Six Nations: Johnson - Final score flattered England

Martin Johnson felt the final score had flattered England after they had recovered from a shaky start to beat France 48-19 at Twickenham.

The victory continues England's superb run in the Six Nations this season - but for much of the first half they looked to have found their match in the fiery French.

And Johnson admitted the match had not been as straightforward as the convincing result suggested.

He said: "It was a very difficult game.

"They were very dangerous in the first half and the score was a bit too much."

The tournament leaders trailed 16-13 at half-time, but finished with five tries and two more records for fly-half phenomenon Jonny Wilkinson.

Johnson added: "We tried to play a bit more direct in the second half, and it opened up as both teams got a bit tired."

Newcastle fly-half Wilkinson overtook Rob Andrew as England's all-time highest Test match points scorer, eclipsing his mark of 396.

Wilkinson also broke his own record for most points by an England player in one Five or Six Nations campaign.

England's points tally was their highest ever against France, with Wilkinson kicking 18 and Will Greenwood, man-of-the-match Richard Hill, Iain Balshaw, Mike Catt, Phil Greening and substitute Matt Perry scoring tries.

Hill said: "I think we were all disappointed with the way we played in the first half.