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| England: (7) 22 |
| Try: Cowan-dickie With: Farrell Feathers: Farrell 4, Daly |
| France: (13) 19 |
| Try: Linseed With: Jalibert Feathers: Jalibert 2, Carbonel 2 |
Owen Farrell finally found his boots to launch a sudden death penalty and submit a substitute from France to win the Fall Nations Cup at Twickenham.
England, the pre-match favorites, needed a last-minute attempt by Luke-Cowan Dickie to bring the competition to a sudden death.
In a run-over period of overtime, Farrell missed a single penalty shot to win the game.
But the captain stepped forward once more to nail a kick from a difficult angle to clinch the title.
England players were quick to attack their patron as the ball snapped the posts to finally end an extraordinary and rocking competition.
The bookmakers had predicted a 17-point margin of victory before kick-off. Alex Corbisiero and Abbie Brown, England players past and present, predicted even more emphatic victories when interviewed by the stadium announcer before kick-off.
Instead, the 2,000 fans, who returned to Twickenham for the first time since March, were treated to a suspenseful finale that did not match the rest of the Fall Nations Cup.
He nearly went off the script to give a victory to a French team that was deprived of more than 20 first-choice stars by an availability agreement with its top clubs.
Louis Carbonel, the young fly-half who led the French youth team to a victory in the U-20 World Championship final over England in 2018, saw a kick that left the hosts needing a converted try to force extra time with four minutes to go. .
It was a task that England fulfilled. Single. Cowan-Dickie approached from the back of a rolling maul on the last play of the game to set up a shootout.
With fatigue biting down and minds churning over the new format, the game finally opened up as both sides sought the knockout punch.
It was England and Farrell who finally got it to avenge February’s defeat in Paris at the start of the Six Nations.
The energy of France lights up Twickenham
From the first moments of the match, France showed the sheer enthusiasm and energy they had to offer the tournament. Cameron Woki chased the kickoff and dragged catcher Anthony Watson into touch.
And England never fully regained control. France, full of career and adventure, refused to play the role of waiting runner-up that many had given them before kick-off.
Farrell took the first points of the day when England’s scrum forced a penalty, but France’s initiative was rewarded when 22-year-old high-midfielder Matthieu Jalibert threw and dived between Farrell and Jamie George before feeding Brice Dulin to a good score.
England were dominant on set pieces, but struggled to control the visitors, who reveled in the chaos and space caused by their high-paced play.
When the half came to an end, England seemed to have France where it wanted it.
The roar of Tom Curry camped them at fifteen feet. But a magnificent defensive set from a French team now drilled by former Wales defense coach Shaun Edwards repelled the hosts and reassured the 2,000 home fans, who protected their seven-point lead until the break.
England’s mistakes continued to allow an inexperienced France, with just 68 matches to the hosts’ 772, to come out of difficult field positions in the second half.
Farrell threw a kick off the tee, Daly threw another full out, a lineout to five from the French line was stolen by the visitors.
And when Farrell missed another shot on goal almost straight ahead, confidence flowed in the French bank.
Every decision was hailed by the visiting coaches, with each tackler slapping his teammate on the back. England resolutely clung to their kicking game, be it out of tactical discipline or lack of ideas.
It looked like the match might be gone.
But, when it really mattered, England dug deep into their deepest wells of experience to finally pick up a final that many expected to be a formality.
Man of the match – Cameron Woki
Lineups
England: Daly, Watson, Slade, Farrell, May, Ford, Youngs, Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Launchbury, Curry, Underhill, B. Vunipola. Replacements: Malins for Watson (69), Robson for Youngs (69), Marler for Genge (58), Cowan-Dickie for George (65), Stuart for Sinckler (65), J. Hill for Launchbury (43), Earl for Underhill (43). Not used: Marchant.
France: Dulin, Raka, Moefana, Danty, Villiere, Jalibert, Couilloud, Kolingar, Bourgarit, Aldegheri, Geraci, Pesenti, Woki, Jelonch, Tolofua. Replacements: Barassi for Danty (47), Carbonel for Jalibert (61), Bezy for Couilloud (80), Neti for Kolingar (52), Mauvaka for Bourgarit (52), Ducat for Pesenti (55), Macalou for Woki (55) .
