The sinner in Cardiff turned into the matchwinner here. Maro Itoje gave away five penalties against Wales but ended France’s grand slam push four minutes from time when he picked up from a ruck, which again had looked as if it would be the area which cost England, and took two players over the line with him.
France have not won in the Six Nations at Twickenham for 16 years and, despite leading from the 32nd minute and playing with flashes of fluency, were unable to subdue opponents who, despite again handicapping themselves by conceding penalties in promising positions, finally showed that they could come from behind to win and come up with a play when it mattered, even if it was after a driving maul and a pick-up from a ruck.
England lasted 24 minutes before conceding their first penalty, although they made up for it later, but they only kept their line intact for 65 seconds as France showed their attacking intent from the start, inspired by their scrum-half Antoine Dupont who caught Teddy Thomas’s chip to the line after the centres Gaël Fickou and Virimi Vakatawa had found space in midfield.
England took up the challenge and scored the next 13 points. They were level after nine minutes as France caused problems for themselves by running from deep. It gave the champions a territorial foothold and, after Tom Curry and Mark Wilson were held up short of the line, they worked an overlap on the right but the full-back Max Malins took the ball off balance and his pass went into touch rather than into the hands of Anthony Watson.
The wing did not have to wait long before capping his 50th international appearance with a try. Wilson got over the line but was unable to ground the ball after Henry Slade stepped through them defence and as Thomas shot out of the line early, George Ford’s measured pass found its target.
France had not played for a month and their timing was occasionally off. When Matthieu Jalibert, cramped for room, passed straight to Billy Vunipola, England created the position for Owen Farrell to kick the first of two penalties in three minutes after France infringed at the breakdown under pressure.
England were 13-7 up and had not troubled the referee Andrew Brace. That changed after 22 minutes when they conceded a free-kick at one scrum and a penalty at the next when Mako Vunipola fell on to his left knee. France played for position and when Dupont kicked to England’s line, Henry Slade’s fingertips prevented Jalibert from scoring.
Jalibert kicked a penalty after Wilson went off his feet at a breakdown before, following another infringement by the home side, France kicked to touch on England’s 22 and threw long, where Fickou caught the ball and teased the defence with the inside option of Thomas as Dupont looped outside him.
He passed to the scrum-half who, with the defence off balance, released the ball immediately to Jalibert. The outside-half held the line before throwing long to the right wing where Damian Penaud had a 10-metre run to the try line.
If there had been a somewhat casual feel to France’s play before, by now they were in sync, Jalibert and Brice Dulin breaking from their own half to telling effect and the interval came at the right time for England who started the second period strongly but soon conceded penalties at two attacking rucks through Malins and Mako Vunipola.
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Jalibert extended France’s lead to seven points after Itoje found himself on the wrong side of a ruck. Farrell took an immediate opportunity to respond after Charles Ollivon got his timing wrong at a lineout but England again wasted an attack by being forced to hold on after a tackle. They made play during the week of France’s tendency to fade in the final quarter, although that was what England did in the previous round in Cardiff, but it was not going to matter as long England continued to waste possession by conceding penalties at the breakdown.
When Billy Vunipola took play into France’s half after 65 minutes and tried to lay the ball back, he was forced to hold on because of a lack of support. England were staying in the game through their defence, Slade forcing a handling error from Vakatawa on the home 22, but the free-flowing nature of the opening period had become stop-start as France tried to hold their nerve 14 years after their last Six Nations victory here, while England searched for a way to prevent their third defeat of the tournament.
There were nine minutes to go when Ellis Genge, who had not long before replaced Mako Vunipola, conceded England’s sixth penalty of the match at an attacking ruck under pressure from Penaud. England had two referees police their training sessions this week but, as against Wales, their discipline cracked under pressure.
But still they came as France defended a four-point lead and rarely broke out of their own half. When England kicked a penalty into France’s 22 with five minutes to go, they drove a maul which spluttered to a halt five metres short. Then Itoje picked up and dived through the challenges of Cameron Woki and Thomas. The referee ruled that the second row had not grounded the ball, but changed his mind after watching a replay of the incident on the big screen. There was not much in it and no one was celebrating more than Wales.