Steve Borthwick's England revolution stalled at Twickenham on Saturday after France flew to a record-breaking 53-10 Six Nations win in hostile territory.
Even Marcus Smith's surprise addition to the starting XV at the expense of captain Owen Farrell couldn't prevent the hosts falling to their biggest home defeat in history. Charles Ollivon, Thibaud Flament and Damian Penaud each scored two tries apiece as Les Bleus banked their first Six Nations win at Headquarters since 2005.
If recent wins over Italy and Wales inspired belief that the new-look England were ready to duke it out with rugby's elite, France's foray in London reminded of the steps they've left to climb. The Red Rose showed signs of blooming in an improved second half but was left with too much to do after heading in at the break 27-3 down.
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Bristol's Ellis Genge said he 'wouldn't sugar coat' his analysis after standing in as captain for the absent Farrell, praising the "brilliant" Bleus while adding England "are way off where we want to be." He added: "If I had the answers I would be somewhere else earning millions. It is a bit of a mystery at the moment. We probably have to be better in the contact area which is on the forwards."
The English pack appeared overwhelmed by the weight and tenacity of a hulking French pack, which dominated the breakdown in almost one-sided fashion early on. It was that lack of cover at the fringes that led to Thomas Ramos flying in for the game's opening score after just two minutes.
It was a Flament break around the ruck that opened the initial space for that score, and the Toulouse lock turned scorer after Antoine Dupont's terrific 50:22 kick laid the line-out foundations. Stand-in fly-half Smith briefly narrowed the lead with a paltry penalty soon after, only for France to hit back before the break.
Not content with a 20-3 lead, the visitors persisted after the clock turned red for half-time and were rewarded with a brutalising score for Ollivon. That try illustrated the gulf in impetus between the two teams, with England lacking the alertness and physicality of their guests.
It wasn't long into the second period that Farrell made his return at the expense of Henry Slade, while Alex Mitchell replaced Jack van Poortvliet at scrum-half. And Northampton's Mitchell made an instant impact setting Freddie Steward free to score off a quick penalty—not that it would end up counting for much.
The jubilation was all too short-lived, however, as the final 25 minutes or so saw Borthwick's side played off the park, with Ollivon and Flament each flying over for their second tries of the game. France flexed their ingenuity for Ollivon's brace in particular, the back-rower nonchalantly reaching over England's ruck to dot down following Ramos' all-too-simple break and chip deep into enemy territory.
Clermont winger Penaud had been relatively quiet for most of the match, but all it took was two snap breaks on the right flank for the French flyer to dart in for a three-minute brace. That applied the finishing touches to England's biggest home loss in history (or Five and Four Nations, for that matter), highlighting a dire need for changes ahead of this year's Rugby World Cup.
Six months out from the tournament, Borthwick conceded "there is a gap, a big gap between us and the best teams in the world" in his post-match autopsy. "We got exposed today," he told ITV. "I don't think it matters what I thought it [the gap] was before, I think we understand where we are and what we have to do."
France counterpart Fabien Galthie cut an emotional figure for much different reasons after the result: "Yes, I realise what we have done. I've been coming here since I was 20.
"We played the way we wanted to play. We didn't know exactly how but we had that drive. And doing it here, in this context - it didn't happen by chance. We've been working together with these players. It shows we're on the right path."
Wales bounced back from defeat to England a fortnight ago when they clinched a rousing 29-17 win over Italy in Rome earlier on Saturday. That result all but assured Warren Gatland's side will avoid this year's Wooden Spoon, while the Azzurri looks likely to end another campaign winless.
England's prospects aren't as dim as those, though hopes of adding to their two wins look dim ahead of next Saturday's trip to Dublin. Grand Slam hopefuls Ireland will seek to keep their hopes of a perfect run alive at Murrayfield on Sunday, where a game Scotland awaits.
England - 10 (Try: Steward; Con: Smith; Pen: Smith)
France - 53 (Tries: Ramos, Flament 2, Ollivon 2, Penaud 2; Cons: Ramos 6; Pens: Ramos 2)
