England were crowned 2020 Six Nations champions on points difference after a conclusive victory over Italy propelled them beyond the reach of closest rivals France and Ireland.
Eddie Jones’ men overcame the rust that had set in after seven months of inactivity caused by the coronavirus pandemic to post a 34-5 win in Rome that placed them in a strong position to seize Wales’ crown.
Ireland’s destiny remained in their own hands, knowing a bonus-point triumph would be sufficient to deny England, but they fell short in a 35-27 loss at the Stade de France that concluded a dramatic Super Saturday.
It gives Jones the third Six Nations title of his five-year reign exactly a year after the 2019 World Cup final was lost to South Africa. Andy Farrell’s men finished third while a rejuvenated France were runners-up.
The 2020 Six Nations in pictures
Wales and Italy kicked off the 2020 competition at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff (David Davies/PA)
Josh Adams scored a hat-trick as Wales, under new coach Wayne Pivac, hammered the Italians 42-0 (Adam Davy/PA)
Tempers flared as coach Andy Farrell started his Ireland reign with a 19-12 win over Scotland in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA)
England left their comeback too late as Fabien Galthie's France, who led 17-0 at half-time, triumphed 24-17 in Paris (David Davies/PA)
Ireland made it two wins from two by edging Wales 24-14 in Dublin (Donall Farmer/PA)
England bounced back to win the Calcutta Cup after beating Scotland 13-6 in Edinburgh (David Davies/PA)
After Italy lost to France 35-22, they also suffered a 17-0 defeat to Scotland in Rome (Andrew Matthews/PA)
France underlined their title credentials, battling past Wales 27-23 in Cardiff (Adam Davy/PA)
A 24-12 win over Ireland at Twickenham kept England's title hopes alive (David Davies/PA)
A third straight win for England followed, as well as the Triple Crown, after condemning Wales to a third defeat in a row with a thrilling 33-30 victory at Twickenham (David Davies/PA)
Scotland blew the championship wide open by ending France's winning run with a 28-17 success in Edinburgh in the final match before the coronavirus pandemic halted the tournament (Jane Barlow/PA)
After a seven-month break, the competition resumed with Ireland hammering Italy 50-17 behind closed doors in Dublin to move into pole position to win the title (Brian Lawless/PA)
Scotland ended their campaign with an impressive 14-10 win over Wales (David Davies/PA)
England ensured the title race went to the final game by seeing off Italy 34-5 in Rome (Marco Lacobucci/PA)
Antoine Dupont led France to a 35-27 victory against Ireland but could only finish as runners-up (PA)