France stun England at the death in Six Nations opener

With dramatic first and last tries, France stole a 26-24 win over England on Saturday to restore some Six Nations confidence in a team shaken by last year’s wooden spoon embarrassment.

Right winger Yoann Huget scored the first try after 30 seconds and, after England rallied from 16-3 down to lead 24-19 with four minutes left, center Gael Fickou collected a pass from fellow substitute Dimitri Szarzewski after the hooker made a superb run down the left. Fickou cut inside his marker and ran round behind the posts. Maxime Machenaud kicked the extras.

“We were the first to shoot and the last to shoot,” France coach Philippe Saint-Andre said.

“In the second half we really struggled physically and missed a lot of tackles. But the watchword was to never ease up. In terms of confidence and for 2014 it’s a very important win. We caused the English quite a few problems in the first half. But they attacked us through the middle and made it very hard for us in that zone.”

With a third win in their last 12 tests, France should avert the wooden spoon with Italy next up at home.

“Last year we had a lot of setbacks, but that’s also what unites a team,” captain Pascal Pape said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the players smiling like that in the dressing room. So let’s savor it tonight and go back to work tomorrow.”