France (40) 87
Tries: Heymans, Marty, Dussatoir, Nallet 2, Clerc 3, Bonnaire, Chabal 2, Elissalde, Ibanez
Cons: Elissalde 11
Namibia (3) 10
Tries: Langenhoven
Cons: Losper
Drop-goals: Wessels
Hosts France got their stuttering World Cup campaign back on track by recording the largest win in their history.
They scored 13 tries against a Namibia side reduced to 14 men after 20 minutes when Jacques Nieuwenhuis was sent off for a high tackle on Sebastien Chabal.
Cedric Heymans, David Marty, Thierry Dussatoir, Lionel Nallet (2) and Vincent Clerc crossed before the break.
And Julien Bonnaire, Chabal (2), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Clerc (2) and Raphael Ibanez added further tries.
France are engaged in a three-way fight with Argentina and Ireland for the two quarter-final places in Pool D and they had no margin for error after their 17-12 defeat by the Pumas which opened the tournament.
Ireland's subsequent struggles to beat both Georgia and Namibia will have given a boost to the hosts' shattered confidence.
And with Ireland failing to secure a bonus point in either match the bonus point France earned by scoring four tries on Sunday could prove vital.
Toulouse is the biggest city in the French rugby heartland in the south west of the country and Les Bleus played with real joie de vivre in front of their passionate fans.
Heymans had been horribly exposed at full-back as Argentina rained high kicks down on him in the first night disaster in Paris, but he was back on the wing on Sunday and grabbed the first try after seven minutes.
The Toulouse crowd greeted the score rapturously and although Namiabia fly-half Emile Wessels soon trimmed the gap as he popped over a sweetly-struck drop-goal, there remained plenty to keep the home faithful happy.
Marty scored the second try after a sublime piece of deception from former Toulouse fly-half Frederic Michalak, who is heading to South African side the Sharks, sparked a long-range attack.
Elissalde, who failed with his first conversion attempt, made no mistake with the extras and France led 12-3.
Any distant hopes Namibia had of upsetting the hosts soon suffered a hammer blow as number eight Nieuwenhuis, who had already been spoken to by the referee for a high tackle, was sent off after laying out Chabal.
Dussatoir was driven over after France kicked the penalty to the corner and they added three more tries before the break.
Clerc skated over in between a brace from giant Castres second row Nallet, and four Elissalde conversions meant the hosts led 40-3 at half-time with the bonus point already safely tucked away.
Soon after the re-start the France pack drove the seven-man Namibia pack back over their own line to hand a push-over try to Bonnaire before Chabal, who has become a French folk hero in recent months, exploded into life.
First he pouched Elissalde's cute kick from a penalty to open his account before bursting clear from the halfway line and brushing off three men to score the most popular try of the night.
The fiesta continued until just before the final whistle with Elissalde, Clerc, who grabbed a quick-fire brace, and Ibanez all crossing.
The final word went to Namibia as centre Bradley Langenhoven grabbed an interception try, which was converted by Tertius Losper, in the last minute.
But, with Elissalde including 11 conversions in his personal haul of 27 points, France recorded their record win and they will go into Friday's crunch match against Ireland in a far more positive frame of mind.
France: Poitrenaud; Clerc, Marty, Traille, Heymans; Michalak, Elissalde; Poux, Szarzewski, de Villiers, Chabal, Nallet, Nyanga, Dusautoir, Bonnaire.
Replacements: Ibanez, Mas, Pelous, Harinordoquy, Beauxis, Jauzion, Rougerie.
Namibia: Losper; Witbooi, Langenhoven, van Zyl, Bock; Wessels, van Tonder; Lensing (capt), Horn, du Toit, Kazombiaze, Esterhuize, Burger, MacKenzie, Nieuwenhuis.
Replacements: Meyer, Redelinghuys, Lindvelt, du Plessis, Jantjies, Botes, Africa.
