Tom McCarron:  For me it's the best international rivalry in all sports and this is definitely the biggest game between #ENGVSCO for decades.

Will we see a better game later on?

With a championship on the line you'd hope so...

France played excitingly for about 90 seconds in that half but it was enough to carve out a narrow lead. 

France scrum-half Baptiste Serin finds a gap and gets the crowd going after a stodgy five minutes or so. he needs support and doesn't have it - move over. 

More confusion as Italy don't know themselves if they are rucking or not, scrum-half Edoardo Gori goes inbetween the France line but is called out by referee Ben O'Keeffe. 

This one will run and run. Italy have the ball but it's ever so slow. 

Any guesses who is leading the carry count for each side? Yes, it is the respective talismen.

Italy number eight Sergio Parisse and French counterpart Louis Picamoles have both made seven carries each in the opening half an hour, more than any other player on the pitch.

Not the easiest angle for Camille Lopez but his left foot is sweet as a nut, the Clermont man drilling through for three more. 

Image source, Getty Images

Scrum pressure leads to a penalty for France - and they will kick to extend their lead.

A reset scrum, a scrappy match.

Italy have looked the better side for most of the half but trail, and have lost the second halves in this tournament by an aggregate score of 96-5.

Worrying signs. 

France pick and drive but the maul is poor and it collapses, handing Italy the scrum. Poor from the French pack. 

Italy look comfortable - except from restarts. France have scored all of their points straight after Italy scores and they cause consternation again. Italy not dealing well with a flat kick out wide, referee Ben O'Keeffe penalises them for offside and France kick to the corner. 

Fabien Sanconnie has his hands in the till at the breakdown and that's a penalty.

Carlo Canna does not miss.

Former France flanker Serge Betsen (like many Les Bleus fans, no doubt) was pleased to see Gael Fickou's fancy footwork...

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Image source, Getty

Over at Twickenham, we are still none the wiser as to whether England talisman Owen Farrell will take to the field.

Eddie Jones was putting up some smokescreen in Thursday's press conference, alternatively saying the centre was "a doubt" and a certainty to recover.

Then on Friday, Farrell missed the captain's run at Twickenham.

And this morning, reports were, external that England were waiting until just an hour before kick-off before making a call on whether he or replacement Ben Te'o would start.

It's not a patch on Wales v Ireland but it's very much in the balance as we tick past the 25-minute mark. France are pinged for a lift in the maul as Italy look to drive on some more pressure once more. 

It's one of sport's most overused cliches, up there with '2-0 is a dangerous scoreline' and 'where's the cueball going?', but it remains true that you never really know which France are going to turn up.

Guy Noves' side went from the ridiculous to the sublime in few minutes there. And that's pretty poor again as Camille Lopez, having been immaculate with the boot so far, drills a clearance at an Italy shirt.

Errors everywhere you look. 

Andrew Priestley:  The most aesthetically pleasing 'show-and-go' from Fickou. Hot knife through butter.

That was superb rugby, dummy runners, quick ball and an outrageous dummy from centre Gael Fickou as he runs in unopposed. 

Image source, Rex Features