Scotland came into this match with nothing to lose. So long as they avoided a huge loss third place was theirs. The French on the other hand were desperate to avoid la cuillère en bois (although they would argue that a team has to lose all its matches to win the wooden spoon).
Despite this Scotland ended the first half in the lead taking six points through Grieg Laidlaw and preventing France from scoring. It wasn’t all straightforward. Scotland had to survive a series of assaults inches from their line and only the chest of Johnnie Beattie prevented a try. The lineout was a mess for both sides although the French got the upperhand in the scrum with some help from the turf which had the structural integrity of wet cake.
However this was no repeat of the Ireland match. Scotland had their chances with Max Evans, on for an injured Sean Maitland, going close and showing awareness and skill most had forgotten he had. But the first half performance was largely down to the work of the back row and Duncan Weir’s boot. Johnnie Beattie showed intent early on by smashing Bastareaud back a good few yards and Kelly Brown was a constant menace in the ruck. France left the pitch to jeers from their own fans.
Scotland struggled to win any decent ball at the start of the second half and the repeated assaults of the first half had taken their toll on the defence as France were gifted a series of penalties all kicked by Frédéric Michalak. However just before the first penalty something happened off the ball that changed the match.
Up until the 44th minute Michalak had been playing on a different level to the rest of the French team. Like a highly evolved Space baby he seemed to be thinking in four dimensions. He popped to no one, ran without support and kicked into space only he could envisage in his advanced frontal lobe. Then he clattered Stuart Hogg in the back of the head with his arm. Neither Nigel Owens nor the nearest touch judge spotted it. Television replays were damning and it’s likely he’ll be cited and will almost certainly face a ban. He should have been sent from the pitch. Not just for 10 minutes but for the rest of the match. When Owens caught up with the action Hogg and Michalak were grappling with the Frenchman still visibly throwing jabs.
Whether it was the rush of adrenaline or being brought back to Earth the incident seemed to trigger something within Michalak and suddenly things started happening for him. Within a short period France were ahead and although Laidlaw pulled Scotland level it was only a matter of time before France crossed the try line. They did so twice.
Hogg was culpable for the first try bouncing off Fofana as he snuck down the blindside and crossed for the score. However Hogg might be forgiven having earlier felled all 19 stones of a rampaging Vincent Debaty where others, most notably Euan Murray, had failed.
Scotland had marshalled the physical threat of Bastareaud well for most of the match but as the game broke up he found space and rumbled through the Scottish line before being brought down by Lamont but the ball was worked to Medard for the try.
Scotland rallied with Jackson spilling with the line in sight and a sea of blue jerseys in support. Eventually it was Matt Scott who made the break, expertly resisting the urge to pass until the last minute sending Tim Visser in under the posts.
The game as a whole seemed to encapsulate Scotland’s 6 Nations campaign. There were long periods of strong gritty defence, flashes of flair and a try. However there were also missed tackles, silly penalties conceded and an occasional lack of composure. Plus ça change?