England thumps France to seal an eighth straight Women's Six Nations title and Grand Slam

England won a record eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations title and fifth successive Grand Slam after beating host France 43-28 on Sunday.

Unbeaten France with home advantage in Bordeaux and backing from its largest ever home crowd was expected to seriously threaten England's relentless domination of the championship. But it struggled in the set-pieces.

England, with only six survivors from its Rugby World Cup champion team last September, ultimately cruised to the six-try victory enhanced by Zoe Harrison's unerring right boot. Harrison landed six of seven goalkicks and 29 of 31 in the tournament.

The English extended their world record winning streak to 38 matches — and 68 from 69 games since 2019 — which won't be challenged again until September when they host No. 2-ranked New Zealand and No. 3 Canada in the WXV.

England was at its most vulnerable in years with more than a dozen regulars out injured or pregnant. But players new or not capped in three years melded superbly with world-class performers such as first-time captain Megan Jones, Ellie Kildunne, Amy Cokayne and Sadia Kabeya.

Coach John Mitchell, who took over the Red Roses in autumn 2023 and has yet to oversee a loss, believed the number of missing players made winning their 22nd Six Nations from 31 championships harder than winning the World Cup.

“It was great to win a World Cup at home but what we've navigated through this tournament, the youth coming through, the mates at home becoming mums or going through rehab ... these girls are so brave,” he said. “They're unbelievably driven.”

Kildunne was named player of the match after scoring two tries along with Jess Breach. Cokayne touched down in all five tests and Kabeya notched 27 tackles and had seemingly as many carries.

A patient England weathered a ferocious French start to lead the winner-takes-all finale 26-7 by halftime. While England is a fast starter, France is renowned as a fast finisher and fought back to trail only 29-21 with a quarter to go.

But that's as close as France got in front of a record home crowd of 35,062. Eventually, chief playmaker Pauline Bourdon Sansus, the only survivor of France's last win over England in 2018 — also England's last defeat in the championship — came off but her scrumhalf replacement, Alexandra Chambon, was sin-binned.

England, after conceding nine tries in its previous two matches, restricted the best defensive team to four tries, two by Bourdon Sansus, and Jones was proud.

“We've adapted so well,” Jones said. “We faced so much adversity This group is so resilient, I'm so proud of them. We asked for a good defensive set because everyone was doubting our defense and we fronted up and we showed what England's about.”

The final standings repeated 2025. France was runner-up for a seventh straight year. Ireland was third after thrashing Scotland 54-5 in Dublin, and Italy was fourth after condemning Wales to an unprecedented third straight wooden spoon.

Riding the wave of a sensational Women's World Cup, Six Nations total attendance was 279,760, easily surpassing the previous record of 188,128 in 2024. New attendance records were set in England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland, boosted by record TV viewership and online engagement.

Ireland celebrated a crowd of 31,294, more than three times its previous home record, in its first standalone test at Aviva Stadium.

The Irish finished a dream first half at 47-0. With 92% territory and nearly 80% possession they scored seven tries, two by player of the match Aoife Wafer. Ireland added only one more try but didn't allow Scotland into its 22 until the 77th minute.

“The first half was the best version of us,” coach Scott Bemand said.

Wales spent the week focused on fixing its third quarter slump. It didn't sink in at Cardiff Arms Park.

Italy, down 19-17 at halftime, used breakdown turnovers and its powerful forwards to give tries to Francesca Sgorbini and Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi and control finally at 29-19.

Despite losing winger Francesca Granzotto to the sin-bin for a tip tackle, Italy secured victory when the pack walked a maul 15 meters and laid on a try for player-of-the-match flyhalf Veronica Madia with 11 minutes left.

The win was a fitting retirement gift for lock Valeria Fedrighi, playing her 10th Six Nations. Fedrighi is the only Italian beside Martin Castrogiovanni to win league titles in England and France.

Italy finished with seven tries to four by Wales, which suffered a 10th straight loss in the championship.

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

England players celebrate after winning the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England's captain Megan Jones holds the trophy after aloft after her team won the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England players celebrate after winning the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England's captain Megan Jones holds the trophy aloft after her team won the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England's Ellie Kildunne is tackled during the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England's Sadia Kabeya runs with the ball during the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

England's captain Megan Jones holds the trophy after aloft after her team won the Six Nations rugby union match between France and England in Bordeaux, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Yohan Bonnet)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A drone strike sparked a fire on the edge of the United Arab Emirates’ sole nuclear power plant on Sunday in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack.” No one was blamed, but it highlighted the risk of renewed war as the United States and Iran signaled they were ready to fight again.

There were no reported injuries or radiological release. The UAE, which has hosted air defenses and personnel from Israel, recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks. Tensions have risen over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy waterway gripped by Iran, which is under a U.S. naval blockade.

“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media shortly after a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, whose attack on Iran with the U.S. sparked the war on Feb. 28.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

“Our armed forces' fingers are on the trigger, while diplomacy is also continuing,” Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on state television.

The ceasefire remains tenuous, with diplomatic efforts for a more durable peace having faltered. And fighting has heated up between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire there.

The UAE Defense Ministry said three drones came over its western border with Saudi Arabia, with the other two intercepted. It was investigating who launched them, and Saudi Arabia condemned the attack. Iran and allied Shiite militias in Iraq have launched drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states in the war.

The attack, “whether carried out by the principal actor or through one of its proxies, represents a dangerous escalation,” Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said on social media.

The $20 billion Barakah nuclear power plant was built by the UAE with the help of South Korea and went online in 2020. It is the only nuclear power plant in the Arab world and can provide a quarter of the energy needs in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms that is home to Dubai.

The UAE’s nuclear regulator said the fire didn’t affect plant safety and “all units are operating as normal.” The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said the strike caused a fire in an electrical generator and one reactor was being powered by emergency diesel generators.

It's the first time the four-reactor Barakah plant has been targeted in the war. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, whom the UAE has battled as part of a Saudi-led coalition, claimed to have targeted the plant while it was under construction in 2017, which Abu Dhabi denied.

The UAE signed a strict deal with the U.S. over the nuclear power plant, known as a “123 agreement,” in which it agreed to forego domestic uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent fuel to ease any proliferation concerns. Its uranium comes from abroad.

That's very different from the nuclear program in Iran that is at the heart of long-running tensions with the United States and Israel.

Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but it has enriched its uranium close to weapons-grade levels and is widely suspected of having had a military component to its program until at least 2003. It has often restricted the work of U.N. inspectors, including since the 12-day war with Israel last year.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed country in the region, but has neither confirmed nor denied having atomic weapons. Iran struck near Israel's Dimona nuclear facility during the war.

Nuclear plants have increasingly been targeted in wars in recent years, including during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022. During the Iran war, Tehran repeatedly claimed its Bushehr nuclear power plant came under attack, though there was no direct damage to its Russian-run reactor or any radiological release.

Israel is coordinating with the U.S. about a possible resumption of attacks, said two people familiar with the situation, including an Israeli military officer. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing confidential military preparations.

Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Netanyahu said “our eyes are also open” when it comes to Iran, and “we are prepared for any scenario.”

On Iranian state TV, presenters on at least two channels appeared armed during live programs.

One of them, Hossein Hosseini, received basic firearms training from a masked member of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Hosseini mimed firing a shot at the flag of the UAE.

On another channel, Mobina Nasiri said a weapon had been sent to her from a gathering in Tehran’s Vanak Square. “From this platform, I declare that I am ready to sacrifice my life for this country,” she said.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed.

A man collects his family's belongings from the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike the previous day in the southern village of Maarakeh, Lebanon, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Mustafa Jamalddine)

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, right, shakes hands with Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (Hamed Malekpour/ICANA via AP)

A woman walks past an anti-Israel mural in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman walks past a pro-government mural in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk past a mural depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier under missile attack in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

FILE - This undated photograph released by the United Arab Emirates' state-run WAM news agency shows the under-construction Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi's Western desert. (Arun Girija/Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation/WAM via AP, File)

A government supporter wears badges showing a portrait of the slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iranian and Palestinian flags during a pro-government gathering at Islamic Revolution Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)