England win dramatic Autumn Nations Cup Final as Owen Farrell’s sudden-death penalty defeats France

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Will Macpherson6 December 2020

England overcame an almighty scare from a young French side’s stunning performance to win a thrilling Autumn Nations Cup Final in the second half of sudden death extra-time at Twickenham.

England had required a last-minute try from Luke Cowan-Dickie to take the game to sudden death, with Owen Farrell landing a nerveless kick, despite having a poor day from the tee and missing three earlier attempts.

Just a minute into the sudden-death period (which was 10 minutes each way), England were awarded another penalty in front of the posts – and Farrell missed again, with the ball hitting the upright.

Both sides fluffed their lines in extra-time, winning penalties in their own half, only to lose the lineout having kicked for touch. Strangely, both sides continued to kick away possession.

After another short break, Maro Itoje won England a penalty deep into French territory. Farrell did not make a mistake again and the home players and fans raucously celebrated a mighty hard-fought win. 

France had been the better side for much of the contest. England had won seven games on the spin since losing to France 10 months ago, and picked their strongest available team. Due to an agreement between the French board and clubs, England had more than 12 times as many caps. 

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It was a superb game. It is amazing what the presence of a few fans and a bit of sun can do. France had come to play, running from everywhere and taking quick lineouts whenever possible. It even rubbed off on England a little, who did not automatically return French kicks with a kick of their own, and even passed the ball in their own 22.

In its intensity and the teams’ intent, it was a very different looking game to anything England had been involved in in recent weeks, and a far cry from the “farce” predicted by many. France may have come into the game with just 68 caps, but their recent Under-20 record and the strength of the Top 14 made clear that they have great depth – and this was the ultimate test of it.

While the scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud, captain for the first time, was outstanding, the star of their show was fly-half Matthieu Jalibert, who, aged 22 and with three Test starts under his belt, was one of the more familiar French faces on show.

He created France’s gorgeous try, slicing between Jamie George and Farrell in midfield with a sumptuous dummy, then flinging the ball wide to Brice Dulin. The full-back, who boasted 30 of France’s caps, was left with a simple finish. That gave France a 7-3 lead.

England had won a penalty at their first scrum, and Farrell took three points. Two minutes later, they won a penalty at their first lineout, and again Farrell went for goal – but missed. Five minutes after Dulin’s score, Elliot Daly pegged England back by three points with a long penalty but France showed their pragmatic side by kicking two penalties to keep safe their lead.

Jalibert was at the heart of everything, so it was fitting that he handed England their first major attacking opportunity as the first half approached its end. He kicked straight out when the ball was passed back into the 22, gifting England a lineout seven metres from the French line. It was a wonderful attacking opportunity, but the problem for England was that France’s defence is now coached by Shaun Edwards.

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Over the course of many minutes and phases, they kept their discipline in a brilliant defensive package. England went off the top and, despite a series of big carries, could not get over the line. Eventually, having made no effort to send the ball wide, it was them who made the mistake, with Ellis Genge knocking on. Remarkably, France made it to half-time with their 13-6 lead intact.

In their last 10 home games, England led by an average of 17 points at half-time. They were in unfamiliarly choppy waters. That was evident three minutes after the break when Sam Underhill and Joe Launchbury were withdrawn for Ben Earl and Jonny Hill. Farrell was ticked off by the referee for his incessant chatter, too.

At that point, England were again camped in the French 22 trying in vain to breach the blue walls. France did not concede tries, but did start to leak penalties. Farrell landed one, missed another, then England sent one to the corner, only to lose the resultant lineout. As the hour mark approached, England were awarded another penalty in front of the posts and Farrell, somehow, missed again. 

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England were dominating the game, but still trailed by four points.  France lost Jalibert to injury, and his replacement Louis Carbonel missed a routine touch-finder, but again England failed to capitalise.

Jonny May and the outside backs looked dangerous when they were passed the ball. The trouble was, they were not passed it very often. With 12 minutes left, France finally made it into England’s half and won a penalty. Carbonel did what Farrell could not, and France’s lead was back to seven points.

England won a penalty into the last 10 minutes, and Farrell opted to kick the points, which he did successfully. It was a strange option that seemed stranger still when Carbonel took his time to land another penalty of his own, from out wide, moments later.

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England sent another penalty to the corner, and Cowan-Dickie – one of a number of substitutes to make a strong impact – rumbled over as England finally scored a try. Farrell did the business, laying the platform for an unlikely win.

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