France host Scotland tonight as the two sides finally play their rescheduled Six Nations fixture.
A coronavirus outbreak in the French camp late last month meant the Paris tie had to be postponed, with both teams having experienced mixed fortunes in their outings since.
France were beaten 23-20 by England in the dying moments of their meeting at Twickenham before Fabien Galthie’s players edged Wales 32-30 last time out to end the visitors’ Grand Slam hopes in the French capital. Scotland, meanwhile, lost a closely-fought contest against Ireland 27-24 but responded well by thrashing Italy 52-10 in their most recent fixture.
There’s still much to play for in the case of each nation, particularly France, who could yet win the tournament for the first time since 2010 – with the possibility of a title shared with Wales on the cards. Les Bleus must earn a bonus-point victory with a winning margin of 21 points or more to seal the title outright.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
Read more:
- What do France need to win Six Nations title and how can Wales win it?
- France vs Scotland: Everything you need to know
When is it?
The match will kick off at 8pm GMT this evening.
How can I watch it?
The fixture is expected to be shown on BBC One, the channel on which the game was originally due to air before its postponement last month.
What is the team news?
Romain Ntamack will make his first start of this year’s competition, replacing the injured Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half for France. Bernard Le Roux and Swan Rebbadj have been recalled in the second row, as have flanker Anthony Jelonch and centre Arthur Vincent.
A financial settlement between Premier League Rugby and the Six Nations meant Scotland coach Gregor Townsend could select just five England-based players in his squad. As such, Saracens’ Sean Maitland has been replaced by Glasgow 21-year-old Rufus McLean. The five players based in England to have made the cut are Gloucester’s Chris Harris and Alex Craig, Exeter Chiefs’ Sam Skinner and Stuart Hogg, and Harlequins’ Scott Steele.
Line-ups
France: Dulin; Penaud, Vakatawa, Vincent, Fickou; Ntamack, Dupont; Baille, Marchand, Haouas; Le Roux, Rebbadj; Jelonch, Ollivon (C), Aldritt
Replacements: Chat, Gros, Atonio, Taofifenua, Cretin, Serin, Bouthier, Thomas
Scotland: Hogg (C); Graham, Harris, Johnson, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price; Sutherland, Turner, Fagerson; Skinner, Gilchrist; Ritchie, Watson, Fagerson
Replacements: Cherry, Kebble, Berghan, Craig, Haining, Steele, Hastings, Jones
Odds
France: 1/6
Draw: 33/1
Scotland: 11/2
Prediction
France to win – but not by a great enough margin to secure the title.
