Sir Clive Woodward and Jonny Wilkinson were left absolutely stunned after England were torn apart by a ruthless France in their heaviest ever defeat at Twickenham.
The visitors scored seven tries as they romped to a 53-10 victory, with Thibault Flament, Damian Penaud, Charles Ollivon and Thomas Ramos all crossing as Fabien Gaulthie's side hit top gear after what has been a disappointing Six Nations by their high standards.
Not only was it England's heaviest ever loss at home, it was also their third-heaviest defeat anywhere having lost 76-0 to Australia in 1998 and being smashed 58-10 by the Springboks in Bloemfontein in 2007.
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Former coach and captain pair Woodward and Wilkinson were among those who couldn't believe what they had just seen play out at Twickenham as they reflected on the shocking result while on punditry duties for ITV.
"England were never going to win that game today, we were second by a long, long way," said Woodward. "But it's not that big a gap. But to think that we're going to go and play Ireland next week, it's been a sobering thought.
"I think Steve has still got a lot of learning to do, but he's a young coach and he just started his international career. We've got to get our mentality right that we want the ball at all times., we've got to feel comfortable on the ball.
"It's a sobering moment," he added. "No doubt about that. We were both in Australia when we lost by 70 odd points but that was our second or third team. To actually see that in a Six Nations game, I never thought I'd see that scoreboard ever at Twickenham."
However, Wilkinson tried to put a positive spin on the thrashing, saying it was "what needs to happen" as he called on the current England squad to learn from the bruising experience ahead of this year's World Cup.
"It's not a wrong turn and it's not the end of the path," said the former England captain. "This is the path. That 1998 game [when England lost 76-0 to Australia], for me, it was a real cleansing opportunity to just realise the story of who I thought I was could no longer carry on, it was almost forced to change and in that change I found brand new possibility.
"It's a massive humility check," he added. "It's a huge learning experience and if there's that desire and intention to push on, it will turn into something bigger and better. However long that takes I don't know and which players will be there and which won't, I don't know. But if those guys have the energy to go again, and of course they do, it's going to keep moving.
"I think that team will come out lighter next time they're on the field. They'll feel more bouncy, they won't feel heavier from this defeat."
It was a ruthless display from the reigning champions who kept their title defence hopes alive despite defeat to Ireland in Dublin in the second round. Thomas Ramos opened the scoring for the visitors with a well-taken try before Thibaud Flament bundled over the line and Charles Ollivon grabbed a third French try to send Les Bleus into the break with a commanding 24-point lead.
While Freddie Steward pulled one back for England, Flament and Ollivon both secured their brace shortly after, with Damian Penaud also securing a double as the French ran riot and crowds began to flood out of Twickenham having already seen enough.
The bonus point win was also France's first win away to England since 2005 and keeps them in the hunt for the Six Nations title going into the final weekend. Steve Borthwick's side, however, remain fourth in the table ahead of their Super Saturday meeting against Grand Slam contenders Ireland having lost at home twice in the Six Nations for the first time.
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