- England 10-53 France
- Seven tries for visitors in England’s biggest ever home defeat
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 not won a Six Nations game at Twickenham since 2004. If the home side were nowhere near good enough on the day, 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 rearview mirror. Steve Borthwick’s squad had dared to hope this might be the day they glimpsed a brighter future coming over the horizon. Instead it proved to be the headlights of a speeding France TGV, smashing aside everything in its path.