Talk about a guillotine falling with brutal finality. England have endured some chastening days over the years but nothing on the scale of this record thumping by France, who had previously failed to win a Six Nations game in south-west London since 2005. If the home side were nowhere near good enough, Les Bleus were quite outstanding for the majority of a one-sided contest.
By the end even England’s worst ever day at Twickenham, the 42-6 thrashing by South Africa in 2008, was receding in the rear view mirror. Steve Borthwick’s squad had dared to hope this might be the weekend they glimpsed a brighter future coming over the horizon. Instead it proved to be the headlights of a speeding French TGV, smashing aside everything in its path.
