Six Nations preview: France to continue winning run with narrow victory over Scotland
Round Three’s Six Nations action gets underway on Saturday when Scotland take on tournament pacesetters France in front of a partisan crowd at Murrayfield.
The home side head into this fixture under plenty of pressure as they know that failing to secure a victory against Les Bleus will almost certainly end their hopes of winning the Championship.
Just like last year, the Scots got their campaign off to a fantastic start when they beat England, at Murrayfield, but all that good work was undone as they tasted defeat in their next fixture against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Scotland’s confidence will be buoyed by the fact that this fixture will be played in their backyard where they have been in fine form against France in the Six Nations in recent years. Although Les Bleus claimed a 22-15 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield in 2020, that was an Autumn Nations Cup match and it’s been a totally different matter at Scottish Rugby’s HQ in the famous Championship, as the hosts have won the last four matches in Scotland with France’s last Six Nations win there registered in 2014.
Meanwhile, Les Bleus head into this match with their tails up as they are the only unbeaten side left in the tournament after starting their campaign with back-to-back triumphs in Paris against Italy and Ireland.
Although they made a slow start in their opener against the Azzurri, it didn’t take long for Les Bleus to hit their straps and they eventually sealed an easy 37-10 bonus-point victory before beating Ireland 30-24 in their next match in Paris.
That latter match was an entertaining affair, with both teams giving the ball some air throughout and going at each other hammer and tongs for the entire game. With Scotland also employing an expansive game, don’t be surprised if this encounter goes a similar route with plenty of thrilling action the order of the day.
Last time they met
It was a memorable night for Scotland as they sealed a dramatic 27-23 victory over France – a first win in Paris since 1999. The match was a rescheduled Round Three encounter and played at the end of the tournament after there was a Covid-19 outbreak in the French camp. Both sides scored three tries apiece with Duhan van der Merwe leading the way for Scotland as he crossed for two five-pointers while Dave Cherry also crossed. Finn Russell succeeded with a couple of conversions and as many penalties while Adam Hastings also added a two-pointer off the kicking tee. Brice Dulin, Damian Penaud and Swan Rebbadj scored the hosts’ tries and their other points came via the boot of Romain Ntamack, who slotted a conversion and two penalties.
What they said
It’s a do-or-die situation for Scotland and although they won the corresponding fixture in Paris last year and have a favourable record against France at Murrayfield in recent years, Scotland coach Gregor Townsend expects a tough assignment against their opponents, who he feels are amongst the game’s best Test teams.
“It’s probably up there with playing South Africa in November,” he said.
“They’re one of the top two or three teams in the world right now. They’ve got a huge pack, momentum behind them, results behind them, so it’s a great challenge for us.
“They’ve got their full squad this week and lots of confidence, they rested up last week too. They’ll be raring to go. But I’ve seen our group rise to this challenge in the past and I’m sure we’ll do that again.”
Meanwhile, France boss Fabien Galthie admitted that facing Scotland has become one of the most difficult tasks for his charges in recent years.
“Two years ago we were turned over by the Scots,” he said.
“We were unable to, and did not know how to, find the keys to unlock the Scots and it was a non-event from our point of view.
“But it was also especially a learning curve for us the coaching staff, and for the team.
“Scotland inflicted our only home defeat so far. Therefore, it is a team that poses us problems.
“To learn is to progress and to understand. Thus we have prepared for this match as a result of that process.”
Players to watch
If Scotland want to get their campaign back on track then they will need their inexperienced Test inside centre Sione Tuipulotu to be at his best. An excellent ball carrier, the 25-year-old has the ability to put his team on the front foot with some barnstorming runs. He was a replacement in the victory against England and had little attacking chances during a 20-minute spell off the bench. The next match, against Wales, saw Tuipulotu elevated to the starting line-up and he made full use of his chance despite finishing on the losing side. He got his team over the advantage line with some strong carries and will be determined to continue where he left off in that game this weekend.
Another Scotsman to keep an eye on is promising back-row Rory Darge, who will make his first Test start this weekend. Darge, who turned 22 on Wednesday, did well during an 18-minute came off the bench against Wales as he was a willing ball carrier and also put his body on the line on defence. He obviously made an impression on Townsend, and will be eager to repay the coach’s faith in him with a strong showing.
Although France have several attacking threats throughout their ranks, one player who should play a prominent role in this encounter’s outcome is young full-back Melvyn Jaminet, who has shone during his fledgling international career. The 22-year-old only made his Test debut during France’s series against Australia last year but looked at home in the international arena since his first appearance for his country. Jaminet is an accurate goal-kicker, who is currently the tournament’s joint top points scorer along with England’s Marcus Smith, but also has his moments on attack and will be keen to make an impact in this facet of play.
One player who has hit the ground running for France in this year’s Six Nations loosehead prop Cyril Baille, who has caught the eye with a couple of outstanding performances against Italy and Ireland. The Toulouse strongman is a powerful scrummager, hits rucks with great intensity and also puts his body on the line in the execution of his defensive duties. However, he has also impressed with eye-catching attacking performances and was rewarded with a deserved five-pointer in the win over Ireland. He will be hoping to continue where he left off in that match this weekend.
Main head-to-head
There are numerous mouth-watering battles to look forward to but the tussle between the scrum-halves, Ali Price of Scotland and France’s Antoine Dupont will be an important one and whoever comes out on top should also finish on the winning side. Dupont’s attacking ability is well known and he is sure to be a threat with ball in hand once he gathers some steam. The France captain is an influential player and once he gets going his team-mates usually follow. However, he faces a tough adversary in Price, who is one of the game’s most improved internationals. The British and Irish Lion’s decision making, game management and ability to dictate the pace of the game are his strengths and he will relish the opportunity of measuring himself against the current World Rugby Player of the Year.
Prediction
With this fixture being played at Murrayfield, Scotland will be highly motivated to do well and, once again, they will give a good account of themselves in front of their home supporters. France’s poor recent record in Scotland will weigh on their minds but under Galthie’s guidance, they have become a resilient outfit, who will soak up the inevitable early pressure, before taking control of proceedings. It will be close but France will win by five points.
Previous results
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
2018: Scotland won 32-26 at Murrayfield
2017: France won 22-16 in Paris
The teams
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Nick Haining, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 WP Nel, 19 Jamie Hodgson, 20 Andy Christie, 21 Ben White, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Mark Bennett
France: 15 Melvyn Jaminet, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Yoram Moefana, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Francois Cros, 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Cameron Woki, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Thibaud Flament, 21 Dylan Cretin, 22 Maxime Lucu, 23 Thomas Ramos
Date: Saturday, February 26
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), Chris Busby (Ireland)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)
READ MORE: Scotland: Rory Darge given first Test start for huge France encounter
Expert Witness ahead of Six Nations, Round Three
Lewis Moody, Rupert Moon and Sam Larner join Planet Rugby's James While for the latest edition of Expert Witness.