Lydia Thompson pounces in England Women’s dramatic win over France

England’s grand slam winners have not been beaten since France did so in Grenoble 18 months ago but that record is only just intact. It needed a last-minute try from the wing Lydia Thompson to defeat their only real rivals in Europe when they escaped to victory in Exeter.

Despite having the better share of possession and territory England too often fluffed their lines in the opening period in front of 9,699 fans at Sandy Park and were a shadow of the side that won in Clermont last week, their first victory in France for seven years. They made handling errors at key times and seemed to overcomplicate things with ball in hand, looking nothing like the side that have dominated the women’s game in the northern hemisphere this year.

England’s flanker Marlie Packer ran out for her 70th cap but it was the visitors who led through a Jessy Trémoulière penalty and Laure Sansus try before Emily Scarratt kicked six points from the tee to reduce England’s deficit to 8-6 by the interval.

The boot of Scarratt, who was once more effective in defence and attack and one of England’s more impressive players, put the Red Roses in front with two more penalties but France looked to have won it when Caroline Boujard crossed for a simple try after 67 minutes.

Both sides were reduced to 14 players, with the lock Zoe Aldcroft receiving a yellow card for a neck roll at the breakdown and Romane Ménager sent to the sin-bin for being deliberately offside, before England capitalised on a poor clearance kick and set up Thompson to seal a breathless victory.

England’s head coach, Simon Middleton, said: “International rugby is about learning quickly and we made a few errors that we had made last week. I’m a bit frustrated. I’m thrilled with the win and one of the things we’ve learned to do really well is win tight games. We did it twice in the Super Series from very difficult positions and we’ve done it again today.

“We had the character to stay in the game and the composure to finish. When you’ve got a player like Lydia Thompson on the field, who specialises in tries, you’re always in with a shout. It was good to score the try at the end. It looked simple but under massive pressure we executed and we finished. But is it the performance that we wanted? No, it’s not, to be absolutely honest.”

Scarratt, the World Player of the Year who scored her 500th point on her 84th appearance for England despite having an early try ruled out, added: “To get an opportunity like that at the end is great and, when you’ve got players like Lydia outside you who eat up the turf for fun, it’s just important to give her the ball.

“It wasn’t the fluid perfect performance that we are aiming towards. That’s what you want to put out every single time you go out there. But it’s also unrealistic.”

England, for whom Rownita Marston of Bristol Bears made a debut after the hooker, Lark Davies, pulled out of the game at Sandy Park, play Italy in Bedford next Saturday, when they will look for a more decisive display and what will almost certainly be a clean sweep in these autumn internationals.