There are two minutes left to play and Angus Gardner, the Australian Crunch referee, raises his arm.
Penalty for the XV of France.
Fifty meters from the posts of course, but full axis.
England then leads 30 to 31 and the fate of this thrilling Crunch rests in the right foot of Thomas Ramos.
Who will not tremble to offer a victory to the Blues.
A decision which remains in the throat of English observers, journalists and former players.
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Return to the action of the penalty.
To a percussion from Romain Taofifenua, Ben Earl bends down but engages the shoulder without putting his arms up.
Mr. Gardner did not see anything wrong, but he was called into the earpiece by his referee in charge of the TMO.
Five minutes of play later, he made the mistake again and whistled this fatal penalty for the XV de la Rose.
“A ridiculous decision”
Andy Goode
On X, former England international Andy Goode, renowned for his love of the France team, will cry scandal.
“Ridiculous decision to give a penalty to decide this match!”
He will not be the only one to find the sanction too severe.
This penalty, in addition to offering victory to the Blues, is more than welcome for the scarlet finances of the FFR.
With this success, the French XV finishes runner-up to Ireland in this 2024 Tournament. A gain of… 800,000 euros!
The difference between the amount of the bonus awarded to the second in the Tournament (2.8 million euros) and that paid to the 3rd (€2 million) by the organizer of the competition.
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Prize money for the 2024 Six Nations Tournament
1st Ireland: 3.5 million euros
2nd France: 2.8 million euros
3rd England: 2 million euros
4th Scotland: 1.6 million euros
5th Italy: 1 .2 million euros
6th Wales: 800,000 euros