England were crowned Six Nations champions as Ireland slipped to a 35-27 defeat to France at the Stade de France.

With Eddie Jones' side having beaten Italy 34-5 in Rome earlier on Saturday, Ireland went into the finale knowing they needed to at least win by seven points – or take a bonus-point victory – to claim their fifth Six Nations title.

After a combative first-half display Andy Farrell's side could not match their hosts following the interval, with a try and three penalties from the brilliant Romain Ntamack putting France in control by the 51st minute.

Ntamack's fellow half-back Antoine Dupont also put in a stellar display, opening the scoring six minutes in before turning provider for Ntamack's try.

Cian Healy had hit back for Ireland, though a penalty try conceded by Caelan Doris gave France a lead they did not relinquish, and by failing to win by 31 points they handed England the title.

France struck first as Gael Fickou raced clear down the wing before finding Dupont, who easily got the better of Jacob Stockdale to slide in close to the sticks – Ntamack adding the extras.

A frantic opening 10 minutes concluded with a lengthy TMO check, which resulted in Anthony Bouthier receiving a yellow card for deliberately knocking the ball out of play.

Ireland made their numerical advantage count with a minute of Bouthier's time in the bin remaining, Healy forcing his way over to mark his 100th cap in style.

Jonathan Sexton converted and then added a penalty to put Ireland ahead, but momentum swung France's way when Doris dragged back Francois Cros close to the line.

Another Sexton three-pointer dragged Ireland to within a point before Ntamack's penalty gave Les Bleus a 17-13 half-time lead.

Ntamack added five points to his tally three minutes after the restart, touching down after Dupont had superbly kept a France attack alive.

France's fly-half missed the conversion but made no mistake with two penalties in the space of four minutes to nose Les Bleus 15 points clear.

Robbie Henshaw raced down Ireland's left to lunge over in the corner with 21 minutes remaining and provide hope for a comeback.

But Ntamack wriggled through a gap and set up Virimi Vakatawa to seal France's second-place finish, with Stockdale snatching a late consolation for the visitors.
 

Dupont and Ntamack in rampant form

With his opener, Dupont – who made 47 passes, three tackles and 15 kicks – has scored seven tries in Test rugby since the beginning of 2019, more than any other tier one scrum-half.

Les Blues' number nine was integral to France's third try early in the second half, following up Fickou's kick to brilliantly tee up Ntamack, who added 13 points with the boot.

Ireland's second-half struggles continue dismal run

Ireland would have bucked a poor trend had they gone on to claim victory, with an Irish side having only managed to overturn a half-time deficit away to France in Test rugby on four previous occasions.

Henshaw's brilliant solo effort gave them a brief glimmer of hope, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.

Key Opta Facts

- France have won their last four home games in the Six Nations, their best run since a nine-game streak stretching from 2008 to 2012.
- This result ensured that England won their seventh Six Nations title, no other team has won the championship on more than five occasions since it was extended to six teams in 2000.
- Ntamack scored his third try in his past five games for France, this after scoring just one in his first 13 Tests.
- Stockdale scored his 17th try for Ireland in this match, ending a run of eight Tests without a try – his longest such run in Test rugby.

What's next?

Both of these sides will take place in the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup, with France taking on Fiji on November 15, two days after Ireland host Wales in Dublin.