France claimed victory in the opening round of the Guinness Six Nations for the first time since 2016 after hold off a second-half England fightback to triumph 24-17 in Paris.
Converted tries from Vincent Rattez and captain Charles Ollivon plus a Romain Ntamack penalty opened up a 17-point lead for Fabien Galthie’s new-look Les Bleus outfit.
Ollivon crashed over for his second try to extend France’s lead to 24 after the restart before two magnificent individual tries from Jonny May pulled England back into contention.
But despite Eddie Jones’ men piling on the pressure in the closing minutes, they only had an Owen Farrell penalty to show for their efforts as the hosts celebrated a memorable win.
