England put in one of the most disappointing performance of the Eddie Jones era as France swept to a 24-17 victory in their Six Nations opener in Paris.
Jones had promised France "brutal physicality" but instead it was his rattled World Cup runners-up who fell victim to a ferocious onslaught as words that had caused controversy on this side of The Channel came back to haunt him.
Les Bleus stormed 24-0 ahead when captain Charles Ollivon ran in the second of his two tries in the 55th minute and that was the cue for Jonny May to conjure a pair of devastating solo tries.
For the second he beat five defenders while plotting a diagonal line to the posts in a score made possible by his extraordinary pace.
May's brilliance provided temporary inspiration but England lacked the firepower to make further inroads into the deficit in an improved final quarter they controlled and that finished with Owen Farrell landing a penalty to claim the bonus point.
Will Macpherson was in Paris to run the rule over England's performance...
15) George Furbank: 4
Appeared nervous early on, and produced a scrappy debut, including a couple of dropped balls. Outshone by his opposite number Bouthier, who was also on debut. Eddie Jones stuck by his man in the aftermath, though.
14) Jonny May: 8
Quite brilliant in the circumstances. When England are at their best, he is central. In Paris he was peripheral, so took things into his own hands. Was, though, among the guilty parties when Ollivon was able to run through for his first try.
13) Manu Tuilagi: 6
Left the scene early with a groin injury, and had no time to make a real impact but there were a couple of carries. Without the Vunipolas, his carrying was irreplaceable.
12) Owen Farrell: 5
Did not look right. Was he injured? Dropped two first balls in three minutes under no pressure in midfield. Deserves credit for not allowing the wheels to completely fall off.
11) Elliot Daly: 4
Is a better bet on the wing than at full-back, but was fairly anonymous in Paris. Just after England scored, he sent a bumbling kick too long when pressure was required.
10) George Ford: 6
Kicked pretty well from hand and did his best to direct traffic effectively when the pack were going backwards.
9) Ben Youngs: 4
Fell off Rattez for France’s first score. Was sluggish with his delivery, and launched a pass straight out before being replaced. Another tough day.
1) Joe Marler: 5
Provided scrummaging solidity, but it should be expected that Mako Vunipola will return next week.
2) Jamie George: 4
A rare off day. Taken off early in the second half, having lost a couple of lineouts. Did not have the desired impact in the loose, either. Cowan-Dickie’s arrival brought impetus.
3) Kyle Sinckler: 7
Scrummaged very strongly all day but perhaps got a little carried away with ball in hand? Was not the day for flinging it about, as he so often seemed to.
4) Maro Itoje: 5
Not his usual self. Gave away a careless penalty before half-time, and could not provide oomph with ball in hand.
5) Charlie Ewels: 4
The matchday programme did not include reference to Ewels, a slightly surprising pick. Was broadly anonymous, and Kruis added punch and experience when he came on.
6) Courtney Lawes: 5
Was a conspicuous, industrious presence in a back-row that just appeared to lack a little balance. Could not beat Ollivon to the ball from which he scored.
7) Sam Underhill: 5
Put himself about in attack and defence but was not at his most destructive.
8) Tom Curry: 5
Tried in his third position in the back-row, and did not let England down. But looked uncomfortable under the high ball and was predictable at the base of the scrum. Has so much to offer, but at his age it feels almost unfair to be asking this many jobs of him.
Additional reporting by PA.
