England secure third consecutive Women's Six Nations Grand Slam with big final-day victory over France

England powered to their sixth consecutive Women's Six Nations title - their third straight Grand Slam - with an emphatic 42-21 victory over France in Bordeaux on Saturday.

The table was finely poised with both sides able to claim the accolade in the final game of the tournament, but England made sure there was no doubt with a dominant display which saw them hold a commanding 35-14 lead by half-time.

"Super proud of all the girls," England captain Marlie Packer told BBC Sport after the match.

"We have been building as a group on and off the pitch. We are well and truly into a John Mitchell era - we will keep growing as a group.

"What an amazing atmosphere and quite hostile, but it means we can turn it up when we need to."

Maud Muir opened the scoring within four minutes and Alex Matthews' try eight minutes later set the Red Roses on their way to victory.

Gabrielle Vernier perked up the home crowd with a response in the form of a 17th-minute try, however, England restored their 14-point advantage through Megan Jones just seven minutes later.

Marine Menager kept France in touch by running over the line soon after, but England emphatically put any doubt of the Six Nations holder to bed with two tries in the final eight minutes, scored by Marlie Packer and the returning Amy Cokayne.

Assia Khalfaoui made France's task of a second-half comeback infinitely trickier as she was dismissed with a straight red card three minutes after the break. The French prop saw her dangerous ruck clear-out upgraded to a red card by the match official bunker system.

Vernier threatened an unlikely France comeback with 10 minutes to go, but Matthews doubled her tally with a try eight minutes from time to make England emphatic title winners.

The victory in Bordeaux caps a phenomenal tournament for England, in which they scored 270 points and conceded just 41.

The 2024 trophy is England's sixth consecutive title in head coach Mitchell's first Six Nations in charge of the Red Roses. It is also their third straight Grand Slam win and extended their record winning streak to 29 games.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.