At that stage, the knives were being sharpened by England’s harshest critics but once they finally opened the scoring through Dom Young, the floodgates opened in some style – with a string of sensational attacking displays from key individuals leading to a 14-try victory.
What had been a competitive first 20 minutes suddenly became a blow-out, with England 34-0 ahead at the break, though it was clear the pursuit of points had to continue.
The wing had knocked on over the try line early on to spill a seemingly certain England opener, but made no mistake for his seventh try in six Tests.
McDermott admitted that defeat to Tonga in last weekend's opener left England with a mountain to climb, following what had been a difficult start to the campaign.
Once Dom Young finally opened the scoring, the floodgates opened in some style with a string of sensational attacking displays from key individuals.
France dug in valiantly throughout a scoreless opening quarter before the knives were being sharpened by England's harshest critics.
There was a sneaking suspicion England eased off in the latter stages when France appeared out on their feet.
England's running game then began to open up gaps in France's defence, leading to Farnworth's first two tries.
What had been a competitive first 20 minutes had suddenly become a blow-out, with England 34-0 ahead at the break, but it was clear that was nowhere near enough, and the pursuit of points had to continue.
With a shortened 10-team tournament producing a format that means only the top two from a six-nation pool make the last four, England knew they had to win their remaining group games convincingly and rely on favours elsewhere.