So, Scotland have their first Six Nations victory and next up they face England, also at Murrayfield. Greig Laidlaw will, deservedly, take the headlines but it was a thumping team effort that eventually got the Scots over the line.
“After being behind for so long in the game, it shows the character in this squad,” says Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach. “We are up against very good defences and sometimes that takes a huge effort. France were excellent at the breakdown but the willingness of all the carriers in the team, they were brilliant right until the end of the game.” Thanks a lot for your company this afternoon. That was pretty good fun, wasn’t it? Read Michael Aylwin’s report:
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Greig Laidlaw speaks. “It wasn’t pretty at times today but sometimes that’s international rugby,” he says. “I am so proud of the whole team and I thought the forward pack, in particular, were tremendous.” And it is England next up? “It’s been a few years since we’ve turned them over so hopefully we can do it this time.”
Full-time: Scotland 32-26 France
A second half short on glamour but full of composure sees Scotland, carried by Greig Laidlaw’s boot, earn their first Six Nations win of this campaign. There were four first-half tries, with Les Bleus leading at the interval but they appeared to tire a little and Scotland showed a steely reserve to eke out victory, in the end by a six-point cushion.
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80 min: Another penalty and the clock goes red. Scotland are seconds away ...
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79 min: Scotland win the scrum with a minute to see out this six-point lead. Can they hold on?
78 min: Now France earn a penalty, with Denton at fault for the Scots. Belleau kicks down towards the corner. Laidlaw is awarded man of the match, after eight successful kicks.
Penalty! Scotland 32-26 France (Laidlaw, 77 mins)
Another penalty, another Laidlaw kick between the posts. Oh so simple.
76 min: A messy maul leads to Scotland earning another penalty. Laidlaw has the chance to give the Scots some breathing space.
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75 min: Scotland are creeping forward, and with every small step, the Murrayfield surround sound ramps up.
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74 min: France are making this too easy for Scotland. Another illegal manoeuvre, this time it’s hands in the ruck, and Scotland have another opportunity to gain some territory. A super kick by Stuart Hogg, finding touch deep inside the French 22, sees the Scots take a big step towards victory. The French have conceded seven penalties in this second half alone.
71 min: Anthony Belleau is on at fly-half for France. Meanwhile, the enforcer, Vahaamahina, has been replaced by Gabrillagues. Vakatawa and Beauxis have also played their last involvement in this match-up. Denton has added some steel to that Scotland pack.
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Penalty! Scotland 29-26 France (Laidlaw, 71 mins)
His seventh kick of the afternoon, this one from 24m, sees Scotland move into the lead for the first time at Murrayfield. Cue the music.
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69 min: After a heavy spell of pressure, Scotland win the penalty. Laidlaw readies himself to do the honours. Suddenly the French look flat.
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68 min: Lionel Beauxis with a wonderful clearing kick after a couple of nervy minutes. That oozed class. Scotland come straight back at France, however. With the replacements, Denton and then Price linking up neatly. As does Toolis, who crashes into the French pack.
67 min: France seem to be quaking a little, and Scotland sense blood. Beauxis is again caught cold in possession, juggling the ball before Palis – just about – gets him out of jail. Here come Scotland, willed on by a rousing home support. But France turn the tackle into a maul, and they earn a scrum seven metres from their own line.
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66 min: Beauxis’s handling error is met with a unmerciful Murrayfield roar. Scotland win a scrum, and the pendulum swings in their favour – for now at least.
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65 min: Neck and neck with 15-odd minutes to play. A recap of those personnel changes, too. Russell and Barclay are off for Scotland. Ali Price and David Denton are on for the Scots.
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Penalty! Scotland 26-26 France (Laidlaw, 64 mins)
From 38m, Laidlaw wellies it between the posts. No dramas.
62 mins: France play a little risky, and some silly offloading puts them under pressure as Scotland win another scrum. Picamoles was at fault there, and it’s four handling errors apiece now.
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Penalty! Scotland 23-26 France (Laidlaw, 61 mins)
Another priceless three points. Scotland are still very much in this.
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60 min: Horne charges into the French wall, but after a long advantage, Scotland take the penalty. Scotland looked spent in terms of energy and they will be glad for another chance to boot over between the posts. Greig Laidlaw stands over it ...
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58 min: A few changes, then: Louis Picamoles is coming on for France, into the back row. Slimani is also replaced. Bhatti replaces Gordon Reid for Scotland. Toolis is on for Gilchrist.
Penalty! Scotland 20-26 France (Serin, 58)
A rousing rendition of La Marseillaise rings around Murrayfield.
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56 min: Vakatawa storms forward and eventually France win the penalty. Serin will look to kick over. Scotland look organised in defence but were undoubtedly panicked there.
55 min: Teddy Thomas is rapid. He bursts beyond the Scotland pack before Grant Gilchrist stops him in his tracks. Doumayrou then takes over, and flies into the opposition 22. Scotland’s defence will do well to survive this attack.
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54 min: Serin kicks but it is a little too heavy and Russell touches down to earn the 22.
53 min: Horne and Doumayrou end up all over each other against the advertising hoardings and some brief handbags ensue before the Scottish physio gets involved to calm things down. And just like that, any anger is mellowed.
52 min: France win a penalty, with Iturria winning a pat on the back for his work. Scotland are penalised for not releasing the ball. Scotland had been piling on the pressure so that will earn them a little respite. And France win the lineout.
50 min: Stuart Hogg’s eyes light up as he drives forward, leaving Lamerat and then Thomas for dead but when Huw Jones tries to gather, but a lapse of concentration later and he spills it. And France win the scrum.
Penalty! Scotland 20-23 France (Laidlaw, 49 mins)
And Laidlaw makes it four from four.
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48 min: And now Scotland have a penalty ... with McInally caught on the follow-through. Here comes Greg Laidlaw.
Penalty! Scotland 17-23 France (Serin, 47 mins)
And France restore their six-point lead at Murrayfield.
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47 min: Baptiste Serin will aim to kick between the posts from 47m ...
45 min: A couple further errors see Scotland win another penalty. Russell kicks downfield, but once more, it is not good enough and Palis scoops that up no problem. Then France win a penalty, courtesy of some illegal Scottish blocking.
Penalty! Scotland 17-20 France (Laidlaw, 44 mins)
Greg Laidlaw seldom misses.
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42 min: Scotland are battering their way around the 10m line. Horne crashes into Slimani before Gilchrist takes over. He punches aside Serin, laying off to Jonny Gray. Scotland plough through with plenty of momentum and the Scots win a penalty. Laidlaw will attempt the kick.
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41 min: Russell gets us back under way. A personnel change for France, with Baptiste Serin replacing the impressive Machenaud.
The second half is imminent, with the players back out on the turf.
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Half-time reading:
And 5,500 miles away in Pyeongchang:
Half-time: Scotland 14-20 France
It has been a hugely entertaining first half. The second is on the way shortly.
Penalty! Scotland 14-20 France (Machenaud, 41 mins)
Maxime Machenaud kicks over from 30m to seal a six-point lead at the interval. Gray was penalised from the lineout and Machenaud does the honours.
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39 min: Some brief handbags but Lacey calms things down with a simple, “get your hands off his neck please”.
38 min: For a moment, Maitland is away and driving towards the try-line but for Tauleigne and Machenaud with a neat tackle around the legs. The Scottish ball carriers have been integral to their successes in this half.
36 min: France concede another penalty, this time they are penalised for kicking in the ruck. Russell boots downfield into touch, as Teddy Thomas experiments with some acrobatics. Here come the Scots once again ...
35 min: Scotland win a penalty, just as France steady themselves on the halfway. Russell kicks downfield, comfortably finding touch.
Try! Scotland 14-17 France (Jones, 32 mins)
The Scots up the tempo after a first slick move breaks down as Laidlaw attempts to gather Seymour’s pass. But Berghan adds some drive and they frenzy forward, with Huw Jones flying over the line to touch down. The Chelsea Dagger soundtrack rings around Murrayfield as the easiest of conversions follows suit for Laidlaw.
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30 min: Finn Russell squanders a second penalty in a few minutes and his kick into touch is met with a few Scottish jeers. That was rubbish, and he knows it.
29 min: It is France who are again on the ascendency, with Camara thudding into the Scotland backs.
Try! Scotland 7-17 France (Thomas, 27 mins)
Brilliant, brilliant work by Teddy Thomas again. France shift it wide from left to right, and once Thomas chips it forward, it’s simply a footrace between him and Greg Laidlaw. There’s only one winner, though he leans on a little luck from a cruel bounce. Thomas is mobbed by his team-mates and Machenaud kicks over his second conversion.
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25 mins: Horne’s kick downfield is good, and Palis does well but requires a bit of help. Scotland gain 20-odd yards before France turnover. Slimani and then Guirado bomb forward, the latter clattering into Berghan. France ruck and look to build once more.
24 min: Scotland win a scrum, with France penalised for two knock-ons.
23 min: Finn Russell lets out a wry smile as he kicks possession straight out. He knows that wasn’t good enough. And that, in turn, sets France up for another run towards the try-line. Lauret looks to come forward, before Beauxis delays the pass.
22 min: France win a lineout just inside the Scotland 22. The numbers make grim reading for the Scots, who have supposedly missed 10 tackles already this afternoon, compared with just two for France.
19 min: Machenaud kicks the ball high for France, with Scotland only too happy to collect. Slimani takes out McInally and Laidlaw boots it back downfield for Palis to deal with. It’s bogged down on halfway for now, with Russell now fielding another kick. Iturria is penalised, and that will provide a moment’s respite for both teams.
18 min: Tauleigne makes a mess of a simple pass for Thomas and Scotland think they’re in for a minute. They are not but here comes Hogg, whose promptly grounded by Vakatawa. Russell kicks downfield but its straight into French hands, namely those of Palis.
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16 min: Good work by Vahaamahina, a mountain on the move, sees Beauxis freed through a gap in the Scotland defence. But the Scots make it difficult, and France are forced to rethink. Teddy Thomas is momentarily at it again, but he’s stopped in his tracks by Gilchrist. Now Scotland attempt to counter, with Hogg taken to ground by Doumayrou. This is much better by the Scots, though.
“For all the talk there’s been of Scotland’s attacking threat, they’re conceding on average one point every two minutes during this years Six Nations,” emails Simon McMahon. “Maybe they should work on their defence.”
Try! Scotland 7-10 France (Maitland, 13 mins)
Gilchrist puts Finn Russell away before Sean Maitland takes over after a concerted spell of Scotland pressure. They have to make the most of these situations, and they did there, with a sweeping move. It’s a tough kick from an acute angle but Laidlaw gets it between the posts. A wonderful conversion.
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12 min: Teddy Thomas, the covering last man, uses his feet to kick clear Berghan’s clever knock forward. The Scottish supporters are back up on their feet.
11 min: Scotland win a scrum on halfway. Townsend’s face is a picture. His team are simply yet to get going this afternoon.
Penalty! Scotland 0-10 France (Machenaud, 10 mins)
Machenaud kicks between the posts from 35m. A dream start for France.
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8 min: Beauxis’s kick is charged down and Scotland secure possession. Berghan and Gilchrist look to take over but the Scots yield possession and France win a penalty, with Scotland penalised for not releasing the ball.
7 min: France win a penalty as a result of the first scrum. Gordon Reid went down to his knees too early, says Lacey. France are patting themselves on the back and they look really in the mood this afternoon.
6 min: It is fair to say France have silenced an expectant home crowd.
4 mins: Maxime Machenaud easily converts. Scotland need a response, with a large dose of deja vu surrounding Gregor Townsend’s side at present after their sluggish start against Wales last weekend.
Try! Scotland 0-7 France (Thomas, 3 mins)
Les Bleus fly forward, Camara bounces off Laidlaw and then the ball is switched down the right flank, where Teddy Thomas turns on the afterburners. He gets on the outside of Russell before taking on Horne. And the rest is history.
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1 min: Palis collects a high ball and it’s France who see plenty of the ball early on. Machenaud is pushed back, before good work by Doumayrou, the La Rochelle centre.
Peeeeeeeeeep!
We’re off at Murrayfield. John Lacey, the Irish referee, gets us started.
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The teams are on the pitch, the anthems are under way and we are just a couple more formalities away from kick-off at Murrayfield. Lovely stuff.
Two wounded animals, to use the cliche, will take to the Murrayfield turf today. Will the Scots bounce back from that harrowing defeat by Wales? And can France forget all about that last-gasp Johnny Sexton magic? Either way, it is a beautiful day in Edinburgh.
Team news!
Scotland: Hogg; Seymour, Jones, Horne, Maitland; Russell, Laidlaw; Reid, McInally, Berghan, Gilchrist, Gray, Barclay, Watson, Wilson
Replacements: Lawson, Bhatti, Welsh, Toolis, Denton, Price, Harris, Kinghorn
France: Palis; Thomas, Lamerat, Doumayrou, Vakatawa; Beauxis, Machenaud; Poirot, Guirado, Slimani, Iturria, Vahaamahina, Lauret, Camara, Tauleigne
Replacements: Pelissie, Ben Arous, Gomes Sa, Gabrillagues, Picamoles, Serin, Belleau, Fall
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Preamble
After underwhelming against Wales, this is the perfect opportunity for Scotland to show what they’re really made of. Gregor Townsend has been talking up his squad, insisting he expects a much better showing against Les Bleus. It won’t be easy, though. The Scots have managed just one win over France in 12 attempts but food for thought is that Townsend’s men are pretty nifty on home turf – only New Zealand have beaten them in eight matches at Murrayfield – and France themselves are stuck in a rut of sorts, winless in seven games. In fact, it speaks volumes that Scotland can get battered by Wales yet still come into this one as the favourite to take victory. Townsend has made six changes from that 34-7 defeat last weekend.
France have something of a new old look. They have recalled fly-half Lionel Beauxis after six years away from international rugby. “We know his talent, his qualities, especially his kicking game,” said head coach Jacques Brunel. “But he has not always had the consistency in his performances.” Louis Picamoles only makes the bench.
Kick-off: 3pm
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Ben will be here soon.
