Not unlike Tiger Woods' impact on golf, the feeling grows that rugby has never seen the like of this England team.

Partly this is because rugby itself has altered out of all recognition and comparisons are even less scientific than usual, but, in the minds of their panting contemporaries, England are currently pacing their own domain much as Tiger does the fairways, more confident, self-assured and sleekly gifted than anything their game has ever known.

They are fitter than anyone else, too, which is ultimately why France retreated from south-west London having conceded the highest number of points in their Six Nations history despite having led 16-13 at half-time and having posed more questions out wide than any of England's recent opponents.

At 27-19 down and awaiting the video verdict on whether Xavier Garbajosa had scored in the left corner at the start of the final quarter, France might even have imagined they were squinting at an unlikely triumph.

The same word in English and French sums up their downfall; as mirages go, this one was cruel in the extreme.

Who knows what might have transpired had France's coach Bernard Laporte not stuck stubbornly to his plan to haul off both his locks five minutes into the second-half, at which point his lineout descended into near-farce and the thunderous quality of the visiting effort started to wilt.

Had Garbajosa and Christophe Dominici also evaded the fine tackles of Matt Dawson and Iain Balshaw and satisfied the video referee, or Fabien Galthie not been penalised for a crooked feed which led to the quick tap from which the outstanding Richard Hill surged 30 metres for his vital 44th-minute try, this might well have gone down among the great contests of all time.

Instead, the books will forever show that England scored six tries to one, completing a fourth record win in as many games with an elan and panache even the French were happy to applaud.

For a snapshot of the new all-singing, all-dancing England, their fifth try in the 75th minute was as good as any. Austin Healey, notionally a wing, found himself acting as scrumhalf 10 metres from the French line.

Instead of passing or running himself, he produced the cheekiest of overhead kicks which the alert Mike Catt touched down near the posts. Vision is a precious commodity in sport and here were England thinking and acting in 3-D.

The passing of Jonny Wilkinson - whose 18 points not only deprived Rob Andrew of his status as England's top pointscorer but also helped eclipse his own aggregate record for a championship season - was also thrillingly instrumental in setting up tries for Balshaw and his late replacement Matt Perry.

And there was more tantalising super-sub magic from Jason Robinson, whose pop-pass allowed his hooker Phil Greening to sprint away for the sort of interchangeable score which is this side's trademark.

Add Will Greenwood's typical fifth-minute dart and anyone glimpsing the brief news highlights might have concluded England had things much their own way.

The assorted first-half stitches required by Greening, Steve Borthwick and Jason Leonard proved otherwise.

It is a sign of a seriously good team, though, that they can dust themselves down and keep playing their tune when the scoreboard insists their nerves should be jangling.

"No one panicked. We just changed our kit and said, `let's start again'," said England's manager Clive Woodward.

Woodward felt his team had been "a bit too flash too early" while Healey reckoned half the home side were privately praying to be substituted by the end.

England's captain Martin Johnson felt the final score flattered the home side. "It was a very difficult game," he said.

"France were very dangerous in the first half and the score was a bit too much. We tried to play a bit more direct in the second half and it opened up as both teams got tired."

But what now concerns England is making sure a grand slam is not lost in the autumnal mists through, for instance, post-Lions tour fatigue.

"I just hope the game gets played when people are fresh," Healey insisted. Irish officials remain dubious as to whether even an early-September date will be feasible, but France's players suspect England will finish the job whenever their day in Dublin finally dawns.

"Psychologically, it might be difficult for England after missing the grand slam in the last two years but I think it'll be like this," said hooker Raphael Ibanez, gesturing towards the empty field.

His coach Laporte, meanwhile, could be heard demanding his squad give up wine and cigarettes in order to compete with the English. Sacrilege it may be, but France cannot run from the future forever.

SCORERS - England: Tries: Greenwood, Hill, Balshaw, Greening, Catt, Perry. Convs: Wilkinson 6. Pens: Wilkinson 2. France: Try: Bernat-Salles. Conv: Merceron. Pens: Merceron 3. Drop-goal: Merceron.

ENGLAND: Balshaw (Bath; Perry, Bath 76min); Healey (Leicester), Greenwood (Harlequins), Catt (Bath), Cohen (Northampton; Robinson, Sale, 56); Wilkinson (Newcastle), Dawson (Northampton; Bracken, Saracens, 80); Leonard (Harlequins), Greening (Wasps), White (Saracens), Johnson (Leicester, capt), Borthwick (Bath), Hill (Saracens; Worsley, Wasps, 76), Back (Leicester), Dallaglio (Wasps).

FRANCE: Sadourny (Colomiers); Bernat-Salles (Biarritz), Garbajosa (Toulouse), Glas (Bourgoin), Dominici (Stade Francais); Merceron (Montferrand), Galthie (Colomiers); Marconnet (Stade Francais), Ibanez (Castres; Landreau, Stade Francais, 56), De Villiers (Stade Francais; Galasso, Montferrand, 80), Nallet (Bourgoin; T Lievremont, Biarritz, 45), Benazzi (Agen; Auradou, Stade Francais, 45), Milheres (Biarritz), Magne (Montferrand), Pelous (Toulouse, capt).

REFEREE: T Henning (South Africa; D McHugh, Ireland 48).