France 25 England 13: French seal first Grand Slam in 12 years after brushing aside England to end Six Nations
AWFUL England were the lightweight guests at a Grand Slam party.
And nothing Eddie Jones says can hide the reality that his team are miles off what they need to be when they come back over the Channel for the 2023 World Cup.
Jones insists his side have made “massive strides forward”.
But they have been in reverse gear for most of a Six Nations campaign to forget.
Defeats by Ireland and now France are damning evidence of a side that are not even close to the sum their collective parts should bring.
More worryingly, the four matches that count – ignoring the saunter past Italy – brought just three tries and three defeats.
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Nowhere near good enough. No place to hide.
Freddie Steward’s try at the start of the second half, briefly giving hope, was little more than a distress signal for a team that had left much of its heart and soul on the pitch against the Irish last week.
One exception was Sam Underhill, who put in a monumental tackling stint in his first England game since the autumn after a series of concussions and injuries.
Steward, Joe Marchant and Maro Itoje also did their best against the odds.
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But when French scrum half Antoine Dupont broke two half-tackles before scampering over for his side’s third try of the night, there was no way back.
The celebrations for a first French Grand Slam since 2012 could begin, with 20 minutes left.
In any other circumstances, the clock would be ticking on Jones’ reign too.
Yet he retains the backing of the RFU, for now at least, even if the doubters are growing.
Jones had admitted his selection of George Furbank, horribly exposed on his debut two years ago, was a gamble.
The plan, with 6ft 5in Steward switching to the wing, was to expose France No 11 Gabin Villiere’s lack of inches under the high balls the Aussie wanted Ben Youngs and Co to send his way.
And with Marcus Smith from his first three possessions, England appeared to be ready to stick to the plan.
For it to work, though, required the ball and the advantage up front that had stunned Ireland last week.
Instead, conceding a scrum penalty, on Youngs’ put in, to gift Melvyn Jaminet an easy three points, was not what was wanted.
Nor was conceding another penalty, deep in French territory, when Steward – not for the last time – had plucked a Smith bomb out of the sky.
France soon stretched their lead, driving deep down their left before switching the ball to the other flank.
Gael Fickou was wide open to gather a bouncing pass and shrug off Smith before touching down.
Smith was instantly handed the chance to reduce arrears back to after a ruck offence on half-way.
Yet England might have been reduced to 14 men again when the Stade de France demanded a red card for Jack Nowell as Jaminet went cartwheeling jumping for a steepler.
Referee Jaco Peyper, though, ruled winger Damien Penaud had pushed the Exeter man into the full-back, although a wrist injury saw Nowell depart, with Elliot Daly on.
It was an escape, although another England infringement was punished by Jaminet.
Three more from Smith’s boot – meaning he had been responsible for 41 out of the last 46 points England had put on the board in the championship – narrowed the gap.
But the white shirts were guilty of losing the ball too easily in contact.
And they suffered a hammer-blow on the final play of the half, as flanker Francois Cros bulldozed his way over from close range after fly-half Romain Ntamack was stopped two yards out.
The 12-point deficit looked cavernous, yet England found something extra at the start of the second half.
Marchant blitzed through in midfield, sucking in the defence, and the switch to the right allowed Steward to step inside and score, Smith cutting the gap to five.
Suddenly, England had a Paris spring in their step, knocking on the door, seeking to play on those home nerves.
Yet Dupont’s score, further evidence why the Frenchman was world player of the year in 2021, was the killer blow.
Even against a tiring French side, England had no more to give.
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It has been a painful two months for Jones and his team.
The danger is they will bear the scars for the next 18 months. And you wouldn’t put a fiver on them being back here for the one that matters in October next year.