England vs France score, highlights and analysis as Six Nations champions romp to record win at Twickenham

Jonathan Burnett

England vs France score, highlights and analysis as Six Nations champions romp to record win at Twickenham image

France put England to the sharpest of swords in Le Crunch at Twickenham, inflicting upon the Red Rose the heaviest defeat they have ever suffered at their long-time home.

Three first-half tries gave Les Bleus a healthy lead at the break before they ran away with the game towards the end to breach a half-century of points and triumph 53-10.

Within seconds of the first kick-off, England were reeling in defence, after a succession of French offloads put Thomas Ramos in to score at the corner inside three minutes. The full-back crossed for five of his eventual 23 points in total, and France were soon over again after Thibaud Flament, who was heavily involved in the opening try, barged over from close range.

Limited to three first-half points from a Marcus Smith penalty, England couldn't restrict France scoring a third try before the break, as Charles Ollivon latched onto Gregory Alldritt's offload to cross right on the bell. England responded early in the second half through Freddie Steward, but their rearguard being breached only inspired France to raise their game further.

Thibaud Flament crosses for his second try of the game at Twickenham (UK):

Within eight minutes, France responded, with Antoine Dupont's kick over the top bouncing kindly for Flament to score his second. Dupont also played a crucial role in their next score, chasing Ramos' kick to force Smith back, and confusion at the England breakdown allowed Ollivon to sneakily dot the ball down, completing a brace for both forwards within four minutes of each other.

With the game already well beyond England's reach, France rose into the ascendency with some mesmeric attacking playing, popping up all over the pitch as the hosts' defence began to wilt. Damian Penaud collected a cross-field kick to skip clear of the chasing defenders, and he was over again three minutes later to round off the scoring.

A 53-10 scoreline would have been scarcely believable prior to kick-off, but having watched France put on a rugby-playing lesson at Twickenham, every single point was deserved for a side who were simply the best.

Watch Damian Penaud cap off France's record victory with his second late try of the game (UK):

England suffer record defeat at Twickenham

Prior to this game, England's record loss was a 42-6 defeat to South Africa in the 2008 Autumn internationals, a game in which current coach Steve Borthwick played for the home side. Having seen that record obliterated from the coaches' box, Borthwick saw his team dominated in every single aspect of play in the game for which he chose to drop long-time captain Owen Farrell.

Particularly at the breakdown, an area in which England had improved with every game under their new coach, France completely steamrolled the hosts with and without the ball, with two of their seven scores coming directly from a ruck or set-piece turnover. England need to react to this humbling quickly if they're to provide any sort of response against Grand Slam favourites Ireland next week.

Brilliant Bleus re-stake claim to 2023 titles

France's performances in their first three Six Nations games had been a far cry from their complete dominance of the 2022 tournament, with Italy and Scotland considered unlucky not to beat them, and Ireland defeating them convincingly. However, Les Bleus showed the rest of the Six Nations, and the world, exactly how dangerous they can be when hitting their straps, shattering their record victory over England and doing so in style, coming within just 10 points of equalling the record away win in the championship's history.

France's domination of the game saw them play out 80 minutes with barely a fault, and ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup — on home soil, of course — Les Bleus' odds to win the tournament could well sky-rocket. One game certainly does not mean that France are any more capable of winning the World Cup than they were yesterday, but the manner of their performance suggests that if they play as well against any other side, it's going to be near impossible to stop them.

The Sporting News followed the match live, providing live updates and commentary below.

England vs France full-time score

  1H 2H FT
England 3 7 10
France 27 26 53

Tries: Steward; Ramos, Flament (2), Ollivon (2), Penaud

Conversions: Smith; Ramos (6)

Penalties: Smith; Ramos (2)

England vs France full commentary, highlights

FT: That's all from us, and what a spectacle we've witnessed at Twickenham! France's record win over their biggest rivals, and a defeat England will be having nightmares about for a while! We'll see you next time, with the Six Nations title race blown wide open by this unbelievable result!

Thibaud Flament scores France's fourth in West London (UK):

FT: Eighty minutes gone, and 53 points scored as France seal England's third-heaviest defeat of all time, and their heaviest ever at Twickenham. Steward's early second-half try looked to have restored some parity for the hosts, but that simply encouraged France to step up a gear themselves. Flament and Ollivon both capitalised on chaos at the back to score their second tries of the game, and Penaud twice exploited a tiring England defence late on to rack up 27 second-half points. Ramos scored 23 on his own as France turned on the style from minute one, and they're still well in the hunt for this Six Nations title.

80 mins: FULL TIME - ENGLAND 10-53 FRANCE.

79 mins: Mitchell takes a quick tap for England and looks to spot a hole, but Steward can't get the ball down after being held up by France's fantastic goal-line defence!

78 mins: England push for a consolation and Smith takes the ball to the line inside the 22, but he forces a pass that isn't on and the ball goes to ground.

Watch Damian Penaud score late as Les Blues pile on the points at Twickenham (UK):

76 mins: TRY - England 10-53 France! Seventh heaven for Les Bleus! Regaining possession on the left edge, France move the ball through hands to the right, giving Penaud open pasture to run into and score once more! It's a rout in every sense of the word, although Ramos does finally miss a conversion to keep the score at 53 to 10.

73 mins: TRY - England 10-48 France! Domination absolue! Fickou's cross-field kick bounces favourably for Penaud, who skips beyond Dombrandt and around Steward to stroll over the line and dot the ball down! It's France's SIXTH try, and Ramos adds his sixth conversion to rack up 23 points of his own!

71 mins: A Farrell knock-on sees the ball go to ground, but France keep it alive at all costs and Macalou almost breaks the line. He offloads to Ntamack, who finds Fickou, and Les Bleus set off on another attack down the right.

68 mins: Itoje completes a good turnover in midfield and Smith looks to find space down the right, stepping beyond two tackles before offloading inside to Henry Arundell, who is on for Malins.

65 mins: Dupont sets off on a run and chips  for himself. He regathers the ball beyond halfway and kicks ahead for Dumortier in space, who traps Smith in the in-goal area to give France the feed at a scrum five metres from England's line!

63 mins: Ollie Lawrence has gone off injured, and with England having already used all their back-line replacements, hooker-by-trade Jack Walker replaces the Bath man at inside centre!

61 mins: TRY GIVEN! England 10-41 France! The referee and TMO decide that England kept the ball in the field of play, and that Smith had indeed released it. Ollivon's big mits grounding it on the line mean it's his second of the game, and Ramos kicks his fifth conversion to give France a 31-point lead!

60 mins: We may have another try here! England don't ground the ball on their own line and a pile-on of a ruck ensues. Ollivon has hands on the ball and is onside, however it's unclear as to whether Smith had been pushed back over the line before releasing!

59 mins: Ramos glides through poor, tired England defence, and races into the back-field with Dupont in support. He kicks ahead for his captain to chase, but Smith is back in cover to clean up for England!

57 mins: TRY - England 10-34 France! Marchand peels off a line-out maul and recycles possession quickly, allowing Dupont to chip over the top. Ntamack chases and taps the ball back for Flament, who breaks away from desperate scramble defence to cross for his second try! Ramos adds two more, and France have their bonus point in what is quickly becoming a rout at Twickenham.

56 mins: France are barraging England's defence with massive carry after massive carry at the moment. Baille nearly takes Farrell all the way to the line with him, and the introduction of bench forwards like Taoffifenua is only making the hosts' job harder.

54 mins: A French line-out is thrown straight over the top, and Fickou meets it running at speed. He carries strongly into the England 22, and Danty arrives in support with France firmly on the front foot once again.

52 mins: France feed a scrum on the edge of England's 22, but the shove from the hosts' pack is massive and drives Les Bleus back, winning a crucial penalty which Smith cannot find touch with!

Watch: Freddie Steward scores in reply for England early in the second half (UK):

49 mins: TRY - England 10-27 France! England simply had to score first in this half, and they do! England generate quick ball inside the French 22 and finds Steward hitting one hell of a line, and the gigantic full-back shoves Ramos away to slide over the whitewash! Smith adds the two, and England finally get their first try!

47 mins: Owen Farrell enters the fray off the bench for England, as does scrum-half Alex Mitchell, as Dombrandt and Steward provide England with some go-forward via big carries up the middle.

46 mins: Oh so close for England! With penalty advantage again, Smith kicks for the corner, and Malins slides in to claim it, but the ball squirms beneath his body in the wet conditions and the TMO rules out any possibility of a try!

45 mins: Forward come England with penalty advantage, as they look to exploit holes in France's rucking game. Van Poortvliet spots an offside Dupont and runs straight at him, engaging the defender and winning another penalty!

43 mins: Steward's attacking kick is left to bounce over the touchline by Ramos, which proves to be a wise decision as the ball leaves the field a mere metre short of being a 50-22!

41 mins: Ramos, who scored 17 of France's 27 points in the first half, kicks once more, to get the second half underway at Twickenham!

Watch Charles Ollivon score France's third try right on the half-time whistle (UK): 

HT: We're back and ready to go in the second half, and after conceding a record number of points in a Six Nations first half, can England respond in the second to narrow France's seemingly unassailable lead?

HT: Well, where to start? France have been simply unplayable at Twickenham so far, scoring three tries and hardly letting England lay a glove on them. Three points from Smith off the tee is all England have been able to muster, with France's defence as solid as their attack has been electric.

Breaking away inside the opening seconds to put Ramos over in the corner, France extended their lead after Flament crashed over mid-way through the half. 17 points up going into half-time, a fast break off a late scrum allowed Ollivon to score Les Bleus' third, compounding a miserable first 40 minutes for England.

40 mins: TRY - England 3-27 France! What a way to finish the half!! France's forwards absolutely steamroll the England scrum, and Alldritt picks the ball up at the base to charge for the line. Ollivon peels off from openside to collect the number eight's inside pass, and crashes his way through Smith and Steward to score in the corner! Ramos adds two more, as Les Bleus cap off a world-class first half at Twickenham!

39 mins: England force the ball loose and Smith does brilliantly to step his way out of trouble, but a wide pass to Dombrandt from the next phase goes to ground, gifting France head and feed at a scrum right on England's 22-metre line!

37 mins: Dupont's clearing box kick is charged down, giving England possession on the edge of the French 22. Slade carries into the final quarter of the field, but Willis flies into the ruck too quickly, and illegally, to concede a penalty and bring another England attack to a premature end!

36 mins: PENALTY - England 3-20 France. Gap restored! George is trapped in the ruck and Sinckler's presence means he can't get out, and the resultant penalty is knocked over from right in front by Ramos, taking his personal points tally to 15 in this game.

34 mins: PENALTY - England 3-17 France. England are on the board after Smith chooses to kick for points, following several line-out drives coming to nothing. The Harlequins 10 steps up to easily slot the three points over, and closes the gap to 14 points.

32 mins: England win a scrum and move the ball left, and then back to the right, looking to find an opening in this blue wall of French defence. Danty leads the visitors in this regard, but is pinged for not rolling away in the ruck and concedes a penalty.

Watch: Thibaud Flament scores from close range to extend France's lead (UK)

29 mins: England win a penalty and Ludlam wins the resultant line-out, but the chance is thwarted straight away after the England flanker is pinged for obstruction in the maul!

27 mins: TRY - England 0-17 France! France win the line-out and carry powerfully towards the England line. Danty recycles the ball quickly on the floor and Dupont pops it up to Flament, who crashes his way over to score under the posts! Ramos adds the two, and France have a lead of 17 with England yet to notch a point!

25 mins: Dupont spots space to fire a perfectly-executed box kick towards the far corner, and the ball bounces over the sideline just 10 metres from the England line!

23 mins: Fickou almost gets around the outside of Van Poortvliet but is dragged down on the edge of England's 22. Ntamack kicks to the in-goal, but Steward is there to smash the ball clear, and he does superbly to find touch beyond of hallway!

22 mins: Ramos is smashed by Steward as the England full-back chases his own bomb kick, but Ntamack's clearance down-field is dropped by Watson, who was under absolutely no pressure whatsoever!

20 mins: Smith kicks to the corner once more after England win a ruck penalty, but their driving maul is soon halted by France and Ollivon is able to turn over possession!

Watch: France go coast-to-coast to open the scoring inside 3 minutes at Twickenham (UK)

16 mins: With Ntamack tackled, Fickou stands at first receiver for France and looks to find grass behind the England defence, but he drills the ball dead and Les Bleus surrender possession.

14 mins: Steward's massive kick return sees him make post-contact metres galore to drive England into the French 22. Smith attempts to step his way through but is stopped, and Malins grubbers to the corner, looking to keep France penned in.

11 mins: France turn possession over and Ramos hoofs a long kick down field, but Watson's hot-stepping footwork takes him beyond the chase of Penaud as England look to get back on the front foot!

9 mins: England's first real spell of possession off a line-out sees them win a penalty on the floor, and after his chip over the top comes to nothing, Smith kicks to the corner for the hosts.

7 mins: PENALTY - England 0-10 France! Play comes back following an English infringement in the ruck, and Ramos nails the penalty to extend France's lead by three points.

6 mins: Fantastic play from France gives Alldritt the space to puncture another hole in England's defence. He charges into the 22 and takes Steward with him, before a quick pass from the ruck goes out over the touchline!

3 mins: TRY - England 0-7 France! Sacre Bleu, that was quick! Successive offloads out of contact from Ollivon and Flament release Dumortier into open space, and he finds Ramos to his outside to put the French full-back over in the corner! A fantastic breakaway try from France, and Ramos converts his own score to give Les Bleus an early 7-0 lead.

2 mins: Dupont edges through the gain-line and attempts to find Danty with an offload, but his flick pass is cut out by Willis and England regain possession.

Kick-Off: Not many though Marcus Smith would be starting this game, but he's on halfway with ball in hand, and kicks us off at Twickenham!

5 mins from kick-off: The teams head onto the pitch, with Bristol Bears prop Ellis Genge leading out the England side for the very first times. With the anthems to come, we're just moments away from kick-off in Le Crunch!

10 mins from kick-off: A packed-out Twickenham patiently awaits the arrival of the teams, with the tension in the atmosphere here on a knife edge. Whenever these two do battle, be it at Twickenham, Waterloo, or the Stade de France, it's must-see viewing!

15 mins from kick-off: France's two changes come in the forwards, with suspended prop Mohamed Haouas and injured flanker Anthony Jelonch replaced by Dorian Aldegheri and Francois Cros respectively. The forward battle is always the most crucial element in Le Crunch - and don't expect anything different today!

30 mins from kick-off: The MASSIVE team news from the England camp is Borthwick's decision to leave captain Owen Farrell on the bench, with Marcus Smith starting at 10. It's the first time in Farrell's entire career that he's been benched for a Six Nations game, and what effect will his absence have on an England attack which has looked disjointed at times in 2023?

45 mins from kick-off: France have been far from convincing in their three games so far, sneaking past Italy and Scotland either side of a loss to Ireland in Dublin - a game in which Les Bleus were thoroughly second-best for almost the entire 80 minutes.

60 mins from kick-off: Hosts England lost their first match under Steve Borthwick at Twickenham, but have responded to beat Italy and Wales since, with the new coach trying several different combinations in each game.

75 mins from kick-off: With both of these sides having won two and lost one of their first three games, they're both under the impetus to win at all costs in this game - with a defeat ending any chance either has of winning this year's championship.

90 mins from kick-off: Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us ahead of Le Crunch! It's the fourth round of the 2023 Six Nations, it's England against France, and it's kicking off at 4.45 p.m!

England vs France confirmed lineups

England make just one change from their victory against Wales — and boy, it's a big one. In one heck of a selection statement from Steve Borthwick, captain Owen Farrell drops to the bench, with the 103-cap fly-half replaced in the No.10 shirt by Marcus Smith. Borthwick has brought Smith off the bench in England's last two games after playing him and Farrell at 10 and 12 respectively against Scotland, but the Harlequins playmaker is given the starting shirt for this must-win match.

The rest of the XV remains unchanged, and with Farrell on the bench, Ellis Genge will captain his country for the first time. His front-row partner-in-crime Kyle Sinckler crashed over for a try against Wales, while fellow scorers Anthony Watson and Ollie Lawrence make up a backline that could cause France some real problems if England's attack can finally click into top gear.

England starting XV: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt

England replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, David Ribbans, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Henry Arundell

France's tighthead prop stocks are starting to wear thin, after Mohamed Haouas joined Uini Atonio on the naughty step following his red card against Scotland. With both props suspended for the remainder of the tournament, Dorian Aldegheri packs down in the front row, with Francois Cros his blindside flanker. Cros replaces Anthony Jelonch, who was the victim of another red-card-worthy tackle in the same game.

France's backline sees one change, as Jonathan Danty makes his return from a long injury layoff to reclaim his No.12 jersey. The inside centre pushes Yoram Moefana to the bench, which for the first time in the tournament features five forwards and three backs after France used a 6-2 split in their first three games.

France starting XV: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri, Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt

France replacements: Pesto Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Sekou Macalou, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet

MORE: Who is Steve Borthwick, England Rugby's new head coach?

England vs France live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the major territories:

  TV channel Streaming
USA fuboTV, Peacock, CNBC
Canada

DAZN

UK ITV 1 ITV X
Australia Stan Sport
New Zealand Sky Sport NOW
India Premier Sports Asia
Hong Kong Premier Sports Asia
Malaysia Premier Sports Asia
Singapore Premier Sports Asia

USA: All games are streaming live on Peacock and will also be available through fuboTV. However, they will also be repeated on CNBC on delay, usually by a couple of hours. 

Canada: All games are streaming live on DAZN.

UK: The tournament will be shown on BBC and ITV, with S4C also broadcasting in Wales. This match will be shown on ITV 1.

Australia: Six Nations coverage is provided by Stan Sport.

India: Premier Sports Asia is the main place to watch the Six Nations.

Jonathan Burnett

Jonathan Burnett Photo

Jonathan is a freelance content producer and commentator for Sporting News UK, with a focus on international rugby tournaments like the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. He also works as a commentator for StatsPerform’s football network, covering matches across Europe including the Champions League, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2023 Women's World Cup. He’s a regular contributor to the history and statistics website Rugby League Project.

Jonny graduated from Leeds University with a journalism degree in 2021 and was Head of Media at Widnes Vikings RLFC in 2023. A self-confessed nerd of rugby league, union and football (soccer). Jonathan’s coverage across several sports can be found on the TSN site.