England get Six Nations lift-off but France suffer a case of the 'oopsies'

Maro Itoje insisted England were rewarded for their courage after their Guinness Six Nations was given lift off with a stunning 26-25 victory over France at Allianz Stadium.

Elliot Daly’s last-minute try, converted by Fin Smith, decided a breathless clash with the lead changing hands three times in a dramatic final 10 minutes.

The win ended a three-Test losing streak against France and also saw England reverse a trend that had developed over the last year of being unable to close out winning positions. It reignites the team’s title aspirations after their defeat by Ireland in round one and Itoje insists there is more to come.

Elliot Daly of England celebrates with team mates after scoring their late fourth try in the Six Nations win over France. | Getty Images

“We were told by (head coach) Steve Borthwick to be ambitious, to be brave, to go out and score tries,” the England captain said. “Our backs were incredibly brave, incredibly ambitious, and they took the opportunities when on other days we might have tucked the ball and taken the conservative option.

“There is a whole load we can get better at – this game was by no means perfect. Steve and the coaches, come the next training day, will give us an honest review like he always does, regardless of the result. This result is a vindication of the hard work of the players, the coaches and all the support staff.

“We are happy with the win, but we know there are definitely things to get better. We just want to be consistent, we just want to get better. I have always been a supporter of the mantra – don’t get too high with the highs, don’t get too low with the lows. We want to enjoy the moment because this win is special and we worked hard for it. It wasn’t easy against a very good French team, but we know there is so much in us.”

Fin Smith emerged as the star of the show after marking his full debut after seven replacement appearances with a classy man-of-the-match display. The 22-year-old had ousted Marcus Smith from the number 10 jersey and he grew into the game, setting up late tries for Northampton team-mate Tommy Freeman and Daly.

“I thought he played very well. Great composure. And I thought that you could see the cohesion factor between him and (Northampton team-mate) Alex Mitchell,” head coach Steve Borthwick said.

It was a sore defeat for France's Antoine Dupont, left, and Gregory Alldritt. | Getty Images

France looked nonchalant in attack at times and it was a mystery how they entered half-time level at 7-7 given their dominance. Asked if the match favourites had been arrogant, head coach Fabien Galthie replied: “No not at all. It’s not their style. They are not an arrogant team. We shouldn’t focus on the defeat, but on what they did well.”

France defence coach Shaun Edwards blamed his side’s finishing for the defeat. “We got the oopsies, didn’t we? Every time we got near the try-line, we seemed to just drop the ball,” Edwards said. “I’ve never seen that happen before. The French lads are normally magnificent handlers of a rugby ball.”