He’s just about level with the right-hand upright, and the young fly-half makes no mistake. Three more for Matthieu Jalibert - France lead by seven.

Another sharp set-piece move from France with a dummy maul, a flat pass from Antoine Dupont and a swift transfer on the pivot from Gael Fickou, and Matthieu Jalibert again glides over the grass on a bending run. Maro Itoje falls on the wrong side - Jalibert will have a go at goal from the penalty.

Advantage to England from the scrum as Mohamed Haouas is penalised and Jonny May takes the easy metres on offer down the left. A lively dart into space from Ben Youngs and a delightful back-of-the-hand blind pass as he shows he has learned a thing or two from Antoine Dupont’s tape.

England are now inside the French 22 as Billy Vunipola advances but brother Mako is more swiftly brought to floor, and Romain Taofifenua is an enormous limpet over the ball that Owen Farrell has nary a hope of removing. Penalty to France.

Jalibert is fine, by the way, and finding open acreage towards Max Malins in the left corner, who replies in kind with a long punt.

Brice Dulin takes to the skies with both boot and leap to reclaim his own high bomb, and France play inside the England half. To the left and a glimmer of an opportunity for Teddy Thomas along the touchline, but only because Charles Ollivon has found him like a quarterback - a clear forward pass.

Matthieu Jalibert takes a bang to the hand as Jonny May is brought into midfield off the blindside wing so France have to quickly reset their defensive line, with the fly-half protected on the right wing.

England try to exploit it, but fail to set the defensive line with hard runners as they play nicely out the back, and France are just about able to drift on the play. Teddy Thomas catches Max Malins, and France win a turnover penalty.

Just a few hints of a swirling breeze as Ben Youngs’ high hoist drifts infield and then towards the touchline, and eventually just out of reach for Luke Cowan-Dickie. Damian Penaud knocks on as it bounces, however, and it will be English possession on the French ten-metre, wide out on the left.

The second half is underway.

I think both sides will be relatively happy with their first halves. England will probably hope to calm things down a little as they don’t quite have the free-moving horses of their opponents, but France have made errors in their own 22 on a number of occasions and there may be further opportunities to capitalise if England can play in the right area.

France, remember, have six forwards on the bench so their front eight can afford to empty the tank. “England’s best 40 minutes since the first half,” says Lawrence Dallaglio on ITV punditry duty...

“They’ll need to be better in the second half, though.”

Here we go...

Well that was a most magnificent half as both sides threw caution to the wind and were prepared to play from virtually anywhere. Both attacks functioned beautifully at times, England managing to get their forward carriers into the game and France offloading at will.

Antoine Dupont had pounced on Teddy Thomas’ infield kick to put France ahead in the second minute, but England hit back superbly, and Anthony Watson was able to canter over in the corner. Two penalties from Owen Farrell extended England into a lead but France produced a perfectly-constructed, perfectly-executed set-piece strike to take a half-time lead. It is a game that is yet to stop and take a breath, and if the second half continues in this manner we could be in for a true classic.

The clock ticks into the red as France launch one more attack, Brice Dulin to the outside and jinking menacingly, but a loose kick bounces into English hands, and after an exhausting first 40 minutes they are more than content to take us down the tunnel.

This game continues to fly along at top speed. France twice break the English chase, first Matthieu Jalibert’s drop of the shoulder and quick feet through the centre and then Teddy Thomas on a high wire along the touchline, tip-toeing past Anthony Watson.

Cyril Baille is the man on the inside but he’s got lovely hands, and finds Antoine Dupont, who in turn heads back to the outside and Dylan Cretin. George Ford can only grab his shirt and Cretin continues on until more English bodies arrive, and Dupont is alive to the possibilities around the fringes, his sinewy frame muscling out of two tackles and nearly away. But France are then short their key man, and the attack goes nowhere, England over the ball and clearing their lines.

Gael Fickou’s development from young tearaway to France’s defensive captain and key midfield cog has been most welcome to see, and he’s been excellent so far. A lovely little eight-iron down the left pitches and kicks towards the touchline, ensuring England are pushed back inside their own half.

France fail to claim the kick-off, though, and England attack. It stalls, but that’s a clever little lift from Henry Slade for the corner...

Brice Dulin just about gets back and across before the England chasers. France clear the 22.

What a try! A training ground move of perfect construct executed quite brilliantly!

Julien Marchand throws the lineout long to Gael Fickou, rushing on to it with Teddy Thomas in his sidecar. Looping behind the pair is Antoine Dupont who takes Fickou’s reverse pass, and Virimi Vakatawa’s charge on the diagonal means Henry Slade has no option but to follow his man in.

That allows Matthieu Jalibert welcome passage on the outside arc as Dupont uses Vakatawa’s dummy line, and Jalibert has too much pace for Owen Farrell to get across. Damian Penaud is the extra man on the right wing to take his fly-half floated pass and complete a delightful try. Jalibert converts a set-piece strike move masterpiece.

Perhaps a moment of naivety from Max Malins, found quickly from a lineout by George Ford with a remit to counter-attack, but finding a well-constructed French defensive line and a concrete blind alley. France win the turnover penalty and kick to just outside the England 22 - they are so dangerous from there...

No quick cross-kick from France with England given sufficient time to have a chat and the tee already making its way on to the field - Matthieu Jalibert plops the ball down upon it, brings his boot through the back of it and trots back to halfway with three points procured.

France are finding their flow. It is all moving parts and offloading limbs as forwards loose and tight use deft hands to put the faster men into space, Antoine Dupont the key cog in it all as he keeps the tempo high. Advantage is coming as Dupont doesn’t quite find a charging Virimi Vakatawa, but Damian Penaud gathers the ball and France go on. Sharp hands from Cyril Baille and Mohamed Haouas as the props combine, and space over the top!

Chipped into it by Dupont, can Matthieu Jalibert get there... NO! Brilliant work by Henry Slade to just about get an arm against Jalibert as he tries to gather the ball close to the dead ball line, and the ball rolls against the advertising hoardings.

It will be a French penalty, though, and with three or four players pinged in one movement, Andrew Brace has a word with Owen Farrell about England’s discipline...

A most rare sight indeed as Maro Itoje is buffeted back by the enormous Romain Taofifenua carrying hard, but England reset their defence quite well.

Gael Fickou tries a diagonal stab vaguely in the direction of widest man Dylan Cretin, but even the long strides of the flanker won’t be able to prevent the ball trickling and tumbling to the touchline.