France clinched the 2026 Six Nations title with a thrilling 48-46 victory over England at the Stade de France on Saturday night, snatching the championship from Ireland's grasp. Ireland had earlier beaten Scotland 43-21 at the Aviva Stadium to secure the Triple Crown, but needed England to defeat France to win the tournament.
England came close to spoiling France's party, but a late penalty from Thomas Ramos sealed the title for the hosts. Despite the narrow loss, England head coach Steve Borthwick urged fans to take pride in the performance. 'Firstly congratulations to France, they are a tremendous team and it was an excellent game,' he said. 'We have been disappointing in the last few weeks and we wanted a result tonight but we hope the fans can be proud of how the team played.'
Former England World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson praised England's display, saying: 'England looked dangerous every time they had ball in hand. France struggled to contain them and match them physically. There was real dominance. The lineout, the scrum, all came together.' He added that France are 'inspiring the world of rugby' and will now face the challenge of maintaining their high standards.
France defensive coach Shaun Edwards expressed his delight at the victory, calling it 'another crazy game, a great one for the fans'. He noted that the team is still building and can improve in the future. England captain Maro Itoje promised that his side will bounce back stronger after a campaign that yielded just one win from five matches. 'We had a tough couple of games and tonight we are disappointed to lose but we showed the spirit of this team,' he said. 'I truly believe we are going places and will be better for it.'
