England won the Six Nations after France beat Ireland on a thrilling final day of the delayed tournament.
Eddie Jones’ side had claimed a bonus-point win against Italy earlier on Saturday but faced a tense wait as both teams in the day’s final fixture attempted to take the title.
England’s first title since 2017 was confirmed by France’s 35-27 victory.
Ireland, who would have taken the crown if they had beaten France by six points or more, led 10-7 at one point.
The hosts took control to win in Paris but needed a bonus point and a winning margin of 31 points or more to claim the Six Nations themselves.
But they were unable to win by a large enough margin as England took the title on points difference.
England will fly home on Sunday and be presented with the trophy on their return.
Their victory comes at the end of the longest Six Nations in history after the tournament was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.
How England won the title
England came into this tournament as World Cup runners-up, but the Six Nations title seemed far from their reach after the opening game:
Youngs enters history books
Ben Youngs put in a man-of-the-match performance for England as he became only the second male player to reach 100 caps for the country after Jason Leonard.
The scrum-half had been stuck on 99 caps since the Six Nations was halted but scored once in each half to make the wait more than worth it.
After his achievement, he was presented with a gold cap and an engraved watch by his team-mates in the Stadio Olimpico dressing room.
“It was an incredible touch and something that I wasn’t expecting,” the 31-year-old said.
“It was a great presentation from Eddie [Jones] and Owen [Farrell] and I will now reflect and enjoy this moment.”
More to follow.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Tumblr
RSS