Player ratings: France

03/15/2025 06:48 PM

France sealed the Six Nations title with a 35-16 victory over Scotland at the Stade de France, but it was not a match that went their way throughout.

Holding only a 16-13 lead at the break, Scotland were in the ascendency heading into the changing rooms, but 'Le Bomb Squad' came to France's rescue after the break.

While the bench can be saluted for their efforts, they were needed with some shaky performances from the starters.

Josh Raiseyrates the French players!

 Thomas Ramos – 8
Went over for the try that sealed the match on a night he became France's record point scorer. This was one of the few times he saw the ball in any space, but he was solid at the back, and was able to repress Duhan van der Merwe out wide when called upon. Kicked from the tee supremely well, though he fell just short of a 100 per cent record.

14 Damian Penaud – 7
Needed just one try to move past Serge Blanco and become France's outright highest try scorer, but in truth, he never came close in what was a subdued display.

13 Gael Fickou – 5
Returning to the starting XV and looking to make a case to keep hold of that N.13 jersey, Fickou fluffed his lines with a sloppy defensive display. Had to do better defensively for Scotland's disallowed second try as he was brushed aside. There were bright patches as he evaded an oppressive Scottish defence at times with some quick feet in tight areas- the way he set up Yoram Moefana for the opening try of the match being an example of that. Perhaps had the benefit of playing alongside Finn Russell at Racing 92, as he was able to pull off some astute defensive reads, including a spilled interception that would likely have resulted in a try.

12 Yoram Moefana – 8.5
Scored the opening try of the match, and though he was on hand off a Fickou break, it still required some strength to drive himself over the line. Direct, powerful, he capped off a fine Championship with a brace of tries. There were a few defensive errors in there though.

11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 7
Bielle-Biarrey just seems to have an extra yard of pace over anyone he faces. He didn't take long to show this, bursting out of his own 22 after Scotland coughed up possession to launch a typical French counter-attack. That early potency did wear off, however, as Scotland gained a foothold in the match, although he was on hand to finish off Romain Ntamack's breakaway early in the second half.

10 Romain Ntamack – 6
Had to shoulder more responsibility with his partner in crime, Antoine Dupont out, and perhaps did not have the French backline purring like it usually does. His defensive contribution through an early breakaway in the second half ignited France's stronger showing after the break.

9 Maxime Lucu – 8
Lucu was never going to control a game in the way Dupont does, but he had fine game nevertheless, dictating the tempo of the match. Came within a fumbled pick-up of Scoring France's second try, which may have put the game out of reach after 20 minutes.

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1 Jean-Baptiste Gros – 5
His yellow card late in the first-half typified the way France lost control of the game during that period, and he did not last long after the break.

2 Peato Mauvaka – 4
Has to be marked down for his brainless yellow card, which could have cost his side on another day as it could have been upgraded to a red. Outside of that infringement, it was still a performance littered with some errors- some sloppy throws and slipped tackles.

3 Uini Atonio – 7
At the heart of France's insatiable maul early on, which Scotland simply could not handle. Was left covering too much space for Darcy Graham's try, although he is allowed to point the finger at his team-mates there. Put in a monstrous hit on Huw Jones that even injured himself, but his effectiveness diminished as Scotland grew into the game and added more tempo.

4 Thibaud Flament – 9
Driven into touch to end France's first attack, and that was the last error he made. Being kept on the field for 75 minutes when there are seven forwards on the bench says it all really. Controlled the lineout marvellously, and tackled relentlessly, topping the tackle count on the night with 19.

5 Mickael Guillard – 7
Russell is always a threat when he takes the ball to the line, but the lock was caught out by the Scottish playmaker for their opening try, rushing to leave a gap for Graham to busrt through. Enjoyed an otherwise disruptive game, finishing his match shortly after half-time with a turnover, although he did knock the ball on thereafter.

6 Francois Cros – 8.5
While his teammates were slipping off tackles all over the place, the Toulouse flankr was ruthlessly efficient with every hit he made in the first half. Can be commended for the volume of tackles he made as well as his accuracy, as he pushed Flament all the way in the tackle count. The fact that he was kept on when the entire back-row was hooked after the break is a measure of his display. Robbed of the plaudits of a penalty won just feet from his line due to Mauvaka's yellow card once play had stopped.

7 Paul Boudehent – 6
Plagued Scotland at the breakdown as France made a strong start and made Ben White's job a nightmare at scrum-half. A decent defensive contribution, but he was part of the cohort of substitutions early in the second 40.

8 Gregory Alldritt – 6
Assuming the captaincy from Dupont, the No.8 led from the front, leading the charge by getting his hands on the ball as much as possible and getting a charge down to exert yet more pressure on the visitors. Didn't do enough in Fabien Galthie's eyes to remain on the field and had his game cut short early in the second half.

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Replacements

16 Julien Marchand – 7
Lacked the errors his predecessor made and was a menace on the ground, preventing Scotland from playing with any pace and bagging a penalty too.

17 Cyrill Baille – 8
His handling helped mount the pressure on the Scottish defence in the second half, pulling the ball back in the face of the defensive line.

18 Dorian Aldegheri – 7
Brought a lot of energy from the bench, particularly in defence, which was needed as Scotland still saw a lot of the ball.

19 Hugo Auradou – N/A
Only had a matter of minutes at the end.

20 Emmanuel Meafou – 8
Made an immediate impact with an offloading game in contact that was not there in the first half and made some crunching hits.

21 Oscar Jegou – 6
Back in his more familiar role in the back-row, and maybe did not make the impact Anthony Jelonch did, but had some bright flashes, including holding a try up.

22 Antony Jelonch – 8.5
Came onto the field as part of the Le Bomb squad and provided some punchy carries. A sloppy tackle gifted Scotland a penalty, but produced double figures in tackles. Led the charge as France pulled away in the second half.

23 Nolann Le Garrec – N/A
Only given a short cameo at the end.

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