England

Josh Lewsey: Confident catch under early high ball. Quick to support the breaks but generally a quiet game.

Jason Robinson: Sidestep did for Dominici midway through the first half and led to the French winger spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

Will Greenwood: Failed to break through the French defence with his trademark bursts down the middle but still a threat.

Mike Catt: Began poorly, dropping a pass and misplacing his kicks, but redeemed himself with some determined running. His kicking eventually improved.

Ben Cohen: Defensively solid and always a threat going forward, although he had little chance to stretch his legs.

Jonny Wilkinson: Had trouble judging his place kicks but was immaculate with his drop goals. Not even a late tackle by Betsen could ruffle him.

Matt Dawson: His probing runs caused France problems from the start. Hassled Galthie at every opportunity.

Phil Vickery: In the wars. Sent to the blood bin after a blow to his nose, then needed treatment for a leg injury. But the best of England's front row.

Steve Thompson: Wayward throw-ins were a constant concern, although he got up the noses of the French as often as possible.

Trevor Woodman: Spilled ball as England went close to scoring a try at the end of the first half. Otherwise pretty dependable.

Martin Johnson: Blotted his copybook with several early indiscretions. But kept England calm after a dodgy start.

Ben Kay: Gave France plenty to think about by winning an early opposition lineout. Solid performer who teamed up well with Johnson in the second row.

Richard Hill: His return helped firm up England's pack and showed just why his presence his vital. He made a brave attempt to deny Betsen his first-half try.

Neil Back: Looked at home wherever he found himself on the pitch. Popped up on the wing and at scrum-half. His pace exposed several gaps.

Lawrence Dallaglio: Came under pressure from Galthie at the back of the scrum early on but was as solid as a rock.

Replacements:

Rest of the bench: Leonard was a brief replacement for blood-bin victim Vickery but it was enough to make him the most capped player in Test history. Tindall exploited France's tired legs late on.

France

Nicolas Brusque: Served up a mixed feast, sometimes looking very classy but also very ordinary. A real disappointment.

Aurelien Rougerie: A game to forget for the winger. Made several wrong decisions and never got into the game.

Tony Marsh: Looked as though he would be a real threat but saw little of the ball. Made an impact with his powerful defence.

Yannick Jauzion: Like Brusque, he could be brilliant one minute and rubbish the next. Not a day to remember.

Christophe Dominici: His semi-final was over very early. His cynical trip on Robinson sent him to the sin bin and ended his game through injury.

Frederic Michalak: Started well but began missing easy penalties. His kicking from hand also let him down as well.

Fabien Galthie: A constant thorn in England's side, harassing Dawson and Dallaglio, although his influence diminished as the game wore on.

Jean-Jacques Crenca: Did everything that was asked of him but found himself going backwards most of the time.

Raphael Ibanez: Fared better from the sidelines than Thompson. Reliable as ever but could not dominate.

Sylvain Marconnet: No-nonsense performance but, like his fellow front-rowers, had to settle for second best.

Fabien Pelous: Quick to close down England's three-quarters and solid in the lineouts, but did not offer too much of a danger.

Jerome Thion: Looked good in the lineout but nothing special. Held his own against England's second row.

Serge Betsen: Put France ahead with his surging run from a lineout but then fell foul of the referee. Eventually sin-binned for late tackle on Wilkinson.

Olivier Magne: Failed to make his usual impact. Second best to the England back row. Not his effective self.

Imanol Harinordoquy: The best of the French forwards, but even his best efforts could not lift his countrymen.

Replacements:

Clement Poitrenaud Replaced the injured Dominici at the end of the first half but failed to make any impact. Not his fault, though.

Rest of the bench: Merceron, Milloud and Labit came on but no-one could help turn France's fortunes around. It was a lost cause.