Harinordoquy - superb for France (Getty images).

By Carl Lafferton, PA Sport

ENGLAND:

Jason Robinson: Given no room to step and made a couple of shaky kicks. Had no real opportunity to attack. Not to blame for Yachvili's try. 6/10

Josh Lewsey: His try, which was well-taken, cannot make up for another quiet display. Where is the fast-running, free-scoring Josh Lewsey of 2003? 6

Will Greenwood 4/10: Is this the end of the line? England's midfield playmaker did nothing wrong, but nothing right, for 50 minutes and his shortcomings were exposed by Mike Catt's attacking play after he replaced him. 4

Mike Tindall: Virtually anonymous in attack and not great in defence. Made a couple of mistakes at crucial times in the first half when England desperately needed to relieve the pressure. 4

Ben Cohen: Scored a try and was solid defensively. Took the ball up well in midfield when it was needed but needs to impose his personality more. 6

Olly Barkley: Played well, given his inexperience and the lack of possession. Distribution was sound and at least tried to make breaks. Landed a couple of real pressure kicks late on. 8

Matt Dawson: Completely overshadowed by Yachvili, Dawson sniped well but gave away a silly penalty in the first half and was never more than competent. 7

Trevor Woodman: Outplayed in the scrum, made mistakes in the rucks, got in the way in the loose. Not his fault he was slower than Yachvili for his try, but he needs to concentrate on being a prop before pretending to be a back. 4

Steve Thompson: Solid line-out throwing, even late on, and effective in the tight but was not his usual rampaging self. Did not take the ball up and on enough. 6

Phil Vickery: Failed to gain mastery in the scrum and cancelled out a huge hit on Pelous early on with a silly, nasty block on Traille. Seemed to be struggling for fitness and could not stop the French when the power came on. 5

Danny Grewcock: Was looking a real presence around the fringes but was injured very early on. A real loss for England. 6

Ben Kay: Controlled the line-out well and competed well in open play, but simply does not have the presence of a Martin Johnson. 6

Joe Worsley: Made some good tackles and took the ball up well, but conceded early ground to the French back row and could have done more offensively. Still, an improved performance. 7

Richard Hill: England's best player, the only one who can look back with satisfaction. Conjured up several turnovers, made a couple of brilliant cover tackles, was a constant calming presence. A great performance. 9

Lawrence Dallaglio: To be fair to Dallaglio, he rallied his troops well in the second half and played well himself in that second period. One look at his face showed how much it meant to him - but why were England so flat in the first half? 7

Substitutes:

Steve Borthwick: Came on for Grewcock early on and made one great steal in the line-out as well as being solid on his own ball. 7

Mike Catt: Was his usual calming self, tidied up England defensive ball, kicked well and made a wonderful long pass for Cohen's try. Provided the vision that was sorely missing before his arrival. 8

Julian White: Only had a short time but disrupted the French scrum and was at the forefront of England's late effort. An impressive effort. 7

FRANCE:

Nicolas Brusque: Competent in attack with a couple of good runs, and had very little to do in defence. Should have done better for Lewsey's try. 6

Pepito Elhorga: Put in a great hit on Ben Cohen, controlled his wing and made a couple of good jinking breaks in the midfield. 7

Yannick Jauzion: Gave Greenwood no chance to attack in the first half and was a handful going forward. 7

Damien Traille: Another terrific performance, almost impassable in defence and always drew two men when attacking. Can step as well as provide crashball options. 8

Christophe Dominici: A quiet game. Should have stopped Lewsey before he scored and did little in attack. 6

Frederic Michalak: Fully exorcised his World Cup demons with immaculate kicking. Stepped in at scrum-half to great effect, marshalled his backline well and pinned England back when they threatened to come back. 8

Dimitri Yachvili: A flawless performance from the scrum-half. His kicking out of hand and from the ground was exceptional, his performance shaky only once throughout the entire 80 minutes, and he scored a wonderful opportunist try to push the game just beyond England. Outstanding. 10

Silvain Marconnet: Gave Phil Vickery a difficult time in the scrum and was an imposing presence all over the field. 8

William Servat: Helped Les Bleus dominate the scrum, and his line-out throwing was mainly accurate. Made some good tackles in the midfield. 8

Pieter De Villiers: The rock on which France's scrummage was based, by his standards he was quiet in the loose but helped France made ground with their rolling maul. 8

Fabien Pelous: Almost unassailable in the line-out and made a couple of great catches in open play. An absolute tyro in Les Bleus rolling maul, and kept France calm in the second half as England recovered. 9

Pascal Pape: A real influence in the mauls and was reliable in the line-out. 7

Serge Betsen: Another man to lay his Australian nightmare to rest, Betsen set the tone for France in the opening 10 minutes, breathing down Olly Barkley's neck. Faded in the second half but never allowed England to settle. 7

Olivier Magne: Recovered from a huge early hit from Phil Vickery to make a few of his own, controlled the exchanges around the base of the ruck and made some telling runs. 8

Imanol Harinordoquy: Though he faded in the second half, the Basque warrior was immense early on, claiming line-out ball one-handed and dominating the fringes. Scored a fine try which owed a little to luck and a lot to foresightedness. 8

Substitutes:

Clement Poitrenaud: Steadied France defensively late on and made a couple of great kicks. 7

Jean-Jacques Crenca: Came on late on to steady the scrum and did his job. 6