Scotland v France preview: Les Bleus to snatch victory despite weakened line-up

Dylan Coetzee
Scotland's Huw Jones on the charge against France.

Scotland's Huw Jones on the charge against France.

The calendar is beginning to enter the most exciting time for rugby fans over a four-year period as the Rugby World Cup is just a stone’s throw away.

With the tournament so close all the best teams from across the globe sharpen their tools in a series of warm-up matches. This weekend the hosts of the global showpiece, France, travel to Murrayfield to face Scotland.

Selection has been approached by two schools of thought in this one. Scotland have gone for more tried and tested combinations in a bid to further secure their strongest line-up, whilst France have given their fringe players a chance to shine before they roll out their strongest team.

This all makes for a fascinating clash as the depth in the French ranks is particularly impressive and the side they have selected certainly has the quality to come out as winners at Murrayfield.

Where the game will be won

France may not have their front-line side but still boast a pretty serious pack with the likes of Sekou Macalou, Cameron Woki and Pierre Bougarit all looking for big games in this one. The bench is also pretty strong with Reda Wardi and Paul Willemse poised to make an impact.

Upfront will be key as if the Scots can match the French power they have some more than handy backline stars to cause havoc. One gets the feeling though, even against this fringe France side, it could be difficult for Scotland to get the ascendancy they require.

Half-backs will be another key area in terms of kicking and game management. Scotland have the advantage of a settled combination at Test level whilst France opted against the Antoine Dupont-Romain Ntamack axis for this game. However, the quality of Matthieu Jalibert in particular is not to be doubted.

Last time they met

What they said

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend explained his decision to name fly-half Russell as captain for the weekend.

“Finn has played really well since he got back into the squad,” he said.

“He has always been a leader for us in terms of attack. He is older, has more experience, and an opportunity has opened up where he’s the right man to lead us this week.

“It’s the right time to give him that opportunity, and it will be interesting to see how he goes. Being vice-captain and our most important attack leader gives him a real confidence, and I’m hoping that being captain gives him confidence too.”

Meanwhile, Hamish Watson returns to the line-up and is desperate to go well and add to his appearances at Rugby World Cups.

“I got injured in the first game of the World Cup last time, so I don’t think it was the best showing of myself, which is slightly frustrating,” he said. “But I don’t think you need any extra motivation.

“It would be great to get another World Cup cap, but there is a lot of work to be done before then.

“I have only played one game in a World Cup, so I am obviously massively motivated to try and get to another and hopefully play a few games in it.”

Players to watch

With the country’s all-time try scorer Stuart Hogg suddenly hanging up his boots, Blair Kinghorn’s importance in the squad has shot up significantly. The star has been there and thereabouts for some time on the Test scene but now has a real chance to cement himself as a starter. His input on attack in an axis with Russell will be vital in this clash, which is a big one for the full-back.

The charismatic centre pairing ‘Huwipulotu’ is also an important component of the side. Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones have formed a really good partnership and it showed in the Six Nations. The pair are the clear and obvious selections in the midfield and Townsend will be praying they continue to fire outside of Russell.

Pierre Schoeman’s influence upfront with the whole front-row will be a telling factor. The Edinburgh man has grown into a fine Test player both at scrum time and with ball in hand. Scotland need the platform and the front-row must fire for them to find a win.

La Rochelle full-back Brice Dulin returns to Test rugby after two good seasons for his club side. The back-to-back Champions Cup winner is fairly unlucky not to be involved more but gets his shot this weekend. He is composed with ball in hand and has an educated boot. Dulin is the kind of experienced player who will provide balance in the French set-up.

There are two very young debutants in Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Emilien Gailleton, who both missed out on France’s U20 championship triumph to be with the senior squad. It will be brilliant to see the duo run out at Test level as head coach Fabien Galthie clearly backs them.

The forwards coming off the bench are of absolute quality in Paul Willemse and Arthur Vincent. The players are returning from injuries and will need to get minutes in the second period. Vincent last played in September whilst Willemse, who have been a favourite of Galthie, (when fit) has struggled to get game time this year. These stars could also impact the game in the second period.

Main head-to-head

There are several key battles on the field but for this clash, none is more important than the fly-half battle.

Finn Russell gets the captain’s armband for the first time in an interesting decision. Scotland are far better with him on the field as he taps into his box of tricks, each laced with flair and guile. He will also know a lot about the French style and their players after spending some time with Racing 92. If Scotland are to win they need to put their best Finn forward.

Matthieu Jalibert is another unlucky Frenchman having been stuck behind Ntamack in the pecking order. The playmaker is quality and has that composed execution in his game. In terms of skills, he is pretty complete both out of hand and in his kicking. Galthie will be hoping Jalibert drops a great performance and gives him extra security at 10.

Prediction

The Scotland side looks good and certainly have great potential, however, the depth in the French squad at the moment is outstanding. Even without their superstars, this Les Bleus side is absolutely deadly.

The hosts will battle bravely and there will be periods of the game they dominate but France will have too much for the hosts. Les Bleus by 10.

Previous results

2023: France won 32-21 in Paris
2022: France won 36-17 at Murrayfield
2021: Scotland won 27-23 in Paris
2020: France won 22-15 at Murrayfield
2020: Scotland won 28-17 at Murrayfield
2019: Scotland won 17-14 at Murrayfield
2019: France won 32-3 in Nice
2019: France won 27-10 in Paris

Teams

Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (c), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 WP Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Rory Darge, 21 George Horne, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Ollie Smith

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 13 Emilien Gailleton, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Ethan Dumortier, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Batiste Couilloud, 8 Yoan Tanga, 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Paul Boudehent, 5 Bastien Chalureau, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Demba Bamba, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Reda Wardi, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Paul Willemse, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Antoine Hastoy, 23 Arthur Vincent

Date: Saturday, August 5
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 15:15 BST (14:15 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Frank Murphy (Ireland), Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

READ MORE: All the Rugby World Cup warm-up fixtures and results

Features Cameron Woki Finn Russell Huw Jones Matthieu Jalibert Paul Willemse Sione Tuipulotu

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