Scotland and France took the field at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on a sunny and dry spring morning, promising a feast of attacking rugby. Nobody predicted thirteen tries and France getting so nonplussed that Antoine Dupont threw a massive forward pass in his own in-goal area.
France were in with a chance of clinching the tournament (but not the trophy, which was destroyed in an accident last week) a week early. Perhaps in expectation, the pre-match atmosphere felt distinctly Gallic with a rumoured 15,000 French fans travelling to Scotland. Happily both sets of fans were in full voice as the game kicked off.
Finn Russell’s opening clearance off the restart was to attempt a high clearance kick in his own 22, luckily Scotland were able to regather, but it did not suggest that the afternoon was going to be easy on the heart rate. As it turns out it was almost enjoyable.
After a cagey opening three or four minutes Scotland managed to make good territory, without really looking like they were breaking France down. A Huw Jones line brea and some nifty offloading in behind the line (as well as some deceptively ropey handling) meant with a lucky bounce of the ball between Russell and Darcy Graham for the second week running put the winger over for the game’s opening try.
The other D’arcy, Rae, was picked to start ahead of Zander Ferguson perhaps to the surprise of some but Townsend insisted it was for set-piece reasons. Certainly the first two scrums earned Scotland a free kick and a penalty from referee Angus Gardner.
France were never going to sit still and after a few passages of play in which they were uncharacteristically un-French they were still able to force play deep into Scotland’s half. As Scotland were making what should have been an easy exit from a scrum on their own line, somehow the ball was stripped from Tuipulotu in contact by Dupont, France spun possession wide to Louis Bielle-Biarrey in the corner.
The next try followed hot on the heels with the French wingers combining to collect a nice grubber (an LBB special) after Scotland were exposed in the wide channels behind Blair Kinghorn and Darcy Graham. The frustrating thing for Scotland was that it came from fairly needless penalty at the other end of the pitch that in turn had come from Scotland kicking away possession a few phases before. The French fans were starting to feel more relaxed; business as usual.
Conscious of the possibility for momentum to slip away at 7-14 down, Scotland eschewed 3 points with a reasonably kickable penalty for a lineout in the corner and then astounded Murrayfield with a move straight off the training ground.
France didn’t defend the lineout but were expecting the maul. Scotland popped it to Turner who switched it to Kyle Steyn coming in at almost 45 degree angle and he made a beeline straight for the corner, where he was almost unopposed. It was a stunning try and a reminder that both sides here were capable of excellent attacking rugby. Shaun Edwards won’t have been as happy as the home crowd.
Nobody told Scotland that this was supposed to be a coronation, as they kept the pressure up in the first half; a third try coming through Pierre Schoeman after a series of close range batters. It looked like Finn may have got it grounded first, but the Scottish loosehead eventually got the ball down. The French had already been warned for niggly infringements when play was going against them, and Jalibert was duly sent to the bin after the try, giving Scotland a man advantage.
Interestingly after 38 minutes or so Rae was adjudged to have run his race and given his team a good solid set piece platform, so he went off to be replaced by Zander Fagerson in some sort of pre-half time bomb squad. The first scrum after that, France won a penalty but shell-shocked, opted not to play further and kicked it out to end the half.
Half-time: Scotland 19-14 France
If there were any signs of anxiety, Scotland did not show it, coming out and scoring almost immediately France were restored to 15 men. Ben White picked from the base and scampered round the ruck, finding it unguarded, and securing an extremely early bonus point for Scotland to make it 26-14.
This was an all hands-on deck type of effort for Scotland. Finn Russell had to deputize at scrum-half a few times because players were committed everywhere on the park in an effort to restrain France, who by the 46 minute mark had still not truly cut loose. As Angus Gardner’s arm was raised to blow up yet another penalty for Scotland (the final count was something like 4-10), even Antoine Dupont looked a little dejected.
It’s not that France were bad – their defence was incredibly physical, with Scotland’s pack struggling to make big holes – it’s just that Scotland were sharp enough to capitalise almost every time.
It was one of those days where luck was just on Scotland’s side. Finn Russell looked to have misjudged by a starting a game of kick tennis with the French back three, but then Ben White snaffled Dupont in the act of passing and the ball instead popped up into into a space which Kyle Steyn gratefully filled, snatching the ball and running it in for Scotland’s fifth try.
It was dreamland as Scotland opened up and scored tries six and seven through Darcy Graham and Tom Jordan who came off the bench very effectively for Jones. Scotland’s previous record points haul against France was 36. This record was smashed.
France scored a length of the field effort themselves to remind the tournament that bonus points and points different were still in play for next weekend. Steyn went off injured but it was for a gash on his leg and he should be fit next weekend.
It was an oddly muted final 15 minutes as despite a thumping win, the hosts visibly wilted with the effort and France finally showed a little of their magic. The drop off was not enough to lose, but enough to concede a try bonus point to France and let them eat away at the healthy points difference they had accrued.
Scotland go to Dublin in search of the tournament and the triple crown, for the first time. They will need England to do them a favour in Paris next weekend, and also overcome Ireland for the first time in more than a decade.
But finally we can say it: Scotland have a chance to win the Six Nations
SRBlog Player of the Match: Kyle Steyn was everywhere, and has quietly become one of the best wingers in Europe. Well-rounded in attack and defence, great under the high ball. We need him fit to face Ireland.