Reigning world champions England have cemented their dominance in European women’s rugby, securing an eighth consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and fifth straight Grand Slam after a hard-fought 43-28 away win against France in Bordeaux on Sunday. The victory stretched the Red Roses’ extraordinary unbeaten streak, which has now run for nearly four years across 38 consecutive test matches. Sunday’s title decider pitted two undefeated sides against one another, with France entering the clash boasting four wins from four matches just like their English visitors, setting up a much-anticipated battle for the championship crown.
In a major show of England’s unrivaled depth across the squad, head coach John Mitchell was forced to leave more than a dozen first-team players sidelined for the final fixture, with absences stemming from pregnancy, injury, and retirement following the side’s 2024 World Cup triumph. France got off to a blistering start, putting together a spectacular full-field attacking move that saw scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus cross the line for an opening try, which Carla Arbez converted to give the hosts an early 7-0 lead.
England responded swiftly, however, with prop Sarah Bern powering over the line for a try converted by fly-half Zoe Harrison to level the scores in the 22nd minute. Seven minutes later, Red Roses captain Meg Jones launched a clever kick downfield from a loose ball, which bounced perfectly into the path of full-back Ellie Kildunne for England’s second try. Four minutes before halftime, a sharp cross-field attacking move ended with right wing Jess Breach extending England’s lead, and Kildunne grabbed her second try before the break to leave the visitors with a commanding 26-7 halftime advantage.
An early second-half penalty from Harrison pushed England’s lead out to 22 points at 29-7, but France mounted a fierce comeback to claw their way back into the contest. Anais Grando crossed in the right corner for a try, before Bourdon Sansus caught England off guard with a sniping break from a close-range scrum to score under the posts on the hour mark. Arbez converted both tries to cut England’s lead to just eight points at 29-21 heading into the final quarter, setting up a tense finale.
Breach put a stop to France’s comeback momentum in the 65th minute, when Kildunne delivered a perfectly timed pass to send the winger over for her second try. Harrison’s conversion restored England’s comfortable advantage at 36-21. France’s hopes of a late turnaround were further damaged when replacement scrum-half Alexandra Chambon was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle on Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, leaving the hosts down to 14 players for the final 10 minutes. England sealed the win with a sixth try from Amy Cokayne, who crossed on the blindside from a close-range line-out with two minutes remaining. Harrison added the extra points, and a late converted try from France’s Rose Bernadou on the final play of the game was not enough to alter the final result.
In earlier kickoffs across the tournament, Ireland delivered a dominant performance to claim third place in the standings, routing Scotland 54-0 in their first ever stand-alone women’s Six Nations match at Dublin’s iconic Lansdowne Road. The Irish side ran in seven tries in a stunning first-half display, with No 8 Aoife Wafer crossing twice to put Ireland 47-0 up at the break. Scotland avoided a scoreless result with a late try from Aicha Sutcliffe on the final play, but the result marked a fourth defeat from five matches for the side in this year’s championship. “The first half was the best version of us and we were excellent,” Ireland coach Scott Bemand told the BBC after the match.
In Cardiff, Italy ran in seven tries to secure a 43-24 win over Wales, which stretched Wales’ losing streak to a record nine consecutive test matches. Wales held a surprise 19-17 halftime lead, but Italy pulled clear after the break to claim a comfortable win. The result means Wales have finished bottom of the Women’s Six Nations table for the second consecutive year, after losing all five of their 2025 championship fixtures. For head coach Sean Jones, who took charge in January 2024, the defeat leaves him with just one win from 15 tests in charge, and he offered no excuses for the result post-match. “What I’ve just said to the players is that we’ve just got to be better,” he said.