France praised for retaining the Six Nations crown but leaky defense is a worry

Relief after conceding 96 points and 14 tries in its last two matches, and still taking the championship.

When they finish celebrating their record eighth title in the Six Nations era, and their third under coach Fabien Galthié, their defensive fragility will not be toasted.

Sharp-shooting fullback Thomas Ramos sealed France's latest championship with a last-second penalty kick in a chaotic thriller at the Stade de France.

England scored seven of the game's 13 tries and had the bonus-point fourth by the 35th minute. Scotland also scored seven tries when it won 50-40 a week ago at Murrayfield to shatter France's Grand Slam march.

“It shows that we still have a bit of character in these moments, we will have to build on that,” Ramos said.

But he also noted all the points they conceded were a warning.

“We’re going to enjoy this victory, but for what comes next we’ll have to be honest with ourselves, because at this level you can’t concede 50 and or even more than 40 points,” Ramos said. “If we want to exist in major tournaments, with so many tries conceded, it won’t be with us.”

France defense coach Shaun Edwards wasn't overly concerned about the leaky defense. While he admitted the high scores were “frustrating” for coaches like him, they were commonplace.

“Rugby at the moment, particularly the Six Nations, is just phenomenal,” Edwards said. "I remember coaching a team in Wales who went five games without conceding one try and that’s impossible now. It is for the better of the game.”

France has never won the Rugby World Cup but was rebuilding a youthful side with the clear ambition of claiming its first world championship in Australia next year.

Flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert teared up after the final whistle. He acknowledged France sometimes lacked discipline and intensity but praised the team's fighting spirit.

“Even if everything wasn’t perfect, we gave everything we could,” Jalibert said. “That’s also the character of this team. Being able to grab a bonus point in Scotland when we were struggling, and being able to win tonight.”

Lock Thibaud Flament said they were “scared at times” and that a turning point was when England prop Ellis Genge was sin-binned for collapsing a maul at the end of the first half. France was awarded a penalty try and rallied from 27-17 down to lead 38-27 while Genge was in the sin-bin.

“It was a crazy match,” Flament said. “We knew the English would give everything. They’re a team that’s never out, and we saw that again today. We stayed united, it wasn’t easy. We gave everything, and it paid off in the end. Thomas (Ramos) was incredible, once again.”

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby