England face France in Women’s Six Nations title decider in Bordeaux

England’s pressure game cracked France at exactly the point the title decider was supposed to tighten, and Ellie Kildunne’s race through for a try after Meg Jones pounced on a misplaced pass showed why the Red Roses remained the benchmark in women’s rugby. In a winner-takes-all finale at Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole, England turned defensive discipline and field position into scoreboard pressure, then punished France when the home side blinked under stress.

The result mattered beyond one final. England entered Bordeaux on a 37-match winning streak, chasing a fifth consecutive Grand Slam and an eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title, with the RFU saying a victory would deliver a 15th Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam overall. France arrived unbeaten in the championship and had conceded the fewest points in the 2026 competition before the decider, which made the size of England’s control even more striking.

These two teams had already made a habit of meeting with everything on the line. This was the sixth straight year they faced each other in the final round with both sides still perfect, and recent history had already shown how narrow the margins could be. England won 43-42 in the 2025 finale, France had edged the Red Roses 18-17 in Grenoble in 2018 to deny them the title, and England beat France 35-17 in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup semi-final.

England’s progress came despite a major injury and availability toll. Sky Sports said 11 prominent players were missing, including captain Zoe Stratford, and eight of the 13 forwards from England’s World Cup final squad were absent. Even so, John Mitchell’s side went into the match off a 61-33 win over Italy in Parma, where Marlie Packer scored four tries, and looked capable of sustaining its intensity for the full contest.

For France, the match exposed how quickly pressure can turn into costly mistakes against England. A record crowd was expected in Bordeaux, the game was shown on BBC Two and iPlayer in the UK, and the scale of the occasion underlined the sport’s current balance of power: France remained a major challenger, but England still controlled the decisive moments when the trophy was at stake.