England captain Chris Robshaw celebrates defeating France
in their Six Nations rugby match at Twickenham stadium in
London. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh
England withstood the stiffest of examinations from a
revitalised France but, thanks to the goalkicking of Owen
Farrell and a try by Manu Tuilagi, emerged 23-13 winners of
their Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
For an hour France were unrecognisable from the team beaten
by Italy and Wales in their opening games and scored a
brilliant individual try through centre Wesley Fofana to
deservedly lead 10-9 at the break.
England struggled to make any impact but the superb
goalkicking of Farrell punished the dominant French for their
indiscipline and Tuilagai took them clear when he scooped up
a loose ball to score 15 minutes into the second half.
A rash of replacements worked in England's favour as they
eventually wrestled control in the final quarter and two Toby
Flood penalties sealed the win.
England, seeking their first grand slam since 2003, lead the
standings with six points from three wins. Wales are second
on four after beating Italy earlier on Saturday, with France
in last place having lost their first three games.
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