I guess that’s why they call em Les Bleus

Ellis Genge dubbed England’s defeat to France “one of our worst performances” as they were humiliated on home soil.

France’s first win at Twickenham for 18 years in the Six Nations was completed with panache and brutality as England crashed to the heaviest home defeat in their history.

It all ended, after the strains of La Marseillaise had reverberated around a fast-emptying arena, to the sound of boos.

Captain Genge said: “I am not going to sugar- coat it – that is one of our worst performances and we were punished numerous times. I am not hiding from it, we were well beaten.

“France are brilliant, they have shown time and time again why they are the No.2 team in the world. We are way off where we want to be.”

After all the talk of building under Steve Borthwick during this Championship, the roof fell in on England.

They were exposed by France – and their masterful conductor Antoine Dupont – as the modest mid-rankers they are.

Marcus Smith, on his recall, had an unhappy afternoon with one wretched sliced free-kick into the waiting arms of man-of-the-match Thomas Ramos – who scored 23 points including the first of their seven tries – summing up the 24-year-old stand- off’s day.

He was far from alone in his misery. The England pack were humbled by a French collective with the skills to match their power and the backline – save for lone tryscorer Freddie Steward – was anonymous.

French forward Thibaud Flament said: “It was a very special game for us and we tried to make it count. We said in the week we needed this game.

“We are in a good place, we know this tournament can be won on the last game.”

NEIL SQUIRES