England Beat France 43-28 in Bordeaux to Seal Eighth Straight Women’s Six Nations Title

World champions England beat France 43-28 in Bordeaux on Sunday, May 17 to seal an eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title and a fifth successive Grand Slam.

Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach scored two tries apiece as England led 26-7 at half-time after France opened the scoring through a length-of-the-field move ending in a try for scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus.

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England extended their advantage again after Zoe Harrison’s penalty early in the second half left them 29-7 ahead, and Breach’s second try in the 65th minute effectively sealed the victory.

France reduced the gap to 29-21 with tries from Anaïs Grando and Bourdon Sansus, and the hosts scored a late consolation through Rose Bernadou with the last play of the game.

England’s head coach John Mitchell said on the BBC, "That was a great performance, that was tough and it took a lot at the start."

England’s captain Meg Jones framed the win as a test of character, telling BBC Sport that they had to "go to the trenches" and "fronted up" to prove to doubters wrong.

BBC Sport reported that England recovered from 26-7 at half-time to 29-21 heading into the final quarter, then pulled clear again as their defence held and they ran in four tries after France’s last score in the 53rd minute.

BBC

The BBC also highlighted the build-up to the Grand Slam decider, noting England faced questions about their defence after Wales and Italy achieved record points tallies in their previous two matches.

France captain Manae Feleu said, "I am really proud of the girls and I am really proud of the group, we still have a lot to work on," after applauding England as they lifted the trophy.

Le Monde reported that France’s Manae Feleu said, "I want to congratulate England, they are world champions and there is a reason for that."

The result extended England’s record unbeaten run to 38 games across all competitions, with their last defeat coming in a Covid-delayed World Cup final in 2022, and it marked England’s fifth successive Grand Slam.

“Another day, another win for England”

BBC

Sky Sports said the win came after England navigated pregnancies, injuries and setbacks, with Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward, Rosie Galligan and Lark Atkin-Davies missing the campaign due to pregnancy, and Hannah Botterman, May Campbell and Tatyana Heard ruled out through injury.

Le Monde reported that England’s Red Roses missing more than a dozen players due to pregnancy, injury or retirement following last year’s World Cup triumph on home soil, and it described the match as a Grand Slam-decider with France having won all four of their previous games.

Looking ahead, BBC Sport quoted John Mitchell saying, "in four years time we want to do the same thing [as we did in 2025]," positioning Sunday’s win as the first step toward defending the World Cup in 2029.

The Guardian added that England’s next opponents are Australia in the WXV series this September, with Canada and New Zealand also listed as sterner tests in the same month.