Antoine Dupont lived up to his billing as the best player in the world as France defeated England 25-13 to be crowned 2022 Guinness Six Nations champions.
The France captain was named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match for his performance in the Super Saturday finale as Les Bleus ended their 12-year wait for the title.
Dupont’s second-half try put the result beyond doubt after tries from Gael Fickou and Francois Cros had given the hosts a comfortable 18-6 half-time lead and left England playing catch-up.
Marcus Smith kicked eight points and Freddie Steward crossed for England’s try but it was not enough to deny a marvellous France side their first Grand Slam since 2010.
And Dupont, who also made 51 metres from seven carries during the game, said the Championship title had been a long time coming for this side after back-to-back runners-up finishes.
“It was our third Championship together,” said the 25-year-old, the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year.
“We’ve finished second twice and it was really frustrating because they were games that we could have won and it came down to tiny margins. It’s incredible.
“We knew this competition was hard and we know how long the supporters have been waiting for this win. We will enjoy this moment now.”
