England
Marcus Smith Got lucky after he was stripped by Bielle-Biarrey. Both missed kicks were poor, but he always looks likely to spark something. 6
Tommy Freeman Silly penalty against when chasing box-kick but came up with final pass for Lawrence’s try. Took own try very well. 8
Ollie Lawrence Came up with a turnover after Boudehent found himself isolated. A simple finish but how England needed it at the time. 7
Henry Slade Missed touch with a penalty but brushed that off and made an important tackle on Ramos. Ran an excellent defensive ship. 7
Ollie Sleightholme Had one burst down the right on transition but should be proud of defensive efforts after struggling during the autumn. 7
Fin Smith Defensively solid and delightful kick to Freeman. Taking over kicking duties felt significant and symbolic. Some first start. 9
Alex Mitchell Kicked well and kept the tempo high and when he does that England look so much more threatening. 8
Ellis Genge Conceded a penalty when offside but stood up to Atonio at scrum-time well. No longer carries with the same menace. 7
Luke Cowan-Dickie Chopping France’s behemoths round their ankles and brings an abrasive edge to England’s defence. Odd lineout wobble. 6
Will Stuart No complaints with his scrummaging and even had one brief gallop. Unheralded but growing into reliable performer. 7
Maro Itoje (capt) While he wasn’t full of his momentum-shifting moments he takes huge credit for finally dragging this side over the line. 8
George Martin Made a mess of lineout when England were well placed. Gets through plenty of work but isn’t quite making desired impact. 6
Tom Curry One of his classic performances. Breakdown penalty relieved early French bombardment and he didn’t stop thereafter. Huge. 9
Ben Earl Hung out to link with Smith and did well to get ball down under pressure from Bielle-Biarrey. Won key penalty at death. 9
Tom Willis Wriggling through contact to make valuable yards, hitting everything that moved, stripping the ball in the contact. 8
Replacements Jamie George (for Cowan-Dickie, 62) Made a big difference 8; Fin Baxter (for Genge, 52) Took try well 7; Joe Heyes (for Stuart, 59) No complaints 6; Ollie Chessum (for Martin, 62) Ran head first at everything 7; Ben Curry (for Willis, 53) Whirling dervish 7; Elliot Daly (for Slade, 76) An easy finish but made no mistake 7.
France
Thomas Ramos Not his best game by a distance. Handling was poor and though he always looked composed he won’t be happy with his display. 5
Damian Penaud Couldn’t keep ball as tryline beckoned. Can look unengaged before bursting into life but England did well to limit impact. 6
Pierre-Louis Barassi Not a great pass to Bielle-Biarrey who would have surely scored early on but made a couple of fine breaks up the middle. 7
Yoram Moefana Rarely wasted an opportunity to run down Fin Smith’s channel but got little change from the Northampton fly-half. 6
Louis Bielle-Biarrey Took his tries well – both were opportune but that is what he preys on. A couple of curious decisions to kick and little chance to stretch his legs properly. 7
Matthieu Jalibert Kept things simple for an hour – not his fault most of his teammates couldn’t catch a cold – before showing a few touches of class. 7
Antoine Dupont (capt) The odd flash of brilliance and rarely makes the wrong decision but not the fireworks so many had come to expect. 6
Jean-Baptiste Gros Did superbly well to cover back after Mitchell’s threatening grubber and honours even in the scrum against Stuart. 6
Peato Mauvaka Absurd decision to go for inside pass but ultimately France still capitalised for opening try. Dropped ball with tryline gaping. 4
Uini Atonio Lovely hands for someone with his scrummaging prowess. Met his match in Genge but milked one penalty out of Baxter before he was replaced. 6
Alexandre Roumat A menace at the lineout, where he caused England problems. Handling not great – he made at least two costly knock-ons. 5
Emmanuel Meafou Such a thunderous presence but England dealt with him well. Couldn’t make as much of a mauling impact as he’d have liked. 6
François Cros Huge early hit on Martin and did plenty of hard yards but another France forward who did not live up to their pre-match billing. 6
Paul Boudehent Part of a starting back row that came off second best. How France could have done with Charles Ollivon on a day like this. 5
Grégory Alldritt Charged down Fin Smith early on but coould not stamp his authority on proceedings in the way he often does. Ran down too many blind alleys. 6
Replacements: Julien Marchand (for Mauvaka, 57) Little impact 6; Cyril Baille (for Gros, 57) Carried hard 7; Georges-Henri Colombe (for Atonio, 57) Rolled sleeves up 6; Hugo Auradou (for Roumat, 50) Caught the eye 7; Mickaël Guillard (for Meafou, 66) 6; Oscar Jegou (for Boudehent, 50) 7; Nolann Le Garrec (for Jalibert, 66) Lively 6.