Category: France Rugby

• Coach ‘the perfect person’ to lead side into World Cup

• Springboks game ‘an amazing opportunity’ for players

Jamie George has insisted England can go toe-to-toe with South Africa when they lock horns with the world champions in July and believes his side will be among the favourites for next year’s World Cup if Steve Borthwick remains as head coach.

England are on a disappointing run of four straight defeats but, while Saturday’s 48-46 loss to France condemned them to their worst Six Nations campaign, the manner in which Borthwick’s side performed – scoring seven tries in Paris – has given rise to renewed optimism.

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France claimed the Six Nations with last gasp Thomas Ramos penalty

We’re underway

Officials tonight.

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Steve Borthwick must throw off the shackles in Paris to inject some attacking energy into his far-too predictable side

The inquest into England’s Six Nations campaign has already started and when that is the case before the championship has even finished it is never a good sign. Everyone has their own opinions on what is wrong and I’m sure that is the same within the squad too. When you are on runs like England are, different players come up with different reasons for their problems and different fixes – and that makes the situation all the more difficult.

If there is one thing holding England back it is their gameplan. I don’t say that as a reaction to these three defeats, I felt that they stagnated during the autumn and tightened things up despite chalking up four victories. The best illustration I can give is the 2024 tournament. England had lost to Scotland, went to York in the fallow week, contrived to throw off the shackles in attack and it paid immediate dividends.

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Murrayfield as underdogs is a scenario Scotland like, and a third successive win would set up perfect Six Nations finale

The mischievous will have eyes on Rome on Saturday in case of a historic win but the game of the weekend is in Edinburgh. Second versus first, Scotland versus France, entertainers versus entertainers. The title on the line. We could even have a champion by the end of it.

If France win with a bonus point, that is it. The 2026 Six Nations will be theirs with a round to spare. One feels there will be tries in this game, so the prospect is real. Which would reduce the championship’s beloved set piece of Super Saturday to an exercise in ordering the also-rans and seeing if France can move ahead of Wales as the Six Nations’ most prolific purveyor of grand slams, with a fifth.

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France score five tries to one to blow Italy away and take comfortable lead at the top of the Six Nations table.

Bad news for the mercurial 10.

Although it’s hardly a downgrade as Ramos, who has found himself at first receiver this campaign, slots in at 10.

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Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert have thrilled during Les Bleus’ storming start to the Six Nations

The greatest double acts roll off the tongue. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Morecambe and Wise, Lennon and McCartney. It’s the same in sport: Lillee and Thomson, Torvill and Dean, Redgrave and Pinsent. After a while their individual talents complement each other so perfectly it becomes hard to mention one without the other.

Which is what is now happening on the rugby fields of Europe. For Butch and Sundance read Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert, the creative partnership behind a France team weaving the prettiest of Six Nations patterns. Between them “Jalipont” are helping to fashion some of the most spectacular attacking rugby anyone could wish for.

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Wales suffered a heavy defeat in front of the lowest Six Nations Cardiff attendance in 24 years

5 mins. A hanging Edwards kick is dropped by Jalibert, but it went backwards and so Attissogbe can tidy it up around halfway. Wales are soon back on the ball with Edwards again kicking deep; way too deep as it bobbles dead.

The first try was in some measure due to missed tackles and then another basic error is made with that kick. Unforgivable, really.

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If Les Bleus click, the results could be spectacular against a much-altered Ireland with umpteen questions to answer

The Six Nations is kicking off on a Thursday this year to avoid a direct clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony. In at least one key respect, even so, the two events are perfectly aligned: one early stumble for France or Ireland and a potentially painful descent awaits.

Despite the possibility of first‑night nerves and some Parisian drizzle it should still make for more intriguing viewing on ITV1 than the alternative of Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice on BBC One. Unless, of course, France are so far out of sight inside 40 minutes that they cannot be caught and the audience are free to switch over in good time to watch Sir Alan Sugar say: “You’re fired!”

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• Veteran dropped for alleged outburst at match officials

• Andy Farrell dealt further blow by Hugo Keenan injury

Ireland are set to kick off the Six Nations next week without two of their most influential and experienced backline players. Bundee Aki and Hugo Keenan, key members of last year’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, should have been involved against France next week but are now facing spells on the sidelines for contrasting reasons.

Aki has not travelled to Ireland’s training camp in Portugal following a “misconduct complaint” relating to an alleged post-match incident with match officials at the weekend after Connacht’s URC game against Leinster.

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There were enough sparks and signs of intent in Europe to suggest Australia are a team at the beginning of something, not the end

At the end of a frenetic first half, where Angus Bell ran in one of the great tries by a Wallaby prop, where Matt Faessler powered over for a brace, where Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a solo stunner and Thomas Ramos and Nicolas Depoortère dotted down as well, Tane Edmed gathered a pass at first receiver.

The young fly-half, playing in his seventh Test, was having a decent game. He’d slotted two of his three shots at goal. He was brave to the line, carrying with zip, stitching moves together as he tried to spark a backline short on fluency. But with the clock in the red, he attempted a raking kick to the corner. Either he didn’t realise the 40 minutes had elapsed, or he thought he was in his own half and a 50-22 was on. Either way, after watching the ball skid into touch to end the half, he stood still, hands on head, stunned by his own misread.

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• France 48-33 Australia

• Les Bleus run in seven tries to end autumn series in style

France beat Australia in a see-saw match to end the Wallabies’ first winless tour of Europe in 67 years, spoiling Joe Schmidt’s farewell Test as both teams closed their autumn series at the Stade de France on Saturday.

Les Bleus, whose November campaign produced mixed results, alternated moments of attacking flair and periods of costly indiscipline, repeatedly allowing Australia back into a match that fluctuated throughout.

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• Despite improved showing, Australia fall 48-33 to Les Bleus in Paris

• Wallabies make unwanted history with first winless Europe tour in 67 years

Pressure continues to mount on the beleaguered coach Joe Schmidt after the Wallabies ended a disastrous spring tour with a damaging 48-33 loss to France in Paris.

Despite a vastly improved showing after insipid displays against England, Italy and Ireland, the Wallabies have now endured a winless four-Test tour of Europe for the first time since 1958.

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• France 17-32 South Africa

• World champions score four tries in bruising victory

South Africa showed all their world champions resilience, storming back from 14-6 down and the first-half sending-off of the lock Lood de Jager to crush France 32-17 in a bruising Autumn international on Saturday.

Down a man for the entire second half, the Springboks absorbed early pressure before overwhelming Les Bleus through sheer physicality and composure, silencing a raucous Stade de France crowd expecting revenge for France’s World Cup heartbreak.

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• Wales win 31-12 for first Test win since 2023 World Cup

• Fiji 29-14 Scotland; All Blacks 43-17 France; Portugal 7-106 Ireland

Wales held on to end their 18-match losing Test run with a hard-fought 31-22 victory over Japan in Kobe. Playing under the closed roof of the Noevir Stadium, Wales scored three first-half tries, with Josh Adams opening the scoring and Kieran Hardy going over twice after Lee Seung-sin’s penalty, but Japan struck on the stroke of half-time through Shuhei Takeuchi.

Although Dan Edwards’ penalty extended Wales’s lead, they slipped into trouble as two tries in quick succession from Warner Dearns and Dylan Riley brought Japan back into the game. However, Edwards crossed with five minutes remaining to seal a first Test win since beating Georgia at the 2023 World Cup.

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• Winter Olympics shifts France v Ireland to Thursday
• Only one fallow week set to raise player welfare concerns

Next year’s Six Nations will kick off on a Thursday night for the first time in the competition’s history, with the defending champions, France, hosting Ireland, and will take place across just six weeks after organisers removed one of fallow weeks for the championship.

It is understood the unprecedented move to begin the championship on Thursday 5 February next year has been made after input from broadcasters, with the 2026 Winter Olympics ceremony taking place in Milan the following day. It has also been made with the agreement of all six unions.

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