Stellar showing and ultimate defeat increases intrigue around England
First, foremost and fundamentally, England were vastly improved. The disjointed defeats by Scotland, Ireland and Italy are admittedly a low bar, but England's intensity and accuracy was back. The attack snapped into shape, asking awkward questions out wide, kicking with intelligence and offering punch though the middle.
Tommy Freeman enjoyed his best game at centre for England, making smart decisions, running incisive lines and connecting well with his wings. The forwards took the fight to France with relish, thumping into contact, scuttling several scrums and making the driving maul a weapon against a heavier pack. Ollie Chessum, brought in for his heft, delivered in spades, scoring two tries, laying on a deft pass for Alex Coles' score and clanging about in close combat.
Captain Maro Itoje was the best he has been in this tournament, as tough to shift as week-old chewing gum over the breakdown. They took an absurdly gifted - if fallible - France team to the very last second and backed up their endorsements of head coach Steve Borthwick in interviews with actions on the pitch. "England were blistering - their pace, their skill, their intensity, their physicality and they had a genuine chance of winning," former England scrum-half Matt Dawson told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I feel for the players because they are going to be down, but I want them to be super, super positive because if they carry on playing like that for the next 18 months they are going to challenge in big tournaments and big games, and they are going to win big games. " And yet. When the adrenaline levels drop, questions will also be raised.
With the restart regathered by Chessum, the ball safely at the base, Sam Underhill, Henry Pollock and Chandler Cunningham-South on their feet as a potential pod, and only two minutes left on the clock, could England have kept ball in hand and run down the clock? Instead, Jack van Poortvliet, who had brought some zip off the bench, opted to kick the ball away and infield. Matthieu Jalibert, a broken-field fiend, accepted the invite to run back and England were back under the pump.