Six Nations: England face being shown up by fired-up France

The final weekend of the Six Nations is a second-screen experience. The math could get messy if you don't log off the phone.

France won the title.

A win for Ireland earlier in the day brings draws and bonus points to the equation.

Ireland may have a points difference that is its trump card.

England fans will be asking calculations with less obvious answers and longer-term implications.

Would staying within a score of the France team be a moral victory?

Over the last three Six Nations campaigns, the win percentage has been over 50%.

How many more beatings can Eddie Jones take before his faith is damaged?

The rumble can be heard over the horizon.

He told the radio station that after the game those sort of discussions can be had.

We feel like we are making progress as a team. We would like to be playing for the title, but we are not and the team is making good progress.

It can only be a feeling. The numbers aren't there.

It will be the first time in Six Nations history that England will finish fifth.

They would need to score five tries against France to match last year's measly total.

There have been some hints of what might be. Over the past year, England has given hints of their backline sparkle and coalface spirit.

We saw how the attack could work when Freddie Steward carved to the line against Australia.

The talk of a new level of team unity was true when 14 men's bloody-mindedness made up the numbers against Ireland last week.

There are moments for showreels. Teams are revealed in tournaments. The Six Nations takes teams to enemy territory and dark places. England are coming home again.

Jones has a defense. He knows how to prepare teams for Rugby World Cup.

In the last cycle, England finished fifth in the Six Nations and made the final in Yokohama 18 months later.

A plan more than a year in the making came to fruition when he masterminded Japan's win over the Springboks.

South Africa won the trophy in 2007. Australia pushed England deep in the 2003 final in his first run at the tournament.

Jones doesn't think of France 2023 at the top of his mind. He mentioned it this week. England arrived in Paris on Tuesday to get a feel for the host nation before the tournament.

There are circumstances that can be mitigated. The plan to play Owen Farrell at centre as a steadying hand and second pair of eyes for Marcus Smith was ruined by injury.

The battering-ram power of Tuilagi was lost.

Still, doubts run deep. The transition between two eras has been too cumbersome, according to the suggestion.

Should only four of the 10 starting wings over the tournament have been specialists in the position? Over the past year, Joe Marchant, Max Malins and Tuilagi have swapped in.

The current centres don't offer something like that, but three guys have come into camp to offer it. They have gone without an extended run in the team.

There is no clear choice at scrum-half or hooker.

The team that will face France is from left field. George Furbank has not been at full-back since October 2020. Will the screeching U-turn be for only one night? Or a more permanent change?

The contrast is stark.

There is no fog in France. They are in high definition. Rapier thrusts out wide, drum-tight defence and a set of proven replacements ready to slot in on the touchline.

A golden generation, who won the World Under 20 Championship, have created a feel-good factor. Television ratings are up, confidence is high, and the plan is to win the World Cup next year.

The goals of England are more modest. There is no trophy on the menu for now. Matching France for most of the game would be a decent return.

One of the great victories of Jones' time in charge would be Sacking the Stade de France and throwing the title to Ireland. The All Blacks were defeated in the semi-final. The answer was emphatic.

Anything else and the questions are the same.