In the end those missed kicks didn’t cost Scotland then. The loss of Laidlaw, Barclay, Hardie and Brown might well have done though; as we suspected might happen they played well but France pummelled them relentlessly. Stuart Hogg looks like he’s been through a meat tenderiser and he was the full-back.
France will be pleased to have got the win. They were unlucky with the refereeing decisions, especially against Remi Lamerat when he had the try disallowed. But though they made a few mistakes the game plan worked, with Scotland knocked back and neat offloads putting the ball carriers Picamoles and Gourdon through the ensuing gaps in the line.
So that’s week two done. Scotland, thanks to the bonus point, join France and Wales on five, with Ireland ahead of them on six and England in front with eight. The Six Nations takes a break next weekend so do join me again a week on Saturday.
Cheers for reading. Bye!
Updated
Full-time: France 22-16 Scotland
A sensible, uncharacteristically low-key finish to the game as France keep it in the forwards for the final minute. Back to Lopez, to the stands and for all their effort and endeavour, Scotland have, eventually, been bullied into submission here.
79 min Lost by Jones after he looked to have slipped away but then Nakaitaci kicks ahead and Hogg is going to have another go. He steps and heads wide right, slipping through a couple of tackles but then stripped and, with a minute to go it’s in French hands inside their own half.
78 min Le Devedec takes the restart and Lopez clears to touch. Hogg takes it quickly to Weir and he slings it left to Maitland before Price makes some ground, up over the 10 metre line with a half-break. They need something bigger than that as they’re not within striking distance of the try-line right now.
Penalty (Lopez 77) France 22-16 Scotland
From 15 metres in from the right, he curls it over for a six-point lead and Scotland don’t look like getting out of this one.
Updated
75 min Russell is off, Weir on and France have the ball from the lineout inside the 22. Down goes the maul but the debutant Berghan dragged it down illegally. Picamoles, captain of France now, tells Lopez to knock through the three.
74 min This time France’s scrum superiority does draw the penalty, with the entire Scotland front row standing up. Into touch on the right.
73 min Cute kick from Lopez bobbles to Hogg and he counters. Left and Russell finds a gap to get up over the 10-metre line. Ford knocks on though.
Incidentally if you’re looking for the latest score it’s at the top of the “key events” list, wherever that is on your screen.
Penalty (Lopez 72) France 19-16 Scotland
Cool as. Lopez puts France in front with eight minutes to go.
71 min French tacklers swarm Dunbar in midfield and wrap him up. Machenaud gets over the ball and wins a penalty around 37 metres out! This time Lopez will have a shot from just left.
70 min Swinson takes the throw from a wonky lineout that Peyper lets go. France will not be happy with this performance from the referee.
69 min France smash the scrum to smithereens but Chiocci drives at an angle and it’s a penalty to Scotland! Russell clears 45 metres up the pitch, to touch on the left.
No try!
Well. He had lost control but his fingers were definitely still on the ball as it touched the ground. I’d have given it but the TMO says knock-on. I’m not sure who’s doing our talking points for this match but they’ve got a lot to choose from.
68 min Right and Lamerat goes on the crash ball. He dives for the line and looks to have spilled it. We’re going to the TMO.
Updated
67 min Ross Ford comes on for Brown as La Marseillaise rings out loudly, the crowd approving mightily of their side’s decision to go for the scrum.
66 min Scotland challenge but don’t win the lineout and here come the French ball-carriers. Two phases and they’re up to within a metr with another penalty coming. Richie Gray secures a magnificent turnover but we go back for the penalty. There’s another injury, to Brown this time.
Updated
65 min What the ... France do a Robshaw and decline the points, kicking to the corner.
64 min Won at the front and France’s power is really showing now: they maul Scotland back 20-plus metres in seconds. “Three and 17” committed the offences according to Peyper, which is strange as I’m certain Fagerson is off.
63 min Penalty to France, Reid dropping his knee. Spedding finds touch down the left midway inside the Scotland half.
“Have you mentioned the jazz band?” asks Rosaleen Delaney. “Just joined your commentary & wondered who they were? Very tuneful.” I have not, because I don’t know, but they’re quite pleasant.
62 min Swinson takes the throw a few metres outside the 22 and Scotland form the maul, but France absolutely monster it. Held up, driven back, splintered and that’s a turnover and French scrum. Take your pick for reasons, because there are several.
61 min Strauss slips away from Machenaud and gets up to halfway, where the French defensive line comes up too far and is pinged for offside. It’s fairly wide to the right, so Hogg declines to have another go at goal and smacks it into touch down the right. Dunbar returns.
60 min Free kick to Scotland and Strauss carries into Goujon, who looks to have bashed his head on the No8’s hip. Chouly comes on again while the blindside flanker heads off for another HIA.
59 min Turned over now and Guirado immediately goes looking to get over the gainline. A few metres gained, over the 10 metre line and they swing it left but then Picamoles makes a rare mistake, messing up his pass to Fickou and sending it low and forwards to the centre’s feet. Scrum Scotland, which will be the first bit of action for Berghan, Chiocci, Le Devedec and Tolofua, all of whom are on.
58 min Russell finds touch on halfway, on the Scottish left and they go probing after Swinson takes the lineout. Russell is drifting and attacking the line but France are in no mood to leave any gaps and a few phases later Strauss is lumberjacked by Goujon, who has been excellent today.
57 min Dunbar off for an HIA, Bennett on.
56 min Lopez restarts long to Russell, to sends it left to Strauss charging on to the ball from deep. They recycle but the ball is lost in midfield and Machenaud chips ahead into the 22. He gets up to tackle the covering Maitland but uses his hands in the ruck and concedes a penalty. Alex Dunbar looks to have taken a bump.
Updated
55 min From 55 metres on the stroke of 55 minutes, Hogg hooks it left. Machenaud is on for Serin.
54 min Picamoles carries from the back of the scrum again but is isolated and holds on in the tackle. He’s inside the Scotland half but Hogg is going to have a go from here.
Ray Butler emails: “Dear Mr. Peyper,
If you would like to blow for full time right now, with the score tied, please be assured that you would have our full backing in any resulting IRB disciplinary action.
Yours,
England
Ireland
Wales”
53 min Now Hogg chips ahead from halfway, using the outside of the boot from wide on the left and Maitland gathers it. Inside and Russell kicks towards the corner, but the ball goes touch in goal and we’re going back for a French scrum five metres inside their own half. Vakatawa is replaced by Huget.
52 min Spedding fields Russell’s clearance and beats the first tackler Strauss, getting France on to the front foot in Scottish territory. Right and Lamerat offloads standing tall in a tackle but only to Swinson.
51 min The restart goes long from Russell and France make ground running it back through Nakaitaci, Spedding and Picamoles. Left they go, surging into the 22 but Maestri spills the popped inside pass on said 22.
50 min From smack bang in the centre of the pitch, 50 metres on the dot, it’s going to be Scott Spedding to have a go. Much like Elliot Daly yesterday, he has the distance but shanks it well wide.
“Did Russell think it was going to be called back for a forward pass so took it quickly so it couldn’t be reviewed?” asks Richard Reynolds. I don’t think so, I think Peyper was giving him the hurry up.
48 min Mistake again from Russell though and he kicks out on the full. There have been some changes: both Slimani is on for France, Gordon Reid for Scotland. France take the scrum on halfway, demolish the Scottish scrum and get a penalty.
Penalty (Lopez 47) France 16-16 Scotland
That’s an easy one. Then again, so was Russell’s conversion. Still, no mistake from Lopez.
46 min I’m struggling to keep up now! From the restart Guirado gets it back in his hands and offloads inside to Gourdon and the flanker breaks into the 22. He’s taken down by Hogg and they recycle, left to Vakatawa and the wing is brought down. Back we go for a penalty to France, just to the left.
45 min Oh that’s terrible. Russell, right in front of the posts, scuffs it under the bar!
Try! (Swinson 44) France 13-16 Scotland
Oh my word! Russell slips a brilliant pass out the back of the hand and Seymour chips ahead. The bounce is awful for Spedding and Seymour gathers, turns and offloads to Swinson and the new man swans under the posts!
Updated
43 min Penalty to Scotland at the breakdown after the lineout, Lamerat holding on, and Price goes quickly, getting his team into the French half and across the left but Russell’s grubber is charged down. But...
42 min France get the penalty, Fagerson pinged for slipping his bind. Lopez launches a big clearance into touch eight metres inside the Scottish half. Good lord that was enormous.
41 min As we resume, news has come through that Hardie is on permanently for Barclay, which is another blow for Scotland. Oh and straight away the new man has himself with a massive hit on Goujon that results in a nasty collision of heads. Off they both go, the Frenchman I think for an HIA but Hardie will not return. Swinson, who is a capable back row himself, comes on and we resume with a France scrum in the middle of their 22. Chouly is on for France by the looks of things.
Simon McMahon writes: “It can be as strange as it likes, Dan, but if Scotland don’t win then I’m going to be doing a serious Begbie impression in Edinburgh tonight.”
In Trainspotting 2, Begbie looks like Bennett, the villain in Commado.
That was an interesting one. Scotland were smashed backwards at every tackle it seemed, lost their captain and kicker, temporarily at least lost their stand-in captain and France looked dangerous every time they ran at the men in blue. And yet Watson, Strauss and Barclay have been canny enough to win penalties at the breakdown even if they are getting turned over a fair bit. Somehow, too, after losing Laidlaw and Barclay, Scotland have managed to chip away at the French lead. It’s a strange one but fascinating.
Half-time: France 13-11 Scotland
Knocked on, that’s half-time.
40 min The replays suggest that in no way was Russell jumping for the ball against Nakaitaci, at least not with any realistic hope. From the restart Price goes high and it’s allowed to bounce before Vahaamahina gathers and crashes forward before Goujon does likewise, into the 22. One last play for France here.
Penalty (Russell 39) France 13-11 Scotland
Through it goes, landing perfectly on the camera behind the goal.
37 min Jonny Gray, who appears to be the new captain, takes it in and Price goes high. Nakaitaci goes up for it and Russell takes him out and that’s going to be checked in play by the TMO – he says it’s a fair contest. The result is the ball coming back on the Scotland side and a penalty to the visitors at the ruck, 42 metres out and near enough in front.
Never was that a fair contest.
36 min Stand-in captain John Barclay is off now for an HIA, with John Hardie in the back row. No idea who captain No3 is but my guess is a Gray. From the restart, France fumble it into touch on the 10 metre line.
Penalty (Russell 35) France 13-8 Scotland
Yes, this is sensible. Russell is going for the sticks, back on the 22 and 16 metres in from the right. He nails his first kick as Laidlaw, on crutches now, looks on. That’s not a good sign.
34 min Russell shows and goes but is stopped just short. Price fires it left and it’s intercepted at close-range by Picamoles, but we go back for Serin failing to roll away from the ruck.
33 min Russell kicks deep and Barclay takes it in the French 22 from the restart! Watson shows great strength to drive up to within four metres and Scotland can strike straight back here. They have a penalty coming too.
Conversion (Lopez 32) France 13-5 Scotland
From the touchline, Lopez makes up for his previous missed penalty with an outstanding kick.
Try! (Fickou 31) France 11-5 Scotland
With a penalty coming Vakatawa then Lopez look for gaps. Still they’re felled but Scotland’s defence is out on its feet. Right again and Fickou is on the wing to slip between Dunbar and Hogg to stretch and score in the corner.
Updated
30 min Vahaamahina and Atonio carry it on before the enormous prop offloads brilliantly to Gourdon. Out wide to Vakatawa then Spedding, 10 metres short but somehow Scotland’s scrambled defence makes the necessary tackles.
29 min But there’s yet another turnover, Picamoles at the heart of things again, and France spread it wide before making ground down the right. Scotland’s backs recover but a few phases later Fickou proves so slippery, getting out of one tackle and making ground into the 22 down the right.
28 min Cleared to touch by Russell and at the lineout on the 10 metre line, Gourdon drops it. Russell clears cross-field to Spedding, who makes a big old mess of his own garryowen and Richie Gray catches it on halfway.
27 min In fact it was Lopez that Price shoved and the French No10 hits the post with a simple kick. That’s a freebie for Scotland.
It’s a penalty to France now. Price shoved Lopez for trying to take the ball away after the penalty was awarded.
Updated
26 min Now France’s turn to go through the phases on halfway. Picamoles carries down the left and offloads out the tackle to give Vakatawa a chance to go through. Eventually the move breaks down near the 22 and Scotland get a penalty for holding on, but Price retaliates, lashing out at his opposite number and this could be reversed. Let’s find out.
25 min Laidlaw’s day is done, having done his ankle. Ali Price, the snappy Glasgow No9, is no bad replacement to have. Back with the action, Scotland have it on halfway from the lineout. Russell goes high but slices it and Spedding wins it back for the French.
24 min With Laidlaw struggling, Picamoles busts through the space he’s left and gets into the 22. He’s tackled brilliantly by Brown though and the hooker wins the turnover penalty!
23 min Up pops Fraser Brown and France run it with the advantage. Lamerat is felled by a high tackle but it came after a forward pass, so we go back for the scrum penalty. Lopez, tight to the touchline, finds touch midway inside the Scotland half.
22 min Vakatawa claims in his 22 and Serin pops to put Gourdon through a gap. Here comes another French surge but their momentum is stalled when Fickou’s no-look pass goes behind Lamerat. Picamoles regathers but in the ensuing attempts to play some rugby the ball goes loose thrice – the third time off Dunbar’s hand so Peyper mercifully calls a halt to things, giving France a scrum near halfway.
Penalty (Lopez 21) France 6-5 Scotland
This is pretty easy by modern standards: a few metres to the left but only 35 out. Through it goes and Scotland’s excitement is quelled.
19 min Another shallow restart and this time France claim it back. Gourdon, so impressive against England looks to take it on; he’s stopped but Lamerat offloads beautifully to allow Spedding the half break. Across to the right and Picamoles barrels into the 22. Eventually the ball goes loose, but we’re going back for a penalty against Watson for obstruction on Serin.
18 min From the right-hand touchline, 45 metres on the angle, Laidlaw’s conversion comes back off the bar!
Try! (Hogg 17) France 3-5 Scotland
As much as the Scots want quick ball, so France want to slow them down and it’s the home side proving effective here. Still Scotland go through the phases but they have barely made a foot in the last metre. They have a penalty coming for a tackle off the ball so get cut with their stepping and passing and it comes off! Jones takes it on the bounce, steps Lopez and offloads to Hogg, who skins Serin on his way to the corner!
Updated
15 min Russell puts width on it but Nakaitaci is very alert to the danger of Hogg, wrapping him up immediately. Back inside and Laidlaw has a dart but is scragged 15 metres short.
14 min Nice from Scotland this time: Barclay wins it and Russell finds a decent touch with a cute cross kick. France go quickly but make a horlicks of it: they pass it back to Spedding after good line speed from Scotland and he boots it out on the full from a metre inside his 22.
13 min Scotland get their calls wrong and Maestri doesn’t even have to jump to tap it back. France go wide, wax on, wax off passing, but the drift defence essays Vakatawa over the touchline.
12 min And Hogg takes it well on halfway before Richie Gray drives on through Serin, the one small player in the French team. Russell now looks to put some width on it but a phase later Fagerson is rocked back in the tackle. Watson regains some of that ground with a rather awkward, yet effective, step, but with nothing happening Russell stabs a kick through. It’s ordinary, and Spedding whacks it back from his 22 to touch on halfway on the French left.
11 min Scotland can’t hold it steady and France get a free-kick. Lopez sends it high down the right.
9 min Ouch, Scotland fold under the French weight. Strauss looks to make something of nothing and picks up at the base, but fumbles it so France get the put in this time.
8 min France look to run it from the restart and for a moment it looks as though Spedding will be away. Great work though from Jones, who not only gets across to make the tackle but, with Jonny Gray’s help, holds the full-back up and wins a turnover scrum on the 22.
Penalty (Lopez 7) France 3-0 Scotland
It’s not the easiest, 39m from the line and off to the left a touch, but the left-footed Lopez slots it very coolly.
“Sitting in Whistler Canada but i will be backing scotland..beat france by 5,” reckons Graham Higginbotham.
6 min Guirado goes long and Lamerat takes it well on the Scottish 10 metre line. France swing it left through the hands and Dell, I think, is penalised for having his hands in the ruck. Lopez will have the first crack at goal.
5 min Russell tries a short chip from halfway but Guirado turns, catches and offloads it in one lovely movement. Lopez spots space in the 22 and kicks it deep, but Hogg goes back and clears his lines well.
4 min First scrum then, to France around five metres outside the 22. There is a 35kg difference in the pack weights but Scotland hold firm and Lopez’s high garryowen clearance isn’t the best.
3 min As feared, Scotland are getting knocked back at every contact. The two wings come infield, offload cleverly and create space for Goujon to cut through and get to the 22. This is ridiculous: it’s turned over again and Maitland hares away down the wing, from the 22 and over halfway before Serin gets back and tackles him. The ball comes back on the French side this time and they look to swing it wide left, only for Jones to snaffle the interception just outside the 22. France relieved he knocks it on. Whew.
2 min Lineout eight metres inside the French half and Brown goes short to Jonny Gray. Taken into contact a few times then Seymour comes in to take a short pass and have a dart. Attempting to go through the biggest French side in history isn’t working for Scotland right now and Fagerson spills it so France can counter.
Peeeep!
1 min Jaco Peyper gives the traditional signal and, dressed in the French red, white and blue change shirt, Camille Lopez kicks short but Jonny Gray takes under pressure. Carried infield by his brother and France win the turnover immediately. Guirado charges up to the 22 down the right but holds on in the tackle. Russell kicks to touch down the Scottish left.
It’s close.
Only the most myopic Scot would say Flower of Scotland is better than Le Marseillas at a rugby international. #FRAvSCO @SixNationsRugby
— Ian Stafford (@IanStaffs) February 12, 2017
The anthems are done. We will however have a minute’s reflection, for both Joost van der Westhuizen and for Sione Lauaki, who sadly died yesterday.
“If Simon thinks he has a problem consider mine I am Scottish AND a Francophile,” writes JDT Mobile.
If you’re more of a Prince fan, here’s a pun-headlined chat that the ever-excellent Gerard Meagher had with the ever-quotable Jim Telfer. You’ve got about 10 minutes to read it before kick-off.
On the BBC they are showing a Trainspotting-pastiche “Choose Scotland” vignette about Scotland’s outside centre Huw Jones. This is the soundtrack.
Don’t know about you but I’m in the mood for a night out now.
Oh there we go. Simon McMahon drops us an email from north of The Wall. “Afternoon Dan. Just arriving in Edinburgh, only to find the games in Paris! Ach well, it’ll be a good atmosphere here too. Head says France, heart says Scotland. By 3. COME ON SCOTLAND!!!”
I have a feeling your heart might be on to something there, Simon. Then again I’ve been wrong a few times already.
Is there anyone out there? Fancy sending me your predictions, your thoughts, some puns? Some cocktails? I’ll take what I can get either on email at dan.lucas@theguardian.com or on Twitter at @DanLucas86
Right, the teams. If you clicked on this earlier there were a few mistakes in teams I published – refresh the page and now Uini Atonio is not France’s captain, Tommy Seymour is not at outside centre and Alex Dunbar not on the wing, and Hamish Watson is not at No8 – he’s at openside flanker, which is where it initially said Josh Strauss was playing. Thanks, a certain national broadcaster.
In terms of actual changes, there is one to each starting XV. For the hosts, Loan Goujon swaps with Damien Chouly and comes in from the bench to the back row. For Scotland, Ryan Wilson is injured so John Barclay, the Scarlets flanker who was impressive off the bench against Ireland, takes his place.
Afternoon, folks. It seems strange to say this of a fixture that has finished up with this exact same result for 18 years but, in this tightest of Six Nations, this might be the hardest match to predict of the lot. Scotland have not won in Paris since Gregor Townsend and co dazzled in 1999 but Vern Cotter, in his final tournament, has produced the Scots’ most exciting side since then.
Few people genuinely thought Scotland could win this whole thing. Even after that opening-match win over Ireland in Edinburgh they are an outside bet. But they were the most impressive team on weekend one and, impressive as France were in defeat to England, only one of these two sides found a way to come back after falling behind to get their noses over the line.
The biggest obstacle standing in their way today is likely to be the big obstacles standing in their way today. This French side is enormous – you know a pack is going to have some serious grunt when Louis Picamoles doesn’t especially stand out size-wise. Uini Atonio, Yoann Maestri and Seb Vahaamahina all weigh in at well over 19st (and if the former is really only 22st as officially claimed then I’m Bruce Springteen).
There were times at Twickenham last Saturday that it looked as though England might get overwhelmed by the sheer force of the French in the loose. Picamoles was that rarest of things, man of the match in a losing cause, while Gael Fickou is elusive and slippery, and Virimi Vakatawa and Scott Spedding punched enormous holes in the defence running from deep. The French have only won two of their past nine matches but don’t be fooled: Guy Noves has built a good side.
Not that Scotland don’t have lethal players themselves. Jonny Gray might have missed his first tackle in more than a year last week but he and his brother got through almost a half century of them in any case and there are few better defensive players than the Glasgow Warrior in this tournament. Greig Laidlaw is a quietly impressive leader and very cool goal-kicker and Stuart Hogg should be wrapped in cotton wool before the Lions tour: he is up there among the world’s most exciting players to watch.
Townsend, after doing magnificent work with Glasgow, will himself take over as coach in the summer. What better welcome for the incoming coach than a repeat of those 1999 heroics today?
Kick-off is at 3pm GMT, or 4pm Paris time. Here are the teams.
France: 15-Scott Spedding; 14-Noa Nakaitaci, 13-Remi Lamerat, 12-Gael Fickou, 11-Virimi Vakatawa; 10-Camille Lopez, 9-Baptiste Serin; 1-Cyril Baille, 2-Guilhem Guirado (captain), 3-Uini Atonio, 4-Sebastien Vahaamahina, 5-Yoann Maestri, 6-Loann Goujon, 7-Kevin Gourdon, 8-Louis Picamoles,
Replacements: 16-Christopher Tolofua, 17-Rabah Slimani, 18-Xavier Chiocci, 19-Julian Le Devedec, 20-Damien Chouly, 21-Maxime Machenaud, 22-Jean-Marc Doussain, 23-Yoann Huget
Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg, 14-Sean Maitland, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Alex Dunbar, 11-Tommy Seymour, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Greig Laidlaw; 1-Allan Dell, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Richie Gray, 5-Jonny Gray, 6-John Barclay, 7-Hamish Watson, 8- Josh Strauss.
Replacements: 16-Ross Ford, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Tim Swinson, 20-John Hardie, 21-Alistair Price, 22-Duncan Weir, 23-Mark Bennett.
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