The score was somehow at half-time when France should have been away and clear, only for a succession of dropped balls to keep England in the hunt. England, however, who faded so often when losing seven games in a row against Tier One opposition over the last year, found a new energy and replacement Daly blasted through for their fourth try at the death.
Relive all the action from Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in our live blog below:. Steve Borthwick's side had suffered seven defeats in their last nine games but grabbed a vital win. Seven times this likeable side had toiled to no avail against top-tier opposition over the last year, seven times coming close but not close enough. But no longer. This was a win that defied pre-match logic and, in truth, in-match flow, the full-time whistle greeted by an outpouring of emotion befitting a win of some magnitude.
One wonders how the Twickenham crowd will cope when they finally see a straightforward Six Nations contest. This was brilliant and baffling in just about equal measure, far from ideal conditions somehow managing to enrich rather than ruin what appeared a one-sided fixture on paper. An error-prone France appeared to have conjured enough magic to win the game thrice, only for England — yes, this England — to land an improbable knockout blow. England find long-awaited answer to stun France and end year of hurt.
Today, we managed to push the extra pass at the end. I am really pleased for the players to get the win. Everyone wants that tangible reward to show that progress has been made.
The atmosphere was exceptional and the Test match in itself was a great spectacle for everybody. They keep trying to get better, they keep wanting to be a really good team.
