France, one game and one victory into the championship and into the big rugby year, remain ill at ease. They beat Scotland with five penalties from the smooth left boot of Camille Lopez but by hand the fly-half could not release his backs. In the end France relied on the grinding might of their forwards in a second half dominated by their driving maul. It was enough for the win but did little to please the eye of an impatient public.
Scotland could have won. If they had managed to finish more than one of their dashing attacks they might have fully turned the crowd against the home team. As it was they scored only the single try and made heavy weather of that. Stuart Hogg made the ground that counted with another scintillating run, full of perfectly balanced elusiveness and speed. The pack, much lighter on their feet than the French forwards who preferred close-quarter grappling and shoving, and squeezing and bending bones, arrived almost as speedily as their full-back, and Alex Dunbar carried on the good work.
The final touch took the ball wide to the right, where Dougie Fife, who had replaced Tommy Seymour as early as the 17th minute, waited expectantly on the end of three-one overlap. The passing had become a little laboured and the final delivery had to come from Euan Murray, a tighthead prop not best known in the course of his 60-plus caps for his fingertip finessing of the rugby ball. But he took a low pass well and delivered the just-so pass to Fife. Had Greig Laidlaw managed to convert from the touchline, Scotland would have led at the interval. As it was, the kick hit the post and France turned around 9-8 in front.
Mathieu Bastareaud had thundered, Wesley Fofana had tried to surge from deep and Scott Spedding had looked ever ready to counterattack rather than pump the ball back up into the frigid evening air, but Scotland had stood firm and tackled every thick leg with athletic appetite. France changed tack and grouped all those big legs into a series of driving mauls that could have eaten up every minute of the second 40.
The game, above all, had to be won and the forwards took prosaic responsibility for delivering. It was effective and no doubt very exacting for the visitors, but it left the home support as cold as the weather. If the stadium shook, it was through a mass shrugging of the shoulders.
One player did raise a roar. Benjamin Kayser has had a funny old year, which includes being a victim of a 10-man attack by machete and sword in Millau, and, once recovered from his wounds, being dropped to the bench. It seems the attack and the indignity has touched a nerve, for the hooker, once of Leicester, came on and added a real zip to the powerful but leaden advances of his fellow forwards. The crowd immediately adopted Kayser as their one-man hero and every charge was greeted with adoration.
France still could not cross the line. Scotland somehow – even when they found themselves driven back over it – refused to let France ground the ball. It was as collectively heroic as Kayser’s individual storming and should have left them too exhausted to withstand the final quarter but they emerged intact from that too – well, all bar two more penalties from Lopez.
In attack, perhaps the workload told and Scotland posed no real threat. Hogg was contained and even made a mistake, kicking the ball out on the full. It should not mar an outstanding performance but even he could not force France back.
Tryless France now travel to Dublin. It looked a month ago like the tie of the second round and perhaps the French team will elevate it to its original pre-eminence with a more graceful performance. The odds are not looking good; France frowned as they left the field. The look may last a while yet.
What does promise to be a belter is Scotland-Wales at Murrayfield. This has a rich tradition of being a high-scoring encounter, even if Scotland have lost the knack of adding tries in recent years. It looks as if they have well and truly put those try-shy days behind them. They scored just the one but in the stride is a real spring and it is unlikely the Welsh forwards will be able to sap Scottish strength with a driving maul as powerful as the French.
The invitation is there to open up and cut loose. Wales need to run defeat by England out of their system; Scotland need to hit the next level and incite Murrayfield to create a sound lacking at the Stade de France.
France Spedding; Huget (Lamerat, 71), Bastareaud, Fofana, Thomas; Lopez, Kockott (Parra ,54); Menini, Guirado (Kayser, 47), Slimani (Atonio, 58), Papé (Taofifénua, 69), Maestri, Dusautoir (capt) (Goujon, 79), Le Roux, Chouly.
Pens Lopez 5.
Scotland Hogg; Seymour (Fife, 17), Bennett, Dunbar (Horne, 65), Visser; Russell, Laidlaw (capt) (Hidalgo-Clyne, 78); Dickinson (Reid, 65), Ford (Brown, 64), Murray (Cross, 60), R Grey (Hamilton, 67), J Grey, Harley (Strokosch, 58), Cowan, Beattie.
Try Fife. Pen Laidlaw.
Referee Nigel Owens (Wal). Attendance 80,000.
