England vs France player ratings: Owen Farrell impresses as the new general but Louis Picamoles stands out

England registered a 15th successive Test victory to set a new national record in a 19-16 triumph over France, but their unbeaten run under Eddie Jones was tested to the limit in a scruffy clash at Twickenham.

Jones was forced to summon the cavalry from the bench to finally break Les Bleus' resistance with Jack Nowell, James Haskell and Ben Te'o heavily involved in the decisive score that swept the RBS 6 Nations champions over the line.

The trio had just arrived on to the pitch but their fresh legs invigorated England with Te'o particularly effective, running hard and straight until picking a strong line to score the decisive try in the 71st minute.

Here’s how the players rated through the eyes of The Independent’s Jack de Menezes:

Mike Brown – 6 out of 10

His usual solid self when the ball was coming towards him, but saw very little of it in his hands and didn’t look to get involved as much as he usually does.

Jonny May – 6 out of 10

Yellow carded for lifting Fickou and dropping him on his shoulder which cost his side three points, with an additional three conceded while he was off the pitch. Nothing malicious though, and he returned to run hard and prove he is looking quicker these days.

Jonathan Joseph – 6 out of 10

Disrupted the ball in the air well that meant France were unable to take anything cleanly. Kept quiet by England’s lack of ball.

Owen Farrell – 8 out of 10

Lovely spin unlocked the French defence but the attack fizzled out. When England were up against it, Farrell stepped up and grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. Looked the general were Ford faded, and drew in the French defence to release Ben Te’o for the match-winning try.

Elliot Daly – 7 out of 10

Stepped up and delivered with a long-range penalty to tie the scores at the break. Great tackle to stop Spedding on the break. His last appearance here ended in a four-minute red card, but this time he was brilliant and proved he belongs on this stage.

George Ford – 6 out of 10

Poor kick ended a real chance on a turnover in the first half. He showed a few nice touches with the boot though, one well-weighted chip finding touch inside 5m. Disappointed though with the ball in hand.

Ben Youngs – 6 out of 10

Missed a tackle early but smart break with Daly when spotting a blindside mismatch. Looked lively, passing got better after an early ankle dweller to Hughes, and replaced by Care with 15 minutes to go.

Joe Marler – 7 out of 10

Coped well on his return from a broken leg, and against a man nearly 40kgs heavier, you couldn’t really ask much more from him.

Dylan Hartley – 6 out of 10

The louder of the two captains as he and referee Angus Gardner engaged in a conference on the rules of rugby. His first lineout was terrible as England’s set-piece went to pieces, but it improved from thereon in.

Dan Cole – 6 out of 10

Struggled in the front-row battle as France made their superior weight show. Good work in the loose though, especially in defence.

Joe Launchbury – 6 out of 10

Kept fairly quiet of any standout moments, but did well to lead the line and tackled with vigour. Replaced by james Haskell as Itoje moved back to the second-row.

Courtney Lawes – 6 out of 10

Not a great start as he dropped the ball early on. Struggled to get into the game, but improved considerably after the break and tackled extremely well in the second half, shaking up Baptiste Serin in true Lawes fashion.

Maro Itoje – 7 out of 10

Looks like England’s new enforcer, and is the first to confront the opposition in times of conflict. Not quite the same impact as Chris Robshaw defensively, but he was formidable in the air as he took apart the French lineout.

Tom Wood – 6 out of 10

Very effective in stopping the French around the fringes and slowed their ball down. Did he do enough to keep Haskell out of the side though? I’m not so sure.

Nathan Hughes – 7 out of 10

Looked to step up and take on a lot of the running, but isn’t the same player as Billy Vunipola yet and that showed. Felt the full force of Atonio’s mammoth shoulder early on, but learnt from his ways and tackled him properly the next time. A real unit in defence though.

Scott Spedding – 7 out of 10

A love early break from a loose ball nearly wrongfooted Brown, but unfortunately came to nothing. Looked a real threat from second-phase ball, and his towering frame meant he took some stopping.

Noa Nakaitaci – 6 out of 10

Guilty of being drawn out of position for Te’o’s winning try, and stuck to his wing a bit too often that left him out of the game.

Remi Lamerat – 6 out of 10

Probably the quietest among the France back line, although that was largely because France looked to attack through his centre partner Fickou.

Gael Fickou – 7 out of 10

Not quite a Wesley Fofana, but he was strong with the ball in hand and kept probing away at the English defence. Made a bit of meal out of a high shot, but it wasn’t enough to detract from a goof performance.

Virimi Vakatawa – 7 out of 10

Lovely break late in the first half came to an unfortunate end with a slip. Looked very dangerous and was willing to come into the centre to find ball. Swithced to 13 for the closing stages but didn’t have anything to work with by that point.

Camille Lopez – 6 out of 10

Dangerous cross-field kick nearly led to a chance for Nakataici in the first-half. He kicked well, although anything beyond 40m looked to be out of his range. Missed just one kick, which was forgiveable.

Baptiste Serin – 6 out of 10

Looked to try and seize his chance after being handed his first start, and didn’t do himself a disservice. That said, he didn’t do anything to stand out and was outnumbered when Youngs and Daly ran down his channel.

Cyril Baille – 7 out of 10

Got the better of opposite number Cole in a number of scrums but only lasted 45 minutes and the fitness of the French front-row has to be a cause for concern.

Guilhem Guirado – 7 out of 10

His lineouts were sharp, with the English jumpers doing their best to disrupt him, and he departed looking like he left it all on the field.

Uni Atonio – 7 out of 10

Brushed off Hughes like a fly, and displayed his brute strength on occasion in the first half. Given he possessed a near-40kg advantage over Marler that’s no surprise. But like Baille, he faded and had to be replaced.

Sebastian Vahaamahina – 6 out of 10

Disappointing for a man who possesses his height, as Lawes and Itoje were able to impose on him. Faded late as he appeared to pick up an injury.

Yoann Maestri – 6 out of 10

Had an early chance to score but was bundled into touch by the covering England defence. Bright start faded, and struggled in the lineout.

Damien Chouly – 6 out of 10

Guilty of ill-discipline in the second half that helped give England the field position they needed to score. Strong work without the ball though.

Kevin Gourdon – 7 out of 10

Looked very impressive and was a nuisance to the English back-row and half-backs as he sniped around their ankles. Could have had an interception in the second-half, only to concede a penalty, but he also won his fair share so he can be given some leeway.

Louis Picamoles – 9 out of 10

Started like a house on fire, with two rampaging runs through the gut of England’s defence exposing the hosts. Took a whack when he ran into teammate Fickou that took the wind out of his sails, but returned in the second half determined not to be on the losing side. The best player on the pitch by far.