Few could have imagined their GCSE maths coming in quite so handy when England set off for the World Cup.
In a tournament featuring a complicated inter-group format, the numbers have become almost as important as the results themselves.
Brian McDermott's side completed job one with a 14-try demolition of France but still have plenty of number-crunching to do.
The semi-final hopefuls remain 68 points behind Samoa heading into their final group game against Papua New Guinea, knowing they need another thumping victory and a favour from Tonga, who would finish above England on head-to-head.
Their response to the opening defeat by the powerful Tongans was emphatic, even if the scale of the task facing them means there is little room for error when they meet PNG in Wollongong next Friday.
England have never had a problem beating France and the challenge now is to reproduce Saturday's attacking fluency against tougher opposition.
PNG could be vulnerable themselves, however, after going down 64-6 to Samoa in Port Moresby.
The biggest hurdle could be Tonga getting the better of the red-hot Samoans in a game that takes place 48 hours after England's final group match.
A resounding win over Papua New Guinea would at least give McDermott's men hope during that uncomfortable wait.
There is something perverse about a format that left England's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread before they could even find their feet.
The 82-0 win over France was a statement of intent, even if the opposition and the circumstances make it difficult to judge quite how much England have progressed since their loss to Tonga.
For all the unanswered questions, this was a step in the right direction. The frustration is that England may have left themselves with too much to do before their campaign had a chance to take shape.
If England's task was not already daunting enough, Samoa's rout of Papua New Guinea in the opening game of the day left them in the realm of the improbable.
It was a first half of two halves for England, who struggled to settle before running riot once they found their rhythm.
The early tone was set when Matty Ashton bombed a try inside the opening five minutes.
Whether it was England's error-ridden execution or French pride after their drubbing by Samoa, the first quarter did not go to script.
It took McDermott's men 23 minutes to find a way through, by which time Samoa were already 28-0 up in week one.
England quickly set about playing catch-up after George Williams found a hole on France's left edge and put Dom Young over with a clever flick pass.
When England sped up the ruck, their rivals could not live with them.
AJ Brimson broke into open space to give Ashton a clear run to the line before Herbie Farnworth backed up a burst by Harry Smith to make it three tries in little over four minutes.
Farnworth made it a double after wriggling free from tired tacklers and finished a slick move to complete his hat-trick with the final play of the half.
In between, Williams added his name to the scoresheet following neat interplay between Smith and Kai Pearce-Paul.
A 36-0 half-time lead gave England the platform they craved after a shaky opening.
Young completed his brace early in the second period from Williams' clever kick in behind, quickly followed by another eye-catching try.
The increasingly influential Jez Litten got out from dummy-half and found Williams who sent Victor Radley racing clear to the line.
With time running out on England's tournament hopes and the need for points growing ever more pressing, they could have done without a spell of French pressure.
Mikey Lewis – a late addition to the bench – was introduced to provide a spark on his World Cup debut, joining the action in time to watch Hull KR team-mate Litten coast over for his first international try.
Lewis looked lively from the start and quickly got in on the act when Jack Welsby, only just introduced himself, did not have the legs to finish a move started by Brimson.
Young scored his third straight from a short restart and Welsby showed he had warmed to the task by adding the finishing touches to another Brimson break.
Lewis took advantage of French fatigue to burst through for a trademark try, leaving England in sight of a century with 10 minutes remaining.
But Smith inexplicably drilled the ball into touch at the end of a set to halt their momentum and invite a short spell of pressure on their own line.
England never recovered their swagger but did score one more thanks to a moment of magic from Lewis.
The Rovers half-back chipped over for Smith who gave Brimson the try his sparkling performance merited.
Now England must do it all again against Papua New Guinea next week.
England: Brimson, Young, Savala, Farnworth, Ashton, Williams, Smith, King, O'Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Pearce-Paul, Radley. Substitutes: Litten, Currie, Havard, Walters, Welsby, Lewis.
Tries: Young (23, 46, 64), Ashton (25), Farnworth (27, 35, 40), Williams (37), Radley (49), Litten (59), Lewis (63, 69), Welsby (67), Brimson (78).
Goals: Savala 13/14.
France: Mourgue, Laguerre, Siegwalt, Tropis, Yaha, Lacans, Fages, Navarrete, Bourouh, Bousquet, Romano, Jussaume, Garcia. Substitutes: Aispuro-Bichet, Rouge, Belmas, Cozza, Grossemy, Dezaria.
Referee: Adam Gee (Australia).