England's pain is clear. (Getty Images)

By Neal Collins

I guess all you can say after that thrilling 24-21 defeat in Paris against France is: England have got the World Cup and you haven't.

And as Sir Clive Woodward said after his side came so close to a miracle comeback: "This is a disappointment, no more than that. We have to handle defeat. We knew the Six Nations would be difficult after the World Cup."

It started ominously with Olly Barkley fluffing his first penalty attempt short and wide from 48 yards after an altercation between Lawrence Dallaglio and, predictably, England-hating Imanol Harinordoquy.

Then the French pack shoved England back 20 yards in the loose, Steve Thompson was penalised for holding on and the French broke forward. Olivier Magne tore a hole in the line and the French were within scoring range. Only brave defence and poor passing saved England from conceding.

Then a ray of hope. Magne was hit by a Phil Vickery tackle so hard you could almost feel the tremors across the Channel.

Suddenly England began to find their feet, though Vickery needed treatment after his crunching effort.

Dallaglio then hit Christophe Dominici with a big one. Excellent.

And 12 minutes in it was England who were rolling the maul and the French were struggling to get their passing right.

It was tight though. And horribly tense.

Neither side looked comfortable with the ball, and when the first points came after 18 long minutes, inevitably it came from the boot – Dimitri Yachvili landed the penalty from 30 yards.

By now Danny Grewcock and Mike Tindall were both looking like walking wounded – and a controversial penalty from referee Alain Rolland for decoy running gave France another chance from distance which Damien Traille missed by a mile.

Grewcock came off after 22 minutes and Steve Borthwick entered the fray.

Yup, Borthwick - the guy who struggled so much in the line-outs against Ireland.

And we would see no more of Grewcock, our new Martin Johnson, my man of the match against Wales last week.

And then real trouble for England.

After sustained French pressure Frederic Michalak clipped the ball in to the far corner and Harinordoquy had about half an hour to dot the ball down. Too simple.

Yachvili missed the conversion and it was 8-0.

England reacted positively, holding possession for a good six or seven phases in the French half before Barkley kicked in to touch.

Yachvili made it 11-0 with another strange penalty against Matt Dawson on the half-hour.

Five minutes later England were struggling, France were charging and another penalty for Yachvili, this one for holding on. Blimey. 14-0.

England finally got on the board with Barkley's second penalty, straight down the middle.

Then magic from Yachvilli. He broke down the blindside, chipped over and took his own kick to score a brilliant try.

England were nowhere. Josh Lewsey reacted like a man running in treacle. Steve Thompson? He tried to catch the little Biarritz scrum-half but what did we expect from a hooker? Pace?

After eight minutes of the second half, Barkley clawed back another three points and on came the veteran utility man Mike "Nine Lives" Catt for the very quiet Will Greenwood.

Yachvili took his personal tally to 19 points with another penalty and it was 24-6.

But then a glimmer of light on 52 minutes. Ben Cohen, who gets bigger and better every week, took a superb looping pass from Catt and crashed over in the corner. Yes!

If anyone can, the Catt man can.

But Barkley missed by yards with the conversion.

With Catt on England really did look a little more positive.

But somehow without the furrowed Johnson brow, the self-belief has leaked away from this magnificent England team.

The French, with Serge Betsen and Magne, had imposing leadership and in Yachvili, a quite sensational talent to replace retired captain Fabien Galthie.

When Lewsey went over for England's second try, neatly converted by Barkley, there was real hope and just three points in it.

So near, so far.

England will learn from this. France will crow. For now.