Mike Brown's try late in the first half has given England a lifeline after a Yohan Huget-inspired France raced into a commanding lead in their Six Nations clash.
The hosts got their campaign off to the best of starts, courtesy of Huget's try in the opening 30 seconds.
The ball bounced nicely for the Frenchman to run into the corner and cross the line, although the resulting conversion drifted wide of the sticks.
England were back in the contest almost immediately through Owen Farrell's penalty, but France soon regained their five-point cushion after Jean-Marc Doussain kicked home a penalty of his own.
France continued to attack, and it paid off when Brice Dunlin's chipped ball over the top bounced between a couple of white shirts, before Huget took advantage to cross the line with ease. However, the home side again failed in their attempt at the conversion.
Les Bleus didn't hold back and further extended their lead through Doussain once more, with the youngster kicking over to make it 16-3 with just over 20 minutes on the clock.
With the half edging out, Brown got England's first try of the Six Nations after crossing the line following some quick thinking from Danny Care to cut the interval lead to eight points.
Daniel Lewis
