Replacement Elliot Daly’s try a minute from time helped England to a thrilling 26-25 Six Nations win over France at a rainswept Twickenham on Saturday.
Fin Smith, starting his first Test at fly-half, had to add the conversion to edge the hosts ahead for a win to ease the pressure on beleaguered coach Steve Borthwick.
France were 25-19 ahead with just six minutes left after winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored his second try after England replacement Fin Baxter powered over for a try which Fin Smith converted following two missed goal-kicks from Marcus Smith.
England’s victory ended a run of seven straight defeats by major nations, a sequence notable for the team’s lack of composure in the closing stages.
But with Fin Smith holding his nerve admirably, England kept their cool late on before 32-year-old Daly, who had only been on the field for three minutes, went over.
France dominated territory and possession in the first half yet, with normally reliable goal-kicker Thomas Ramos off target, they turned round level at 7-7.
Two Ramos penalties early in the second half did give France a 13-7 lead before England winger Tommy Freeman’s unconverted try cut their advantage to just a point.
France wideman Damian Penaud’s unconverted 60th-minute try meant Les Bleus led 18-12 but there was more drama to come.
Borthwick decided to start Fin Smith at 10 and move namesake Marcus to full-back following England’s 27-22 loss to champions Ireland in their tournament opener last week.
But it was France, fresh from a 43-0 rout of Wales, who threatened first when captain Antoine Dupont’s cross-kick just failed to find Penaud.
Ramos then pulled a 40-metre penalty wide.
Even allowing for the wet conditions, there was arguably an even greater surprise when star scrum-half Dupont dropped a pass from Ramos in sight of England’s line.
And in the 21st minute, Les Bleus wasted another opportunity when Penaud, who started this match two tries short of equalling Serge Blanco’s France record of 38 tries, dropped a pass from fly-half Matthiew Jalibert with a two-man overlap on his outside.
France, however, eventually scored in the 30th minute when, after regathering a loose England kick in midfield, Penaud’s well-judged grubber-kick sent in Bielle-Biarrey.
Ramos landed the difficult conversion and France led 7-0.
But England equalised four minutes before half-time when sustained pressure from a close-range line-out ended with Fin Smith sending in centre Ollie Lawrence for a try, with Marcus Smith adding the routine conversion.
A first half that ended 7-7 was in marked contrast to the corresponding Twickenham clash two years ago, when France led 27-3 at the break on the way to a colossal 53-10 victory — England’s heaviest home defeat.
Early in Saturday’s second half France butchered another try-scoring chance when Bielle-Biarrey stripped Marcus Smith of possession only for his inside pass to be dropped by hooker Peato Mauvaka under pressure from covering England wing Ollie Sleightholme.
After Ramos kicked France into a 13-7 lead, England hit back in the 58th minute when Fin Smith chipped ahead and Northampton team-mate Freeman expertly took the ball above the head of Bielle-Biarrey before forcing his way over.
Marcus Smith, however, pulled a conversion that would have given England the lead well wide of the posts.
Fine play from Bielle-Biarrey sent in Penaud for an unconverted try to put France 18-12 ahead.
But with 13 minutes left, Marcus Smith once more pulled a penalty well to the left of the posts.
Replacement front-row Fin Baxter powered his way over in the 71st minute and Fin Smith converted.
But with the game in the balance, a fine France counter-attack ended with Bielle-Biarrey going over in the 74th minute.
That was not the end of the scoring, with man-of-the-match Fin Smith’s delayed pass finding Daly, who handed off the last defender before crossing for a try.
