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England win Six Nations as Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack inspire France to win over Ireland

Antoine Dupont - REUTERS
Antoine Dupont - REUTERS

10:00 PM

Full-time | France 35 Ireland 27 - England are Six Nations champions

That win for France will be toasted by Eddie Jones over in Italy. It has handed the Championship to England, but is also an eye-catching marker for Les Bleus.

They've enjoyed such a resurgence and are working towards Rugby World Cup 2023 promisingly. 

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09:56 PM

Try, Jacob Stockdale! France 35 Ireland 27, 80 minutes

A consolation for Ireland at the death, and it comes through Stockdale. He frees himself on Ireland's left. Ross Byrne converts.


09:53 PM

France 35 Ireland 20, 78 minutes

There have been some phenomenal individual performances from France. Gregory Alldritt and Julien Marchand in the pack and the half-backs, Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, have been exceptional. 


09:51 PM

Match action

This offload from Antoine Dupoint... sublime.


09:49 PM

Five minutes to go

The title is heading towards England.


09:47 PM

Try, Virimi Vakatawa! France 35 Ireland 20, 71 minutes

Sensational from France. Again. Ntamack chips, chases and gathers, ghosting into space before feeding Vakatawa, who tears to the line unopposed.

Ntamack converts. That could be that. What a performance from France.


09:43 PM

France 28 Ireland 20, 68 minutes

It's been a difficult evening for Stockdale. He shrugs off a tackle and attempts to release an offload to Keenan but spills forward.


09:40 PM

France 28 Ireland 20, 67 minutes

A five-metre lineout goes astray for Ireland! France clear to touch and then steal another set piece.


09:38 PM

France 28 Ireland 20, 65 minutes

A good little patch for Ireland. They hold out to halt France and then CJ Stander wins a jackal turnover following Conor Murray's box-kick.


09:35 PM

France 28 Ireland 20, 62 minutes

A glimmer of hope, and then a set-back. Ireland play out from their own 22 but Stockdale drops a pass. Scrum put-in to France about 17 metres from the try-line.


09:34 PM

Try, Robbie Henshaw! France 28 Ireland 20, 60 minutes

Now then...

That has come from nothing. After a scrappy Ireland lineout, the ball reaches Henshaw. He cuts back against the grain and beats four players to score in the corner. A wonderful solo try. Sexton converts from out wide. Is there another twist?


09:32 PM

Match action

Here's Romain Ntamack diving over to score.

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09:30 PM

France 28 Ireland 13, 56 minutes

A pass from Chris Farrell goes to the floor in Ireland's midfield and Vincent boots down-field. Hugo Keenan recovers possession but France will have a lineout on the cusp of the 22.


09:28 PM

They couldn't... could they?

France need a 32-point victory to win the title, remember. Their lead is 15.


09:26 PM

France 28 Ireland 13, 54 minutes

Virimi Vakatawa dives in over the ball but is adjudged to be off his feet by Barnes. Ireland go to touch. They need something quickly... but cough it up.


09:24 PM

Penalty, Romain Ntamack! France 28 Ireland 13, 53 minutes

Rinse and repeat. Another fine strike from Ntamack.


09:23 PM

France 25 Ireland 13, 51 minutes

Ireland are beginning to fade, it seems. Julien Marchand forces a penalty on the floor for France and Andrew Porter concedes one as he loses his balance.


09:20 PM

Penalty, Romain Ntamack! France 25 Ireland 13, 48 minutes

Lovely kick. 


09:19 PM

France 22 Ireland 13, 46 minutes

The hosts' maul is beginning to influence proceedings. It splinters Ireland to force a penalty and now Ntamack will attempt to stretch France's advantage.


09:17 PM

Try, Romain Ntamack! France 22 Ireland 13, 44 minutes

Another stunner from France. Fickou finds space following some interplay from Bouthier and Ntamack. A chip ahead is collected by - guess who? - Dupont, whose looped offload puts Ntamack over. What a try. Ntamack cannot convert, but France now lead by nine.


09:14 PM

France 17 Ireland 13, 42 minutes

Excellent defence from France. Eventually Sexton chips over the midfield but Bouthier clears up and smashes down-field.


09:12 PM

France 17 Ireland 13, 41 minutes

Good start from Ireland. They hassle Ntamack, who clears to touch. Ireland will be able to launch from a lineout around the hosts' 10-metre line.


09:10 PM

Second half

Sexton gets us going once more. There are 40 minutes remaining in the 2020 Six Nations.


09:09 PM

As things stand...

...England will be Six Nations champions. 


08:56 PM

Half-time | France 17 Ireland 13

Ireland surge at the line but Will Connors finds himself isolated and the new man, Dylan Cretin, swoops to force a penalty. Ntamack taps and kicks into touch to end the half.


08:55 PM

France 17 Ireland 13, 40 minutes

Alldritt strips the ball from CJ Stander but it's a penalty because the latter's knee was down. 

Wow - a huge call. Doris has returned from the sin bin and Ireland have opted to kick for touch...


08:53 PM

France 17 Ireland 13, 39 minutes

Around 10 seconds left on Doris' yellow card as Cian Healy returns following his head injury assessment.


08:52 PM

Match action

This was Bouthier's yellow card earlier. 


08:51 PM

Penalty, Romain Ntamack! France 17 Ireland 13, 38 minutes

Ntamack splits the posts.


08:50 PM

France 14 Ireland 13, 37 minutes

A mazy run from Fickou sweeps France in behind Ireland, who creep offside shortly afterwards. Ntamack will go for goal.


08:46 PM

Penalty, Johnny Sexton! France 14 Ireland 13, 33 minutes

Sexton succeeds. Meanwhile, Cros heads off. Dylan Cretin replaces him.


08:45 PM

France 14 Ireland 10, 32 minutes

Good response from Ireland. They regroup and, down to 14 men, work handy field position. France infringe at the breakdown as a jackaller loses their balance. Sexton calls for the tee once more...


08:43 PM

Match action

It feels like a long, long time ago, but here is Antoine Dupont's try from the start of this half.


08:42 PM

Penalty try, France! France 14 Ireland 10, 30 minutes

Jacob Stockdale gets away with a spill at full-back but commits another error that is punished severely. Francois Cros hacks through and Doris tackles him off the ball.

Barnes immediately heads under the posts and sends Doris to the bin. A huge moment.


08:35 PM

Penalty, Johnny Sexton! France 7 Ireland 10, 26 minutes

Easy kick. Ireland lead.


08:35 PM

France 7 Ireland 7, 24 minutes

Sexton hits a grubber that brushes against a France player so Ireland have the lineout when it bobbles over the touchline.

From there, the visitors' pressure earns a breakdown penalty. Sexton will go for the posts.


08:31 PM

France 7 Ireland 7, 21 minutes

An error from Dupont, whose kick bounces over the dead-ball line from his own half. Meanwhile, the game breaks as Healy vomits... he's staying on, though.


08:29 PM

Match action

Jacob Stockdale has been busy at full-back for Ireland.

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08:28 PM

Try, Cian Healy! France 7 Ireland 7, 19 minutes

What a day for centurions! Thanks in no small part to teammates Andrew Porter and James Ryan, who were latching on to him, Healy shunts over from close range. Sexton levels up the game from the tee. Bouthier is back, as well.


08:26 PM

France 7 Ireland 0, 17 minutes

Another Ireland penalty. This time they opt for a scrum.


08:24 PM

France 7 Ireland 0, 15 minutes

Ireland mess up a close-range lineout but it works out for them. It's an over-throw but Bundee Aki collects at the tail and passes to Sexton, who is held up over the try-line. Five-metre put-in to Ireland. Four minutes left on Bouthier's sin bin...


08:21 PM

France 7 Ireland 0, 13 minutes

Aggressive defence from Ireland causes a knock-on from France on their owen 10-metre line.


08:19 PM

France 7 Ireland 0, 10 minutes

Fantastic maul defence from France after Ireland go to the corner. They force a turnover and will have the scrum put-in.


08:18 PM

Yellow card, Anthony Bouthier!

This game has exploded. Sexton snakes an excellent grubber that Hugo Keenan flicks up in the air.

France's full-back, Bouthier, covers across and deliberately knocks the ball into touch. Barnes and television match official Luke Pearce decide that it is not a penalty try but Bouthier is going to the sinb-in.


08:14 PM

Try, Antoine Dupont! France 7 Ireland 0, 7 minutes

Wow. Dupont's box-kick looks to be travelling too long but Vincent Rattez bats the ball back in-field. France spread the ball left and Gael Fickou beats Andrew Porter with a sublime in-and-out.

He breaks clear and who is in support? Dupont, of course. He arcs under the posts and Ntamack converts.


08:10 PM

France 0 Ireland 0, 5 minutes

It's wide, to the left. But Murray certainly had the range there.


08:09 PM

France 0 Ireland 0, 4 minutes

Very interesting. Ireland are awarded a scrum penalty between the halfway line and their own 10-metre line.

Conor Murray is going for goal. It will be a 55-metre effort...


08:08 PM

France 0 Ireland 0, 2 minutes

Caelan Doris forces an excellent jackal turnover in midfield. A good start for the young back-rower.


08:06 PM

France 0 Ireland 0, 1 minute

A messy old start.  James Ryan fails to gather but France spill forward. Ireland to feed the first scrum. 


08:05 PM

Kick-off

Anthems done, here we go. Wayne Barnes, back in action following a positive Covid-19 test, blows his whiste and Romain Ntamack goes to the air.


07:58 PM

Players out

Here they come. Ireland first, led by Johnny Sexton, and then Charles Ollivo's France.


07:57 PM

A tribute to Cian Healy

Paul O'Connell is on duty for the BBC and he says this about the Leinster loosehead:

"We don't breed big men like that in Ireland, so, when we get them, we tend to treasure them."
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07:52 PM

'It's a tough old ask'

Andy Farrell says Ireland are ready to "go out and give it our all". And highlights that, on the occasion of Cian Healy's 100th cap, the squad want to produce something special for him.

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07:48 PM

Twenty minutes until kick-off

It is not a high bar at all, but this should be the best of today's Six Nations games.


07:31 PM

Permutations

Ireland can actually take the tournament with a win by six points if they score a try - and therefore pass England's tally of tries.

Get this... if Ireland win by six points but do not score a try, the title is shared. 


07:27 PM

France will kick off

A masked Wayne Barnes oversees the coin-toss, here.


07:24 PM

Huddling up

This was the scene as Ireland arrived at the venue a while ago. 

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07:19 PM

How Auch developed two France stars

This is an excellent feature from my colleague Charles Richardson. Both Antoine Dupont and Gregory Alldritt grew up at Auch, a humble club in south-west France. He investigated their roots.

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07:13 PM

Down to the wire

And to the finale. A tournament that started back on February 1 will reach its climax almost nine months later as Ireland chase the Six Nations title against France.

It promises to be an absorbing denouement just outside Paris. Ireland will land a fourth Championship since 2014 with a bonus-point victory. Of course, that is far easier said than done.

In fact, Ireland have never won across The Channel and scored four tries in the process. In 2000, when Brian O’Driscoll plundered a hat-trick, those were the only three five-pointers his side managed.

Six years later, Ireland did score four tries but lost 43-31. It is hard to imagine a squad coached by Shaun Edwards, who has certainly added a steel to France this year upon his arrival from Wales, being so flaky.

Then again, Les Bleus can win the competition with a heavy triumph that overhauls England on points difference. They need a 32-point victory... so it could well open up. Here are the teams.

France

15. Anthony Bouthier, 14. Gael Fickou, 13. Virimi Vakatawa, 12. Arthur Vincent, 11. Vincent Ratez, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9. Antoine Dupont; 1. Cyril Baille, 2. Julien Marchand, 3.Mohamed Haouas, 4. Bernard le Roux, 5.Paul Willemse, 6. Francois Cros, 7. Charles Ollivon (captain), 8. Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16. Camille Chat, 17. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18. Demba Bamba, 19. Romain Taofifenua, 20. Dylan Cretin, 21. Baptiste Serin, 22. Arthur Retiere, 23. Thomas Ramos

Ireland

15. Jacob Stockdale, 14. Andrew Conway, 13. Robbie Henshaw, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. Hugo Keenan, 10. Johnny Sexton (captain) 9. Conor Murray; 1. Cian Healy, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Andrew Porter, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 5. James Ryan, 6. Caelan Doris, 7. Will Connors, 8. CJ Stander
Replacements: 16. Dave Heffernan, 17. Ed Byrne 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. Ultan Dillane, 20. Peter O'Mahony, 21. Jamison Gibson-Park, 22. Ross Byrne, 23. Chris Farrell