Here’s Rob Kitson’s match report
I guess this means it’s official...
👏👏👏 Your 2021 Guinness Six Nations champions 🏴🏴🏴
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 26, 2021
Huge congratulations to @WelshRugbyUnion
Gregor Townsend is beaming:
“The boys found a way to win tonight and I’m so pleased for them after a good season for us. We’ve won six out of our last ten Six Nations game and we just have to keep growing and keep getting better.”
Victorious captain Stuart Hogg:
“We knew what we were about coming into this week, and we’ll be kicking ourselves at some lost games. We enjoyed winning tonight and this has been a squad effort, including the boys who are sitting at home and not allowed to be selected. I’m the captain of a very proud nation and we will continue working hard.”
Wayne Pivac is here, understandably grinning
“The game had everything, but from a Welsh point of view we are over the moon. It’s just a shame we couldn’t do it when were all together last week, but we’ve finished on top in the end. We’re happy with where we are at the moment and I congratulate Gregor on tonight’s performance.”
What a game. What a finish. What a tournament.
I could simple have copy and pasted the above from last week. Hard to believe that in the Autumn people were genuinely writing obituaries for international rugby when you consider what has come since.
FULL TIME! France 23 - 27 Scotland
Hastings converts it and the game is over.
SCOTLAND WIN IN PARIS FOR FIRST TIME IN 22 YEARS!
WALES ARE SIX NATIONS CHAMPS!
I NEED A LIE DOWN!
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TRY! France 23 - 25 Scotland (Duhan Van Der Merwe)
80+4 mins. He’s over! the ball comes left from a long pass from Hastings and the van Der Merwe wins it with typical rumbustious rumble over!
MAN ALIVE!
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80+3 mins. Still Scotland come with wave after wave of short carries that look about as committed as it’s possible to be given how knackered everyone is. Hogg nearly dances through on the right and then Prices is stopped short! 18 Phases of pain!
80+2 mins. The lineout it won, Harris has a carry in midfield but France are holding strong. Shaun Edwards will be having kittens.
80+ 1 mins. The ball is recycled a few times but France steal it and just when we think it’s over they are penalised for sealing off! Scotland have a 5m lineout!
80 mins. Scotland win it and Price send it into midfield. Fagerson inches forward.
79 mins. Possession is traded by some chips over the top before Jamie Ritchie wins a penalty to give his team one last lineout in the France 22 to attack from and grab this match at the death. Maybe..
78 mins. France are working the phases on halfway, it looks nice but it’s very lateral and both sides are containing each other as the time drips away.
75 mins. This game is coming apart at the seams! When it all settles down there’s a scrum that Scotland collapse and France clear it up to halfway.
Whatever else happens here one thing that is certain: Wales will be Six Nations champions.
YELLOW CARD! Romain Taofifenua (France)
73 mins. Scotland have brought Adam Hastings on at fly-half and his first job will be to kick to the corner for a lineout penalty after Romain Taofifenua is yellow carded as it’s another penalty in the 22.
RED CARD! Finn Russell (Scotland)
71 mins. Yep. That type of action with your arm from a card point of view is redder than a baboon’s arse. Off he goes.
Ben Kayser on comms is attempting to say Dulin was too high in the tackle, which is utter nonsense and doesn’t help. At all.
Updated
70 mins. More patient possession from Scotland comes right to Russell who drives into Dulin and looks to have clearly led with his elbow into the fullback’s neck. The ref and TMO are having a look and this will be a red card....
69 mins. A solid and patient period of Scotland possession in the France 22 ends in a penalty given against Dupont. It’s an easy three point chance but Russell, in conversation with Hogg, puts it in the corner - which would be fine if the lineout wasn’t completely mangled straight after, but Scotland will have another chance as France, having pilfered the ball, can only clear to touch once more.
67 mins. More subs for Scotland
Huw Jones replaces Darcy Graham
Ryan Wilson on for Haining
TRY! France 23 - 20 Scotland (Swan Rebbadj)
66 mins. France are back in the Scottish 22 and the penalties start again for visitors. Alldritt is stopped dead on the line but on another advantage play Rebbadj is over from short.
Ntamack pulls the conversion left.
Updated
63 mins. Subs
FRANCE
Teddy Thomas for Vakatawa
Jean-Baptiste Gros for Baille
Uini Atonio for Haouas
Romain Taofifenua for Bernard Le Roux
Dylan Cretin on for Jelonch
SCOTLAND
Simon Berghan for Zander Fagerson
TRY! France 18 - 20 Scotland (Dave Cherry)
62 mins. No knock and and it’s given!
Finn Russell puts his side in from once more from the tee.
Updated
TMO CHECK! POSSIBLE SCOTLAND TRY!
60 mins. Scotland win a lineout and Dave Cherry grabs a ball as it pops out of the lineout to ground it. There’s a potential knock on that they want to check, but it look like it was Rebbadj who ripped it out backwards rather than a Scotland fumble.
59 mins. Dave Cherry is on for George Turner and he finds his jumper in his first lineout. The maul gets going, France are penalised for collapsing it and Russell again goes to the corner.
Updated
58 mins. All the pressure tells for Scotland as France again are penalised, this time for Vakatawa sealing off. Russell this time puts it out for a lineout in the corner.
56 mins. Sam Johnson takes the ball on a great angle off the lineout and is galloping into the French 22 before the scramble defence swamps him. Camille Chat - on for Marchand - then drives huge dominant tackle backwards but Scotland reset and patiently start to build phases again
54 mins. A deep kick from Price puts Dulin under pressure but he snaps a pass to Penaud who glides from his own line up and out of his 22. The ball is recycled and goes all the way left through hands before Fickou is this close to gathering a Dupont chip over the top. That’s from the own line to nearly scoring in the space of seconds.
PENALTY! France 18 - 13 Scotland (Finn Russell)
52 mins. Turner is OK and he’s taking part in Scotland’s first period of possession in the France 22. They are into double figures with the phases before France drift offside to allow Russell to reduce the deficit from the tee.
49 mins. Finn Russell tries a snap drop goal of virtually no set up, but it drifts left. There’s a break in play while Turner receives some treatment, and Hogg has returned to the field.
Updated
TRY! France 18 - 10 Scotland (Damian Penaud)
47 mins. Dulin goes quickly from a marked kick and sends it right to Vakatawa to step and pop a filthy back of the hand offload to Penaud who chips the ball over the top., chases it and scores despite Price tackling him early without the ball.
Ntamack can’t convert this time.
Updated
45 mins. Fickou carries the ball 20 metres by pumping his legs and staying up as Scotland wrap tacklers around him. It puts France into the Scottish 5m line and they move the ball right then left but the visitors’ defence cover it all solidly before Scotland finally win a penalty of their own! Great, confidence building, couple of minutes for the defence there.
42 mins. In the absence of Hogg, Sam Johnson drift into his familiar position of arriving the 13 channel to put the boot on it. The only difference is that Johnson did a full air kick as he attempted to drop the ball onto his foot, and his team are now defending a French attack.
SECOND HALF!
40 mins. PEEEP! Forty minutes or so from this all coming to end, both tonight and across the channel.
Surely the happiest people right now are all Welsh? This doesn’t look like four-try, 21-point spread game at all.
Half time musings.
A tale of two games for Scotland; one with the ball, the other without. Ball in hand they were consummate in the rain with Russell dictating field position and tempo; take the ball away and they’re a penalty vending machine that look distinctly overpowered. France are back in front entire due to the latter issue and Gregor Townsend needs a plan to defend better that he can put into action in the next ten minutes
Updated
HALF TIME! France 13 - 10 Scotland
40 mins. France have a lineout in the Scotland 22 as one last attack but it’s nicked by Gilchrist and the ball is gratefully booted off the field to end half.
YELLOW CARD! Stuart Hogg (Scotland)
39 mins. Ollivon robs the ball from the Scottish midfield and feed Alldritt who breaks the tackle to rampage into the the 22 before he’s stopped. The ball comes right trough hands to Penaud and Hogg is off his feet at the ruck to get himself ten minutes rest.
TRY! France 13 - 10 Scotland (Brice Dulin)
37 mins. Oh you have to love this French team. While everyone expected another big shove and carry, Dupont quickly fires it out for a long floated pass to Penaud who feints past van der Merwe and pops it to Dulin to score.
Ntamack adds a remarkable two points for way out right.
Scotland are begging for half-time.
Updated
35 mins. Big carry by Alldritt from base of scrum is stopped by Ali Price hanging onto one foot for all he’s worth. The short carries start again from France and Scotland are offside, then offside again a couple of phases later.
That’s six penalties on the bounce for Scotland and Ref Barnes has given them a formal warning that next time it’s a card. I’m amazed it’s still in his pocket after the sheer number of penalties in the 22.
France take another scrum under the posts as they clearly know they are physically on top here.
33 mins. Short lineout is won by France but the maul isn’t formed solidly so Dupont starts conducting their attack on the Scotland 5m line. A series of short carries makes little ground but Scotland are offside and Ollivon signals he wants a scrum under the posts.
France need four tries and so far they have zero.
31 mins. An attacking maul for France wins another penalty and on the advantage the ball is worked all the way right to Penaud, but it’s too lateral and Scotland defend it. However, we’ll come all the way back to the other side of the field for the penalty and France opt for the lineout in the corner.
PENALTY! France 6 - 10 Scotland (Romain Ntamack)
27 mins. The scrum mojo appears to have returned for Les Bleus as Cyrille Baille drives through Fagerson to splinter the Scots’ scrum and win a penalty for his side.
Ntamack strokes it over from 40 metres.
25 mins. France finally have a chance to breathe a little after Marchand jackals Jamie Ritchie to win a penalty. However, the lineout on halfway is wasted as Dupont’s pass to Vakatawa on the crash ball is forward.
23 mins. A massive shove from the Scotland pack has Dupont under all sorts of pressure as he claws to get the ball out of a rapidly crumbling scrum. He manages to get the ball to Dulin and they finally exit via the boot to touch. But, all this will do is invite the visitors back at them.
The scrum, France’s clear area of domination so far, is now starting to work against them also.
Updated
21 mins. Anything Finn Russell can do, Hogg can do better as the Scotland captain hits a glorious spiral kick that bobbles into touch on the France 5m line. Sam Skinner manages to rip the ball and for a brief second it looks like Ali Price may be able to get in the corner to score before France scramble and a couple of phases later Scotland knock on.
France have the scrum but they remain deep in their own territory as Scotland play the conditions beautifully.
PENALTY! France 3 - 10 Scotland (Finn Russell)
18 mins. Scotland are back on the ball and Finn Russell, who is looking very relaxed so far, clips a fabulous diagonal kick that France have to play on their own line. Dulin is caught by a fast Scottish chase and Jamie Ritchie clamps on to win the penalty in the shadow of the posts.
Russell steps up and extends the lead.
Updated
TRY! France 3 - 7 Scotland (Duhan van der Merwe)
15 mins. From the lineout it’s a solid carry from Turner again that puts Scotland within inches before the big winger comes in to do his trademark power to ground it and score. There was a suspicion of double movement. More than a suspicion actually, but the ref is happy and Russell adds the extras.
Brilliant response to going behind.
Updated
14 mins. A huge carry from George Turner peeling around the lineout crashes his team up into the 22 and Scotland follow up with more dynamic pick and go runs. France are offside and Russell puts it in touch for yet another lineout. Confident stuff from Scotland
12 mins. Scotland respond well by winning a solid lineout and getting the maul rolling which forces Jelonch to creep around the side to try and stop it. He’s penalised and Scotland will have a go from another lineout, this time on the France 22.
PENALTY! France 3 - 0 Scotland (Romain Ntamack)
9 mins. First scrum of the match and Scotland collapse it giving Ntamack the opportunity to put his side in front from the tee, which he calmly takes.
8 mins. The game has settled into a succession of two drives in followed by a kick. It produces little for either side until Fickou beats Hogg to a catch on the Scotland 22 allowing Ntamack to slide the ball into the visitors’ in-goal. Van Der Merwe is first to it but he’s swarmed all over and France have a 5m scrum
Updated
5 mins. There’s a knock-on in the French midfield that snuffs out their promising attacking position in the Scottish half. Some probing kicks from both Russell and Ntamack end with a Scottish lineout around halfway.
Updated
3 min. Finn Russell send a delicious, drilled skidding kick into touch near the French line. Les Bleus opt to take the lineout quickly and run it from deep with little success before finally putting boot to it. On their return attack Scotland are penalised for Chris Harris not releasing.
KICK OFF!
1 min. Stuart Hogg sends the ball high through the droplets and we’re underway. France safely claim the kick off before clearing upfield via the boot of Dulin.
“Oh goodness how my heart always beats hard in these matches.” says Nicholas Tilson. “I’m a born Scot who has lived in France since I migrated here 25 years ago. Can we please have a draw that France win by 21 points?”
Honestly Nicolas, I wouldn’t rule anything out.
The team are on their way out of the tunnel into a swirling Paris rain. We’re very close to the last eighty minutes or so of this entertaining, baffling 2021 outing for the Six Nations
It’s a Friday night, there are no pubs you can go to and you’re probably either alone or completely fed up with the company of those you live with. So you might as well email me or tweet @bloodandmud to have someone else to talk to if nowt else.
Teams
A number of changes all round for both teams.
Fabien Galthie has taken the odd decision of moving Gaël Fickou - arguably the player of the tournament - from his position at 12 and defensive captain out onto the wing; a move that will bring Arthur Vincent into the team. Elsewhere in the backline, Romain Ntamack is back to spread his coiffured musk all over the fixture and reunite his half-back dream pairing with Dupont.
The pack sees an all-new second row pairing of Swan Rebbadj and the returning Bernard Le Roux, while Anthony Jelonch is in the back row.
Finn Russell returns to stand-off for Gregor Townsend’s men allowing captain Stuart Hogg to return to the familiar pastures of fullback. A late injury to Number 8, Matt Fagerson brings Nick Haining into the starting line-up. Scott Steele, Huw Jones and Dave Cherry are shifted to the bench despite impressive showings last week, replaced by Ali Price, Chris Harris and George Turner.
France: Brice Dulin; Damian Penaud, Virimi Vakatawa, Arthur Vincent, Gaël Fickou; Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Mohamed Haouas, Bernard Le Roux, Swan Rebbadj, Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (capt), Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18 Uini Atonio, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Anthony Bouthier, 23 Teddy Thomas.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (capt); Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sam Johnson, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Rory Sutherland, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Nick Haining.
Replacements: 16 Dave Cherry, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Alex Craig, 20 Ryan Wilson, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Huw Jones.
Pre-match reading dept.
Stuart Hogg understandably would like to talk about other things than France winning tonight.
Preamble
And so it is, just like you said it would be... Paris on a Friday night a week after the tournament was due to finish with the visiting team shorn of players because they haven’t been released by the English league; the other team at full strength and making an International Waffle Day meme out of how we’ve all ended up here. Oldest story in the world, eh?
Of course, interest is not just here in France, as back in Wales from Barry to Bagillt all eyes and hearts fix on this match as the #Jampionship of Wayne Pivac’s men hangs in the balance.
Let’s address the facts. France are in with a shout of winning this most odd of tournaments for the first time since 2010 - and what a dark decade it’s been for them in-between. To do so they must beat Scotland by at least 21 points while scoring at least four tries. Or, and let’s be honest this is a game we’d all love to see on a Friday night, they must win by 20 points and score six tries. After last week, I’m ruling nothing out.
Scotland have plenty to play for also: a win here would see them finish second for the first time in the Six Nations era, as individuals a good showing in the final shop window for the Lions, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they simply want to batter France out of barely concealed hatred for creating this whole situation of a match in the first place. They’ll need all of these motivating factors to congeal into quite a performance given they haven’t won here for 22 years. Mind you, they hadn’t won at Twickenham for 38 years, and we all remember how that ended in Round 1 plus the Scots ended France’s Grand Slam hopes last year at Murrayfield. They shouldn’t be short on belief.
Don’t be surprised by a France win. Do be surprised if they manage the full winning margin. I think.
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