"We had to win it nine times" - England's thrilling Six Nations triumph over France

The 37,573 crowd leapt into life as England slowly walked back to halfway in the 79th minute moments after conceding a late try from Joanna Grisez.

As the dust settled, head coach John Mitchell captured the wild nature of the game in typically straightforward style: "We always talked about the fact that we probably have to win the game three or four times. But I think we had to win it nine times today."

England came into the final round with an unbeaten record and a wave of momentum, having largely cruised through the earlier stages of the championship. They blasted into a dominant early lead with a brace from Emma Sing and tries from Abby Dow, Lark Atkin-Davies and Claudia MacDonald, seemingly set to reclaim their Six Nations crown with ease.

But then, almost inevitably, the spirited French side bounced back. "They got energy through the middle of all of us," Mitchell noted. "That's what French sides do — once they get energy, they can feel success."

By halftime, England still held an advantage, but the warning signs were there: France were playing with pace, power and growing belief.

It wasn't the first time these two rivals had produced a thriller on English soil. Two years ago, France had stormed back from a big deficit at Twickenham, nearly snatching victory in a similarly breathless encounter.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft, speaking afterward, reflected on how crucial calm leadership had been when France roared back. "It was about giving those clear messages," she explained. "Trying to give energy back into the girls, focusing on one clear point each time."

"Getting off the line, trying to stop them coming through the middle - that was key."

Still, there were moments when England wobbled under the pressure. Mitchell admitted as much, highlighting defensive lapses that were unusual for this Red Roses team. France found joy around the England wings with MacDonald, Dow and Sing all falling off tackles which led to tries.

"I wasn't happy with the defence. They got through us too easily in the middle and on the edge," he said.

"We adjusted at halftime and did better, but it wasn't the standard we expect. Emma had a really, really good start," said Mitchell. "But she learnt how quick it is, how space gets shut down defensively, and how much you have to stay in the game post-action."

Perhaps the injury to Ellie Kildunne, 2025 World Player of the Year, had a bigger impact than that was foreseen as her absence left a sizable hole in the defence that Sing was unable to fill for large parts of the match.

England’s resilience ultimately got them over the line, but there was an acknowledgment from both coach and players that this was not the polished performance they had wanted and yet, it might have been exactly the test they needed.

"I think that's something we really need as a team," Aldcroft said. "We can only develop by being pushed like that."

Mitchell echoed the sentiment, "Teams are allowed to perform against us. That's something we have to expect more of, especially going into 2025."

With the home World Cup looming large in the summer, Mitchell touched on the experience that his squad has gained from playing at the Allianz Stadium. England will face Australia, USA and Samoa in the 2025 Rugby World Cup.

"Ninety-five percent of the girls likely to go to the World Cup have now had an experience at Allianz," Mitchell said. "That wouldn't have been the case before today."

"We haven't arrived yet," he said. "We're still growing. It's important to continue connecting with our communities outside the Allianz — and the girls cherish that opportunity."

"It's amazing we get to go to different parts of England," Aldcroft added. "We’re still growing our game and our fanbase and with the World Cup coming, we’ll be playing all over England anyway."

England extended their winning run to 25 matches in a row as they recorded their seventh straight Six Nations title and fourth Grand Slam.