Chiefs duo help seal Grand Slam
Pictures: Getty Images[break]
By Mark Stevens
19/3/2016
Exeter Chiefs duo Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie both featured as England claimed their first Grand Slam in 13 years by defeating France in Paris on Saturday night.
First-half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given England a five-point half-time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of Maxime Machenaud to keep France within touching distance.
However, a third try in three matches from Anthony Watson calmed rising nerves before a brace of late penalties from Owen Farrell allowed the travelling support to sing their heroes home.
It marks a remarkable turnaround for new head coach Eddie Jones, coming just six months after the humiliation of a home World Cup exit at the group stages before he took control.
Post-match Jones admitted England are "three or four years" from hitting their peak and believes his side "will only get better" after they beat France 31-21.
He said: "The average age of this squad is 24, generally in trophy-winning teams it's 28 in Test rugby.
"It's a great achievement and I always had confidence in them. I'm very proud of the boys. We were not at our best, but we battled throughout and deserved the victory."
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