A finale worthy of the greatest Six Nations ever

Debate over whether the 2026 Six Nations would go down as the greatest in the tournament's history started before the final weekend.

History, records, upsets, high-scoring classics - by round five, the tournament had already produced gold.

But, to be the best, surely an epic finale was required? Too much to ask?

Well, France and England in Paris conjured up just that.

With the final play of the tournament, Thomas Ramos' penalty sailed through the posts to snatch a record eighth Six Nations title for Les Bleus.

Ireland, who beat Scotland 43-21 earlier on Saturday to seal the Triple Crown, saw their dreams of celebrating the title in Dublin dashed in the final few seconds of the tournament.

A thrilling 48-46 victory ensured back-to-back titles for Fabien Galthie's side, who had their Grand Slam bid ended in a remarkable 50-40 defeat by Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.

It was France captain Antoine Dupont who lifted the hard-earned trophy in the air, with fireworks exploding around a packed Stade de France.

"France are worthy champions. They deserve it and showed plenty of character," former England scrum-half Matt Dawson told BBC 5 Live.

"The pressure moments are when special teams produce. What a fantastic tournament. It has been so good."

An ice-cool Ramos never looked like missing, but the game had already delivered even before the cinematic finish.

England, who came into the match on a three-game losing run and with head coach Steve Borthwick under huge pressure, scored seven tries to Les Bleus' six.

Tommy Freeman's 76th-minute score and celebratory point to home fans looked like an unlikely famous moment in Irish rugby history - but Ramos had the last laugh.

"England were blistering - their pace, their skill, their intensity, their physicality and they had a genuine chance of winning," Dawson added.

"England were one play away from winning what is one of the greatest games in Six Nations history.

"An amazing tournament, an amazing finish, I can say 'amazing' another 20 times if you really want me to? Because it was incredible."

France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored four tries against England to extend his remarkable scoring record to 10 successive Six Nations games.

Having broken the tournament try record with eight scores in last year's championship, Bielle-Biarrey went one better this year.

The 22-year-old, who has only played in three championships, is now the joint-fifth highest try-scorer in the tournament's history, with 18 tries in 14 games.

Bielle-Biarrey helped France chalk up the most points they have ever scored at home in the 120-year history of matches against England, beating the 37-12 win in 1972

Records just kept tumbling during the 2026 Six Nations:

The tournament opened with Italy shocking Scotland in Rome to put Gregor Townsend under pressure.

His side then delivered an emphatic win over England at Murrayfield to end their rivals' 12-game unbeaten run.

The pressure then mounted on Borthwick as his side were outclassed by Ireland at Allianz Stadium.

While all that was happening, France cruised past Ireland, Wales and Italy to start a narrative that anything other than a Grand Slam would be a failure.

Scotland then blew away Galthie's side, before conceding a late flurry of tries, to head into the final round with a genuine shot of a first Six Nations title.

To add more drama into the mix, Italy overcame England in Rome to mount further pressure on Borthwick.

Wales may have lost their opening four games, but they improved as the championship went on, producing an impressive bonus-point win over Italy to end the tournament.

They finished with a third consecutive Wooden Spoon - but a first win in the championship since 2023 offered huge relief.

Despite an improved display in Paris, England finished the tournament with four defeats - their worst-ever campaign.

"It was one of the most captivating Six Nations in history, fitting it came down to one final moment of drama," BBC rugby correspondent Chris Jones said.

The 2015 Six Nations has been regarded as the greatest tournament for entertainment because of the three-team Super Saturday title race.

It similarly went right down to the wire.

However, this year's competition delivered from round one right to the final kick, with each nation having their own story - and surely leaps to the top of the list.