Round Four Highlights Women's Six Nations Rugby

Hello and welcome to Grenoble. We

are at the foot of the French Alps

to bring you all of the best of the

action from around four of the

women's six Nations. We start here

were over 16,000 spectators are

expected to fill the stadium as two

teams go head to head in what is

undoubtedly the tie of the

tournament. It is France against

England.

Number two and number three in the

world fighting it out. It is going

to be a big game.

When it comes to

recent matches between these two, it

is England who has the upper hand. A

semifinal win over France and the

World Cup. How much confidence will

that give them?

This is a new team

with lots of young players coming

through. They are young and they

have not been to this environment or

had this pressure. At the same time,

playing in France is never easy. In

2014 England lost here. It is about

coming out and starting well. For

England they have to stick to their

game plan and keep their composure.

We are expecting over 15,000 in here

tonight. How big an effect will that

have on both teams particularly when

they are not used to this? It will

have a big impact on them, more so

England. Having 15,000 people

potentially against you, supporting

the opposition, it will be getting

used to that. It is hard to block it

out. When you make a mistake as an

English player, the crowd cheered it

and when the French do well in the

crowd to cheer it, so you have got

to block that out. But the pressure

is on France. They have not lost a

game and they have to make sure they

execute their game plan and they

have to get points early because

they know England are used to the

pressure.

We edged closer to perhaps

finding out where the six Nations

title will be heading. Will it be

England or will France make home

advantage count? Alongside madly in

the commentary box is Nicky. --

Maggie.

It is arguably the biggest match in

the women's game. France against

England and we are under way.

Abby Scott takes it on. A quicker

ball for Reilly this time.

Waterman popping up on the

right-hand side.

right-hand side. And it is England's

first try. It came relatively simply

in the end. They did not spot

Waterman on the other side.

It came

from England working their phases

and they spotted the space out wide

and Sarah Brown did enough to get

that off load.

Two points on the scoresheet.

Was there a late hit on Rachel

Burford?

She kind upholds her line.

It will be the word at the very

least, but it might be a bit more

for Rachel Burford.

REFEREE: There

was no need for it and that is a

yellow card.

She is sent for ten

minutes into the bin. England is to

14.

Tremouliere joining the line and now

they are looking dangerous.

they are looking dangerous. England

stretched for a moment on their

line.

Driven back by Tamara Taylor. And

they give it to Tremouliere!

Patience from the home side.

It was

all about patience. The French kept

the ball and they kept it alive.

They aimed to retain possession.

England did not put the pressure on,

especially in the 22 metres. One

missed tackle and that is all it

takes for the French.

It is just off

the woodwork.

Boujard nearly went all the way.

They are that close. They come

again. It is tried time for France.

The French do what they are best at,

keeping that line with their big,

solid forwards. One thing they do

very well is they are able to attack

a broken defence. When your defence

becomes disjointed, they find that

gap.

That will be that for the first

half. It has been gripping. There

are just three points in it.

France have not committed too many

numbers, so at the moment it is just

a walk-in. Cokayne edging ever

closer. There is the line. England

get their first try in the second

half.

It all came from the line-out.

The French are trying to put one

player in, but they do not commit

enough numbers and England to do so

well to throw their players in and

keep that ball alive and there is

only one direction, over the try

line.

A key moment of the game this.

England with that first spot after

the break. It is important for

France to see some return from this

sort of field position. They are

splintering around and they get the

penalty.

penalty. Menager controlled the ball

at the back.

Two flag is raised. Several hundred

flags raised. That gets the crowd

going. Look at the seams. 17,440 on

the board. It is a new record for

the women's International. France

gets the ball going.

They fire it back for the drop goal.

They have the penalty.

They have the penalty. No problem at

all. England extended their

advantage to four.

That is brilliant. Carla Neeson with

a run for the corner. England might

shepherd France into touch here.

What is the call on who took that

out? It looks like Kildunne rolled

away in the end. England just about

getting there. There was a huge gap

in the middle.

They have got a bit more width on

it. And burritos in the right

channel to make the tackle. They

need numbers there. Tremouliere is

going all the way. She could win it

for France potentially. They are so

capable when they need to be,

France. You could see Charlotte

Pearce calling across two defenders.

Look at the strength of Tremouliere.

They were sucked into the breakdown

so there were not enough numbers.

They love to attack broken play.

When they seek two versus one, they

always go for it.

always go for it.

They come again.

The clock is red and the game is

over.

over. France love beating England in

even years and they have done it

again. England gave it absolutely

everything, but a double from

Tremouliere and another try was

enough to see them win.

Fair play to

France, they never gave up. They

went up right to the end which we

knew they would. We were not at our

best and we know that. That is what

the girls are more disappointed with

anything, we did not take our

chances.

Maggie has joined be from the

commentary box and we have Captain

Sarah Hunter with us. That was a

really tough match to end the way

that it did.

Absolutely. You could

see the disappointment on the team's

faces. Just what it meant to ask,

that game, and losing in the way

that we did right at the end. We

defended pretty well, we got that

close, we needed to get out of our

own third and we did not do that.

They took it and all credit to them,

they took their opportunities when

they came.

Maggie, disappointing for

England to lose it in that way at

the end, but what a game of rugby in

front of an incredible crowd.

It was brilliant. Gutted for the

England team to lose by a point, but

17 and a half thousand people, a

record number of people, and again

did live up to what we wanted it to

be. Where did you think in that game

was lost?

That was one point you

could pick out, but we probably had

a few opportunities to score points

especially in the second half that

we just didn't take. And when you

look at a game where there are fine

margins, they are the ones you have

to take, maybe earlier in the

tournament it didn't matter, but

tonight it did matter. If we had

taken those opportunities when they

came, we could have been two or

three scores ahead of France, and

that try at the end wouldn't have

mattered, so we might need to be a

bit smarter about how we play the

rugby. We know they are dangerous if

they get into our third, and they

did that on a couple of occasions

when they had the ball, when they

kept it, and they were near our try

line, they came away with points.

Thank you so much for coming to join

us. We will let you go and get

showered and cool off. All the best

in your final match to come.

Thank

you very much.

Just a quick word

about the French full-back, Jessy

Tremouliere, she was the player of

the match today.

Yes, she scored two

tries, her kicking out of hand was

accurate, and that try at the end

highlighted how dangerous she is.

People talk about at the start of

the

People talk about at the start of

the game, but I don't think England

controlled her as much as they

wanted to. They needed to close her

down, because in that last bit of

play, England's defence also

disjointed, but almost opened up

gaps for her to run into.

It is a

relatively new side, the England

side, what should

relatively new side, the England

side, what should they learn

tonight?

They should learn a lot. At

the time, losing is never great, but

you learn how you can improve as a

team and an individual, the next

game is Ireland and any to fix

themselves up and finish the next

game on a high.

Yes, the next game

for England will be Ireland, but

before then, the Irish welcomed a

winless Scotland to Donnybrook. The

hosts had eased past Wales a few

weeks ago, and your commentators are

Fiona Coquelin and Ryan Nugent.

COMMENTATOR: That is good work from

Scotland from the line-out. Sarah

Law, and it is taken on by Sarah

Bonar, and now the prop forward,

Kenedy, doing the clearer work.

Kenedy, doing the clearer work. And

the tackle on that occasion came in

from

from McDermott, and law is dragged

Ian and eventually forced into

conceding a penalty, it is against

Eva McDermott. And you think that

that was an opportunity for

Scotland, and they will take the

shot against gold put the points on

the board. It will be taken by Helen

Nelson, and straight over it goes.

Scotland owning the ball for the

opening two minutes of the second

half. Can they get points? The ball

is out wide, over the line, try

scored. Nelson.

Talk about coming

out with a bang. They recycled,

recycled again. The ball moves out,

brilliant try, Brilliant sustained

pressure by Scotland.

Good feet from

Elsie Hughes at eight. The scrum

moves forward. It is super control

from the captain. Penalty try given.

And Ireland have their opening

score. And you can see just what

that means to the women in green.

Scotland take a couple of players

off the ball, and it is therefore

Malloy. Now it goes back in the

Lindsey Smith, and it is knocked

away, and over they go. It is

Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick is over.

Last throw of the dice. And Scotland

have got players in the air, and it

is into touch, and that is

Scotland's day. Wonderful scenes for

Scotland's women as they win against

Ireland for the first time in their

six Nations history.

We knew if we had met them on our

side, that we would do well, it was

keeping them on the positive side,

and all credit to Ireland, they

really gave it to us especially in

the second half, and we were

delighted to get that try

delighted to get that try to win.

So, disappointment for Ireland, but

a very raucous Scottish crowd still

here. Fiona Coquelin, former Irish

captain, is still with me.

It could

have gone either way at the end. All

credit to Scotland, they came out

with intent, they played fabulous

rugby, they hit it hard through

their forwards and moved it out of

some really exciting backs, so all

credit to them, in the first win in

the Six Nations since 2007.

And the

errors and discipline were possibly

to costly?

I think if Ireland had

controlled the ball, it would have

taken more in their favour, but you

have to take your hats after that

performance.

Over a hundred players

were capped before the RFU

recognised women's rugby.

Disappointment on the field, but for

Adam Griggs and his players, they

just need to re-group and refocus,

and what they take from today?

The

same again, the unforced error is

killed, if they can control that, I

think next week they will be looking

for a performance against England,

and based on the performance today,

England are hands down favourites to

win that game.

So Scotland deserving

winners here at Donnybrook.

So to our final match of round

formatters, where Wales welcomed an

Italian team looking to get their

first points on the board.

COMMENTATOR: Dew half-backs trying

to keep things moving, and the first

try has gone to Italy, it is

Isabella Locatelli, and the

scoreboard is under way inside ten

minutes, but it is down to Italy.

Robyn Wilkins is going to take first

dibs of the TV. Wilkins breaks the

Welsh bagel just before the

half-hour mark.

half-hour mark. Wales struggling for

the line, and I think they have got

there. They are celebrating, and it

is Alisha Butchers who is given the

congratulations, and that is a very

big score in this game now.

Here comes her back line. Manuel

furl an, it goes back inside, and

finished off, yet again the Italy

attack showing they have the

confidence and the belief to make

their attacks count. And sliding

through is Madia, she scored one in

the first half, coming through again

in the second, and it isn't there,

and it is Rigoni with the finish.

That is a classic rugby try.

Penalty against Italy, I think it

was Sara Barattin. Follow me, she

says, and follow me they do. And the

subsequent try, I

subsequent try, I think it was

Charlotte Haynes who went down the

side. And that was a cracking kick

from Robyn Wilkins.

from Robyn Wilkins. Claire they have

got 90 seconds left. Again, the call

goes against Wales, and again Italy

will try and make the most of it,

the drive by Arrighetti. There is

Franco looking to capitalise on this

opportunity, hunting for that fourth

tried, and a bonus point would

follow, of course. And the victory

would be assured if they can score

now. They have got huge numbers out

to the left. They came into this

match was not a point on the table,

and now they have got the try bonus

point, and surely victory as well?

What a finish from Italy, what a

special day for Michaela Soumare,

the number 13.

That is it, it's all over. Italy

have come to Cardiff and scored four

tries to get their first win in 96

Nations matches. Their last win was

here in Port Talbot two years ago,

they have done the same in Cardiff

on the day for the mothers, the land

of my Fathers, Italy celebrate a

very special day with a huge and

emotional win.

So, France have their sights set on

the Grand Slam is the only unbeaten

side left in the tournament. England

still could beat them to the

championship, but they will need a

miracle from Wales next week.

Scotland secured their first win of

the tournament in Ireland, ending

their hopes of finishing in top

spot, plus Italy's first win mean it

is now a 3-way fight for the Wooden

Spoon. France have one hand on the

Grand Slam, on that 2018 title, but

for England they won't want to give

up just yet, because you just never

know in sport. France have to go and

face Wales.

Absolutely. England are

going to want to finish on a higher,

and there is always a possibility

that things could change, and

playing Ireland at home, a

double-header as well, England are

going to want to have the home

support, but they are a side that

could go on a potentially win the

next Six Nations.

Thank you very

much for joining us tonight. Much

more sport coming your way on the

BBC. There is life Premier League

commentary from Stoke City against

Manchester city, that is from eight

o'clock on ABC five Live. And in the

Super League Show at half past one

on Tuesday. Here in Grenoble it is

France who edged closer to the Six

Nations title and a potential Grand

Slam. We will be back next week with

all the action from the final

weekend as we find out who will be

crowned 2018 champions. Goodbye for

now.