ITV issued an apology after England rugby players were caught swearing on the referee’s microphone during their high-stakes Six Nations clash with France in Paris
21:38, 14 Mar 2026Updated 21:42, 14 Mar 2026
ITV were forced to apologise during their coverage of England’s Six Nations clash with France.(Image: Getty Images)
ITV were forced to apologise after swearing was overheard from England players during their Six Nations clash with France. Steve Borthwick’s side were aiming to upset the hosts in Paris as the reigning champions sought to retain their title and deny Ireland triumph.
England were embroiled in a heated showdown with France in Les Bleus’ own backyard and rattled the hosts. Borthwick’s men were looking to spoil their party as they searched for back-to-back Six Nations wins.
England established a first-half advantage against France, and the crucial encounter produced strong language, which was captured by the on-field referee’s microphone.
Following Joe Heyes securing a penalty shortly before the half-hour mark, commentator Nick Mullins said: “Apologies for that, I think we can understand that there’s some excitement about at the moment.”
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He added: “Once again we’re forced to apologise for the language, but you can understand why.”
England made an impressive opening against France, who required victory to clinch the Six Nations trophy ahead of Ireland, demonstrating determination to lead against their opponents. They appeared set to head into the interval with a greater buffer but a penalty try enabled Les Bleus to narrow the gap to just three points with the score delicately balanced at 27-24 to England.
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England’s discipline proved costly in Paris with Ellis Genge receiving a yellow card and sin-binned on the verge of half-time. After the restart, they paid the price for being a man down as France surged into a lead before Ollie Chessum ignited the fightback as Genge returned from his loan to reduce the deficit to six.
After half-time, Mullins was forced to apologise once more, saying: “Once again we’re forced to apologise for the language, but you can understand why.”
Ireland were monitoring proceedings nervously having fulfilled their obligations with a convincing victory over Scotland. The Tartan Army were the ones to throw the Six Nations into disarray with their victory over France in their last match.
Their attentions would have piqued minutes later as Marcus Smith went over the line with a crucial try and conversion to restore their lead. If the game was to finish as a draw, France would need four bonus try points.
England’s Six Nations campaign has been underwhelming, with Borthwick’s team managing only two wins. The expletives picked up on the referee’s microphone may have indicated the intensity and tension in the showdown between France and England.
Ollie Chessum’s try ignited a fightback from England after falling behind after Ellis Genge’s yellow card.(Image: Getty Images)
Despite facing criticism throughout their Six Nations campaign, England demonstrated determination and resilience to dampen the spirits of the home crowd.
Ahead of Saturday’s match, the England head coach said: “Ever since I started this role back in late 2022, Connor O’Shea and Bill Sweeney and I, we have always worked very, very closely together.
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“I speak with Connor O’Shea pretty much on a daily basis and with Bill Sweeney at least once or twice every week.
“I think that I’ve always been very clear on the vision of the team going very quickly into the 2023 World Cup – it was just around the corner – and then ever since then building through each of these competition windows post that World Cup, very clear on what we’re trying to achieve.
“We are all disappointed and frustrated. We came to this tournament with really high aspirations and we’ve been unable to meet those targets we set for ourselves. We are deeply frustrated but now we’re looking towards finishing the tournament the way we want to against France.”