Henry Pollock grabbed a double on his England debut. (Getty Images: The RFU Collection/Dan Mullan)
France is the Six Nations champion, and deservedly so, but Scotland once again showed that it has all the ingredients to challenge the best teams in the world with another battling display in Paris.
Scotland had its chances in the first half — and had Frenchman Peato Mauvaka been sent off for a flying headbutt in that first half, who knows what would have happened.
But the Scots were just missing that final spark to send them over the line, a lack of polish that cost them dear all tournament.
England did all they could to pile the pressure on France earlier in the day, handing Wales a desperate, record hammering in Cardiff.
Wales' performance had to be one of the most abject in an increasingly lengthy list of meek displays, surely terminating any fringe Lions players hopes of a call up for this summer's tour.
Ireland though barely managed to sneak past an always improving Italy, with plenty of their big names going missing in Rome.
Pressure builds Lions, England stepped up
Chandler Cunningham-South and Maro Itoje were both superb in the Cardiff cauldron. (Getty Images: Michael Steele)
How players respond in pressure-cooker environments will have been key to what Andy Farrell was looking for this week — and England answered that call best of all three visiting sides.
Cardiff has so often been a graveyard for English hopes and dreams, indeed 12 years ago, with both teams hunting the title, Wales hammered England 30-3 to steal the Six Nations crown and ensure that the vast majority of that year's Lions Test team would be Welsh.
Fast forward to today and England entered that febrile cauldron, simmering as usual in nationalistic fervour, and had those same baying fans drifting into the Cardiff evening to wallow in their nation's absolute humiliation after bullying the Welsh to their 17th-straight defeat.
Take your pick of England's stand outs. Maro Itoje? Tick. Will Stewart? Tick. Both Currys? Tick. Tick.
Fin Smith has turned into a genuine star. (Getty Images: The RFU Collection/Dan Mullan)
But let's talk about Fin Smith, a man who has grabbed hold of the England number 10 shirt and has done everything in his power to make sure he's wearing that same shirt for the Lions in the first Test in Brisbane.
Another assured performance featuring cross-field kicks, well-timed passes and general stewardship is making his case ever more convincing.
Finn Russell will no doubt be a consideration — he was superb as Scotland sniped and harried France throughout the first half — but Sam Prendergast is stagnating a little and showing his inexperience, while Jack Crowley did not do enough to grab his opportunity in Rome.
Then there's England's forgotten pair, surprise inclusion to England's team George Ford who was excellent, and Marcus Smith, who will not play 10 for England while Fin Smith is there despite his unmistakable talent.
A hugely congested back row central to Lions conversation
Picking a back row for the first Lions Test may well be the hardest job in sport.
Everywhere you look there are players who are stepping up.
This week, as with most weeks, England's trio were irrepressible: Tom Curry, Ben Curry and Ben Earl were all brilliant, while Tom Willis and debutant Henry Pollock also were superb off the bench.
Jac Morgan (second left) perhaps watching Ben Earl take his Lions spot in the back row… (Getty Images: Michael Steele)
Scotland number eight Matt Fagerson and his Ireland counterpart Caelan Doris are also in sublime form and although Wales skipper Jac Morgan wasn't at his best against England — understandably tired from having to carry his nation for the previous four rounds no doubt — he is a solid performer and will do well for the Lions.
Rory Darge and Jamie Ritchie also both excelled in a brutal battle up front against France in Paris, although when l'equipe de bomb was introduced — France's version of the Springbok's bomb squad reserves entering the field en mass — they did fall off.
It's a position that carries a high attrition rate so perhaps we'll see most of the above at some stage during the Tests, but the biggest challenge for Andy Farrell will be the make up of that squad.
But given the avalanche of talent in this regard, plus the trend of picking a 7-1 bench, don't be surprised to see some of these players pop up in midfield late on in games in the situation arrises, just as Earl did at centre for the final half hour in Cardiff.
Positives for Wales?
Pictures tell a thousand words, especially of thousand-yard stares. (Supplied)
Let's leave this section short.
The clip of former Wales front row Adam Jones staring into space somewhere in the bowels of the Principality Stadium said it all.
At least it's all over now.
What happened to Ireland?
Ireland were off the boil in Italy. (Getty Images: Sportsfile/Seb Daly)
Having been battered by France last time out, Ireland needed a big response to end the tournament on a high — and they didn't provide it.
Italy's ill-discipline — they played 30 minutes of the match a player down due to yellow cards — is probably all that kept Ireland ahead.
Three missed conversions from Jack Crowley certainly didn't help, but Jamison Gibson-Park was subdued, centres Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw were poor and even livewire flanker Josh van der Flier was strangely quiet.
James Lowe remains a beast and showed that on one wing, with Hugo Keenan perfectly adequate at fullback, while Mack Hansen showed what the Irish missed last week with some impressive runs.
Front row forwards Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong were all fine as well.
Perhaps it was a case of it being relegated to the third choice game on this final Saturday of action, geographically far away from where all the action was taking place in northern Europe.
Perhaps it was just a symptom of knowing the Championship had all but gone and there was little, if anything to play for.
But that attitude won't win Lions Tours, where more players aren't selected for the Test team than not.
Scotland's lack of cutting edge hurts them
Finn Russell is electric. (Getty Images: Franco Arland)
Scotland may have felt they were in with a chance of doing something really special in Paris, particularly when Tom Jordan crashed over to end a brilliant counterattack just before the break to give Scotland the lead.
But alas, as has been the case for Scotland all tournament, fine margins came back to hurt them.
In this case, the brilliant Blair Kinghorn was judged to have just hit the sideline before recycling the ball and the try was chalked off. France never looked back.
It's been the story of Scotland's tournament, playing some magical rugby only to either switch off and get caught on the counter, or just failing to find the line when they needed to.
A lack of cutting edge is hard to pin point — on paper this team is thrilling. For the first 40 minutes against France it was they who were lighting up Saint-Denis in their light-blue change strip, not the hosts.
With Finn Russell pulling the strings, Darcy Graham and Jordan roaring through midfield and the immense power of Duhan van der Merwe, this team should be putting teams to bed.
If a Lions team were picked today…
What the players are all hoping to wear Down Under. (Getty Images: David Rogers)
- Ellis Genge (ENG)
- Dan Sheehan (IRE)
- Will Stewart (ENG)
- Maro Itoje (ENG) (c)
- Chandler Cunningham-South (ENG)
- Jamie Ritchie (SCO)
- Ben Curry (ENG)
- Ben Earl (ENG)
- Alex Mitchell (ENG)
- Finn Smith (ENG)
- James Lowe (IRE)
- Tom Jordan (SCO)
- Tommy Freeman (ENG)
- Tom Roebuck (ENG)
- Blair Kinghorn (SCO)
Replacements: Jamie George (ENG), Zander Fagerson (SCO), Pierre Schoeman (SCO), Matt Fagerson (SCO), Caelan Doris (IRE), Tom Curry (ENG), Finn Russell (SCO), Tommy Freeman (ENG).
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