Le Crunch 2018 has been settled and we now know that it was to be France who could come out on top in an entertaining battle against England in Paris.
Les Bleus ran out 22-16 winners at a raucous Stade de France, and did so as they came from behind against their old rivals. From the highlights we see that England led early on thanks to Owen Farrell’s penalty, but almost conceded a try themselves as man-of-the-match Rémy Grosso and Yacouba Camara rampaged through their opposition.
England won a scrum penalty to allow Elliot Daly to extend the lead from his own half, with Maxime Machenaud doing the same from slightly closer for the last score of the first period. France also registered the first points of the second half, with François Trinh-Duc’s cross-field kick tipped back to wing Benjamin Fall – tackled high by Anthony Watson to lead to a penalty try.
In the final ten minutes the away side rallied and at 19-9 down Jonny May was able to dot-down following a succession of drives and Daly’s smart inside pass.
With the clock in the red, Eddie Jones’ men crashed away at the French line looking for a match-winning score. First came Maro Itoje, second came replacement prop Kyle Sinckler and then Luke Cowan-Dickie, but the French were able to win a penalty with their backs against the wall, closing out a thrilling victory.
