Sometimes the noise echoing around a stadium towards the end of a big game is a more accurate gauge than the scoreboard. French rugby has had little to shout about in the Six Nations for the past decade but, as the clock ticked down on a chastening outcome for England, a totally different vibe was in evidence. Rarely has La Marseillaise been sung with such renewed pride or so many tricolores fluttered in celebration of an opening championship win.

“A beautiful day for French rugby,” was the verdict of France’s manager, Raphaël Ibañez, and he was spot on. Equally, though, there was no ignoring the ugliness of the opening hour from England’s perspective. Whether it was primarily down to perverse selection, post-World Cup weariness, the tricky conditions or the horsepower of their opponents, this was not the springboard Eddie Jones envisaged when he spoke about England’s aspiration to become the greatest team the world has ever seen.

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What a difference three months makes. Or maybe not so much. England finished a distant second to South Africa in the World Cup final in Yokohama in November and here was another savage disappointment for anyone awaiting a rousing sequel to their remarkable semi-final beating of New Zealand.

France led 24-0 after 56 minutes, courtesy of two tries from their new captain, Charles Ollivon, and an early effort from the wing Vincent Rattez, and two electric second-half tries from Jonny May were insufficient to spare the visitors’ blushes.

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In all sorts of ways it was a triumph less of Parisian design than the no‑nonsense methods of Wigan. This was Shaun Edwards’s first game since being invited to join Fabien Galthié’s new-look management team as defence coach and his tell-tale fingerprints were all over this spiky and emotionally super-charged performance by Les Bleus. Beneath cascading skies, it was enough to make Gallic supporters of a certain age weep with joy at the tantalising glimpse, finally, of a genuine French rugby renaissance.

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There can be no hiding, even so, from the Swiss cheese-sized holes in England’s initial effort of the new decade. Along with their EU status they have, on this evidence, also mislaid much of their shape and cohesion. While it might have helped to have a scrum-half as good as Antoine Dupont, this was a long way from being their finest hour under Jones.

The decision not to pick a specialist No 8 backfired badly, leaving poor Tom Curry to fight a losing battle against Grégory Alldritt and the inspirational Ollivon, and even when they had decent field position England lacked the surging power to make it pay. Without the Vunipola brothers and Manu Tuilagi, who lasted just 16 minutes before departing with the latest groin strain of his career, there was not a lot of va va voom.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest France’s players celebrate at the final whistle. Photograph: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

It also proved a sobering introduction to Test life for the debutant full-back George Furbank, with no immediate relief in sight. A Calcutta Cup showdown at Murrayfield with a six-day turnaround is no one’s idea of a soft landing, whether or not Anthony Watson is fit to resume in the back three.

Jones took issue afterwards with the notion he might rip up his team selection based on one result but a second successive away defeat would effectively kill England’s title hopes this season before they have even set foot on the manicured turf of Twickenham. Never did they envisage being 17 points down inside the first 21 minutes, all notions of a nice quiet Sunday afternoon rudely shattered.

From the moment Teddy Thomas burst clear into England’s 22 in the sixth minute there was precious little respite. Furbank did well to slow the winger down but when the ball was recycled left a nice inside ball from the talented Romain Ntamack released the nippy Rattez to score.

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It was just the start. After Furbank had fumbled a pass which might conceivably have led to a try in the right corner, France were soon back on the attack, a nerveless penalty from Ntamack rewarding another fierce period of home pressure. Luck was also not favouring the visitors, with France’s second try being awarded despite suggestions of a knock-on by Ollivon as he and Courtney Lawes contested a deflected box-kick from the ubiquitous Dupont. Did the ball come off a blue sleeve before Lawes’s tattooed arm? To England’s chagrin the try was allowed to stand and Ntamack knocked over the conversion like a man casually knocking the top off his breakfast egg.

The half-time score of 17-0 was the first time England have failed to register in the first half of a championship match since 1988, with fresh evidence everywhere of soaring French confidence. A glorious torpedo clearance from France’s new full-back Anthony Bouthier propelled his side almost 90m upfield and Edwards’ suffocating defence inflicted similar damage on English morale.

It was not hard to guess the tenor of Jones’s half-time team talk and it prompted a response of sorts, Ellis Genge clattering heavily into Ntamack from behind after the fly‑half had launched a clearance kick. The momentum, even so, remained with Les Bleus, a blindside raid by Dupont freeing up Ollivon to slide over again in the 55th minute and become the first French captain to sign on with two tries since 1954.

A mass outbreak of pushing and shoving ensued and, for a moment, it seemed as if England might totally lose the plot. Instead May twice showed exceptional pace to drag his side back into scoreboard contention and Owen Farrell’s last-minute penalty retrieved a consolatory losing bonus point. It will make scant difference to the final Six Nations equation, however, if England do not improve markedly at Murrayfield.