Another Saturday night at the movies with a stunningly different conclusion. England have been involved in a few thrillers in recent times but this one could not have had a more dramatic plot twist. The collective roar which greeted the decisive 79th-minute try by the replacement Elliot Daly, bursting unstoppably on to a short ball from his young fly-half Fin Smith, must almost have rattled the windows in Calais.

Previously it had seemed England were about to lose another tight game when France’s precocious winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey went over for his second try six minutes from time. With barely 90 seconds left, though, England had one last chance and, in a set strike move off a lineout, Smith and Daly combined to clinch a result that transforms their team’s Six Nations prospects.

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No one could accuse England of fading away this time. Admittedly France were guilty of squandering an almost farcical number of try-scoring opportunities but the result, in the end, was richly deserved. Fin Baxter’s 69th-minute close-range try also dragged England back into contention but, crucially, the 22-year-old Smith slotted both angled conversions to seal the deal. The Northampton fly-half will remember his first Test start for the rest of his days.

This result also buried the bitter memory of England’s 53-10 humiliation in this same fixture two years ago. Their back row could not have done much more with Tom Willis doing his utmost to make his mark having finally been entrusted with the No 8 jersey. The collective Red Rose defence, for the most part, was again impressive.

France, even so, will be kicking themselves after a 60th-minute try for Damian Penaud had appeared likely to prolong their unbeaten start to the tournament. Instead it is now England, from unpromising beginnings in Dublin, who sit in a decent position, with two of their remaining three fixtures at home. This remarkable outcome will encourage them to believe a significant corner has finally been turned.

It was due reward for their last-quarter resilience but, ultimately, France were also undone by the weather. It was grey and damp and not a day for overly-ambitious handling. Fortunately for England, France ignored that crucial detail. They contrived to butcher a succession of tries from an early stage, starting when Bielle-Biarrey would have scored had an over-clubbed final pass been slightly more accurate. The normally immaculate Thomas Ramos also missed some important points from the tee, with a greasy ball proving problematic for both sides.

Even the great Antoine Dupont had his awkward moments. The France captain had looked the calmest man in the ground in the tunnel before kick-off, a slight narrowing of the eyes the only real clue to the inner warrior. His genius is not just his range of skills but his shot selection and competitive instinct, all of which sets him apart from the average international player.

But a bar of soap is a bar of soap and when Ramos threw what should have been a killer ball to his captain it ricocheted away off Dupont’s left arm and denied France a 90-metre screamer of a try. If England were fortunate to survive that near miss they were soon reprieved again when Penaud, with the line at his mercy, could not hold Matthieu Jalibert’s final pass.

Related: England 26-25 France: Six Nations player ratings from Twickenham

The dam had to burst eventually and duly did so after half an hour, albeit in slightly bizarre circumstances. François Cros picked up a loose ball from what, at first glance, seemed an offside position but the referee waved play on and, even 45 metres from their own line, England were immediately in trouble. After some initial broken-field madness Dupont straightened the impromptu attack beautifully and this time Bielle-Biarrey finished expertly wide on the left from Penaud’s chip ahead.

England simply had to respond, or at least start playing some of the game in their opponents’ half. Bang on cue they launched their most concerted attack of the game and, with France’s defence under the cosh. Ollie Lawrence took advantage to score under the posts. Marcus Smith’s conversion made it 7-7 at the interval, which England would definitely have taken before kick-off.

Fifteen French handling errors and 10 turnovers conceded in the first 40 minutes alone were the most relevant half-time statistics and the outcome was always going to rest on whether the visitors could put their wastefulness behind them. Inside three minutes it seemed they were about to do so when another hopeful Marcus Smith foray resulted in a loose ball for France which Bielle-Biarrey seemed certain to finish.

Under pressure from Ollie Sleightholme, though, the winger cut inside and lobbed a hopeful ball over the top towards his hooker Peato Mauvaka. All the latter had to do was catch it but, once again, a French fumble saved England. The buffet of wasted chances was becoming almost comical.

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But this was the third quarter, the point at which England have seen so many games slip over the past year. A Ramos penalty, straight and true this time, put his side back in front and the white-shirted sections of the stadium collectively winced. They had surely seen this arthouse film before, particularly when England opted not to attempt a penalty kick at goal only to concede a costly ruck turnover.

This time, though, their optimism was about to be rekindled. With 23 minutes left, Fin Smith launched a neat cross-kick to his right and his Northampton teammate Tommy Freeman stretched out to score. Marcus Smith’s conversion attempt curled wide but maybe England could still kick on? This time, thanks to Daly’s irresistible surge through Dupont’s despairing tackle and Fin Smith’s composure, the answer was a resounding oui.