over down the left to make it 43-42 with a minute left, the upset for an England team that had not lost a Six Nations game since 2018 looked on before the hosts finally triumphed.
It was a showcase of attacking rugby from both sides that left serious questions about England's defence ahead of a home World Cup in August that they are desperate to win and exorcise the demons of their defeat in the 2021 final to New Zealand.
England laid down a marker with a sharp score after four minutes, prolific winger Dow collecting a kick through from Zoe Harrison and fending off a tackle to score in the corner.
But France struck back within a minute, fly half Carla Arbez darting over after direct running and a brilliant midfield offload carved space through the hosts' defence.
Sing, in at fullback for England's injured supreme finisher Ellie Kildunne, then scored the game's third try in 10 minutes as she finished an overlap on the left.
Hooker Atkin-Davies put England 17-7 ahead from a powerful lineout drive after they kicked for the corner instead of goal, before Sing added her second as England seemed to be waltzing to the Grand Slam.
The hosts could never hold on to a commanding lead throughout the game, however, with France striking back every time it looked like the Red Roses could pull away.
A fumble from flyhalf Zoe Harrison, fielding a scrappy pass behind her own line that gifted Pauline Bourdon France's second try, was typical of their defensive errors.
The game resembled a highlights package as both sides scored with almost every attack, England mixing up their passing and kicking game to lethal effect while France made sharp use of the scraps of possession they could win.
It took a French knock-on from the game's final restart for England to launch their celebrations, clinging on to an encounter they had been tipped to win more comfortably.
The result leaves England with a few months to add more defensive rigour to their undoubted attacking verve ahead of a home World Cup which kicks off on August 22 when the Red Roses take on the United States.
While Twickenham Sstadium, now known as the Aviva, was not full, a crowd of 37,573 were on hand to see England lift the trophy in a haze of purple smoke, with the Grand Slam secure but thoughts already turning to the bigger challenge ahead. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Four-week break among recommended player safeguards as part of new soccer study
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group K - Andorra v England - RCDE Stadium, Cornella de Llobregat, Spain - June 7, 2025 England's Jude Bellingham shakes hands with the Andorra players before the match Action Images via Reuters/Albert Gea/File Photo REUTERS Four-week break among recommended player safeguards as part of new soccer study MANCHESTER, England - A four-week off-season break should be mandatory for professional soccer players, with two of those weeks to be a blackout period with no communication with club or national team, according to a new study. Seventy medical and performance experts agreed on 12 safeguards as part of the study released on Thursday by global players' union FIFPRO to protect players from calendar congestion and excessive workload. The safeguards include a minimum four-week retraining period after an off-season break before a return to competition. "Decoding the human body, performance, and sport-related injuries will be a lifelong scientific exercise for all of us," said Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network. "However, the results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards." The study's release comes days before the expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United States amid player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season. FIFPRO are calling for the immediate implementation of the safeguards which also include a minimum four-week retraining period after a close-season break before a return to competition, and travel fatigue management which would mean rest periods after long-haul flights. Players should also have a mandatory one-day off per week during the season and there should be a one-week mid-season break with no club or national team travel, training or media commitments. FIFPRO are also calling for specific workload safeguards for academy players under the age of 18. More than 75% agreement was required amongst participants to establish each recommendation. While some safeguards exist under the collective bargaining agreements of some countries, international football lacks standardized regulations, FIFPRO said. The study's Delphi methodological approach was an electronic survey conducted from February to March 2025, involving experts working in the performance or medical team in men's professional football. Seventy-three percent of the experts are employed by football clubs, with 27% working for national teams. "If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards," said FIFPRO's Medical Director Vincent Gouttebarge. In October, FIFPRO, the European leagues' group and Spain's LaLiga filed a joint complaint to European Union antitrust regulators, accusing soccer's global governing body FIFA of "abuse," concerned about the impact of the expanding football calendar on player wellbeing. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
34 minutes ago
- CNA
Four-week break among recommended player safeguards as part of new soccer study
MANCHESTER, England :A four-week off-season break should be mandatory for professional soccer players, with two of those weeks to be a blackout period with no communication with club or national team, according to a new study. Seventy medical and performance experts agreed on 12 safeguards as part of the study released on Thursday by global players' union FIFPRO to protect players from calendar congestion and excessive workload. The safeguards include a minimum four-week retraining period after an off-season break before a return to competition. "Decoding the human body, performance, and sport-related injuries will be a lifelong scientific exercise for all of us," said Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network. "However, the results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards." The study's release comes days before the expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United States amid player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season. FIFPRO are calling for the immediate implementation of the safeguards which also include a minimum four-week retraining period after a close-season break before a return to competition, and travel fatigue management which would mean rest periods after long-haul flights. Players should also have a mandatory one-day off per week during the season and there should be a one-week mid-season break with no club or national team travel, training or media commitments. FIFPRO are also calling for specific workload safeguards for academy players under the age of 18. More than 75 per cent agreement was required amongst participants to establish each recommendation. While some safeguards exist under the collective bargaining agreements of some countries, international football lacks standardized regulations, FIFPRO said. The study's Delphi methodological approach was an electronic survey conducted from February to March 2025, involving experts working in the performance or medical team in men's professional football. Seventy-three percent of the experts are employed by football clubs, with 27 per cent working for national teams. "If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards," said FIFPRO's Medical Director Vincent Gouttebarge. In October, FIFPRO, the European leagues' group and Spain's LaLiga filed a joint complaint to European Union antitrust regulators, accusing soccer's global governing body FIFA of "abuse," concerned about the impact of the expanding football calendar on player wellbeing.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Bath and Leicester roll back the years in battle for English supremacy
LONDON -Bath v Leicester is a fixture that is evocative of a time when the clubs totally ruled English rugby, and memories and rivalries forged in the 1980s will re-emerge on Saturday when they meet in the English Premiership final for the first time. They, along with Gloucester, are the only clubs to have been permanent members of the top flight since it was formed 1988 and in the league's early years they were totally dominant, winning 12 of the first 15 titles between them, as well as nine versions of the cup. Since those glory days, however, it has been a different story, as the likes of Saracens, Wasps, Northampton and Exeter broke up the hegemony. Leicester did continue to dine at the top table, winning the league in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2022 to take their tally to 11, but Bath's last triumph remains the 1996 title when the winners were still decided by a simple league table with no end-of-season final. That was also the last time the two big guns faced off at Twickenham, as Bath triumphed 16-15 in the Pilkington Cup final courtesy of a last-minute penalty try that Leicester fans have been grumbling about for 29 years. Until this season, Bath's 1996 league and cup double remained their last domestic success - though they did win the European Cup two years later. They have lost three Premiership finals since then, including last year's nail-biter against Northampton, but are now bidding for a 2025 treble having already bagged the Premiership Cup - largely a development competition - and the European Challenge Cup. They finished away and clear at the top of the Premiership and, after an early wobble, eventually swept past Bristol in the semis. South African coach Johann van Graan has introduced a level of pragmatism rarely seen at the Recreation Ground and fans dreaming of running rugby, but starved of silverware, have learned to love seeing their massive pack, and particularly their own Bomb Squad, overwhelm all opposition in a succession of second-half surges. The team have also been expertly guided by the halfback combination of on-song Ben Spencer and Finn Russell, who has curbed some of his wilder instincts to move his team around the pitch, while also taking his goalkicking up to truly world-class level. "It's taken a lot of hard work from the group," scrumhalf Spencer said of Bath's revival since Van Graan arrived two years ago. "I think one huge thing that Johann brought in was turning hope into belief. This group believes now, and believes that we can win big games. Saturday will be another huge game for the group and we know that each and every one of us has got each other's back." Leicester are back where they feel they belong after an horrendous dip that had them finish third-from-bottom last season. Under the leadership of Australian Michael Cheika they have rediscovered much of their swagger and finished strongly to secure second place in the standings before edging past Sale in the semis. "They gave us a bit of a tonking when we were down there a few weeks ago and Bath are the only team we haven't beaten yet this year, so we have got to find a way to master that opponent," Cheika said in relation to his side's 43-15 league defeat on May 17. Whatever the result, it will be an emotional day for scrumhalf Ben Youngs and prop Dan Cole - England's two most-capped players - who are playing their final games after almost 700 Leicester appearances between them.
