France edge out England 33-31 in thriller to grab second place

LYON, France : Thomas Ramos landed a last-minute penalty to give France a 33-31 victory over England in the final match of the Six Nations on Saturday and secure a second-place finish behind Ireland who had earlier retained the title with victory over Scotland.

France surged into an early 16-3 lead after a try for Nolann Le Garrec and the goal-kicking of Ramos but two tries by Ollie Lawrence either side of halftime edged England ahead before tries by Leo Barre and Gael Fickou gave France a 30-24 lead.

Tommy Freeman crossed to put England ahead and dreaming of a first win in Paris since 2016 but Ramos's last-gasp penalty secured victory for the hosts.

Ireland finished on 20 points with France second on 15 ahead of England on 14 and Scotland on 12.