Red Roses claim Grand Slam after thrilling decider

There was an overwhelming sense of pride for England skipper Zoe Aldcroft after her England side were pushed to the limit before claiming a fourth successive Grand Slam.

The Red Roses led 31-7 midway through the first half of their decider before France roared back, eventually going down 43-42 in one of the greatest games in the competition’s history.

Aldcroft was one of two second-half try-scorers for the champions, and was also named Guinness Women’s Six Nations Player of the Match for her efforts as she led the side to the title in her first year at the helm.

And the Gloucester Hartpury captain paid tribute to her team after they held on in a dramatic finish.

She said: "I am so proud of all of the girls' effort, we battled it out today. France came at us so all credit to us for holding on.

"When we build pressure we need to keep our foot on the throttle. We will have a couple of drinks after this and enjoy tonight!"

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It was remarkable game, with England flying out of the blocks as Abby Dow crossed within three minutes and running in five tries in the first half.

France finished the first half the stronger though, trailing 31-21 at the break, to give themselves a sniff going into the second half.

That turned into a real chance of an upset but they ran out of time, a knock-on from the final restart denying them an opportunity to snatch the win and the title.

For coach John Mitchell, there was no question that England’s defence still needs some work, even if they were delighted to come away with a fourth straight Grand Slam, the first time they have achieved the feat.

He added: "That was a bit nervy. Defence wins titles and that wasn't great from us but our start was pretty good.

"France made lots of pick and goes and we were poor in edge defence.

"I would rather have this sort of feedback, any day of the week. We got it done, we completed a goal that hasn't been done in the modern era - four Grand Slams in a row - and now we can have a celebration and get ready for a World Cup.

"The French get energy from success but I knew that we would have to win the game three or four times."