6N: France v Scotland report: clinical Les Bleus claim the title

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France 35

Scotland 16

SCOTLAND signed off a disappointing Guinness Six Nations campaign with another glorious failure, competing well in the first half but failing to convert pressure into points. That perennial problem proved costly against a French side that displayed the clinical edge that was absent in the opposition ranks.

The result means that France are champions for the second time in the Fabien Galthie era, taking the title by a point ahead of England. Les Bleus were worthy winners of the clash with the Scots and merited their title having produced the best rugby of the Six Nations. The Scots ended with two wins – neither of them entirely convincing – from their five fixtures, occupying third spot in the table.

Dipped lights, atmospheric anthems and a packed Stade de France presented the ideal backdrop for a dramatic evening, and France rose to the occasion with a measured performance that opened out when chances presented themselves and remained tight when the Scots had the ascendancy.

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They were never headed from the moment that Thomas Ramos opened the scoring with a straightforward penalty following a sprightly start by the hosts. In response, Finn Russell looked to be in the mood, with a clever kick and a slick pass that showed his desire to get his backs moving. Russell would go on to deliver an impressive all-round performance albeit he had a couple of blips.

It was breathless stuff, with both sides keen to open out. A spillage by Darcy Graham allowed Louis Bielle-Biarrey an early run, although it was quickly snuffed out by the Scottish defence. France were dominating territory and the Scots were battling to cope. A second offence in a couple of minutes by Jamie Ritchie earned the flanker a ten minute spell on the sidelines.

It then took a clever intervention by Dave Cherry to halt a French rumble, but the Scottish defence was creaking and it cracked in 18 minutes when Gael Fickou marked his return to the side with a silky run and offload to Yoram Moefana, who was held but stretched over between the posts, leaving Ramos a simple kick to nudge the tally into double figures.

Scotland tried to retaliate and earned a penalty. A tap and go by Ben White came to nothing and Ramos then pushed White, who tripped over Mauvaka. The hooker overreacted and made head contact with White, but escaped with a yellow card although he handed Russell a penalty kick which the Scottish co-captain duly despatched between the sticks to open the Scottish account.

White was then involved at the other end, winning a footrace with Maxime Lucu to prevent a score. The respite was temporary and a penalty against Grant Gilchrist yielded another three-pointer for Ramos, who restored a ten-point gap and, in the process became the record French points scorer of all time.

The home defence had not yet been tested and, when it was, the Scots found a way through. Russell delivered a beautifully weighted inside pass toGraham, who had stepped in from his wing and danced past the last man to score. Russell added the extras.

Scotland were in the ascendancy for the first time, and a string of four penalty advantages in a single phase led to a yellow card for Jean-Baptiste Gros and an equalising penalty from Russell. However, by the break, the home side had edged in front once more with Ramos booting another penalty after an offence by Cherry at the breakdown.

With half time beckoning, the Scots thought they had seized the initiative when a searing run by Blair Kinghorn carried play deep into opposition territory where Russell used the recycled ball to send Tom Jordan hurtling over. However, Kiinghorn was deemed to have been in touch, leaving France three points ahead when the half time whistle sounded.

France made a crucial strike with the first points of the second half. Romain Ntamack pounced on an attempted flip pass by Russell and scampered clear before releasing Bielle-Biarrey to power home for his eighth try of the tournament, with Ramos again converting.

Scotland responded with an attack that producd another penalty which enabled Russell to trim the deficit by three points. But, instead of using that as a springboard to apply sustained pressure, the visitors were soon back on defensive chores.

Approaching the hour mark, France took a meaningful step towards securing the silverware. A penalty to touch led to a powerful surge that sucked in the Scottish defence and freed up space for Damian Penaud to send Ramos over for a self-converted try.

France were now in full flow and Lucu was the spark for a slick move that ended with Fickou delivering the scoring pass for Moefana to crash over for the bonus point score.

The Scots rung the changes in an attempt to remain competitive and the fresh blood showed up well against the much-vaunted French pack. Ben Muncaster managed to cross the whitewash but was held up by Emanuel Meafou.

And the failure of the visitors to capitalise on pressure was the same failing that had been evident in earlier matches and allowed France to see out the game with plenty to spare.

Teams –

France: T Ramos; D Penaud, G Fickou, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; R Ntamack, M Lucu (N Le Garrec 76; J Gros (C Baille 47), P Mauvaka (J Marchand 47), U Atonio (D Aldegheri 43), T Flament (H Auradou 75), M Guillard (E Meafou 47), F Cros, P Boudehent (O Jegou 47), G Alldritt © (A Jelonch 47).

Scotland: B Kinghorn; D Graham, H Jones (S Mcdowall 67), T Jordan, D van der Merwe; F Russell, B White (J Dobie 67); P Schoeman (R Sutherland 67), D Cherry (E Ashman 58), Z Fagerson, G Brown (M Sykes 58), G Gilchrist (E Johnson 73), J Ritchie, R Darge (B Muncaster 67), M Fagerson.

Referee: Matthew Carley

Scorers –

France: Tries: Moefana 2, Bielle-Biarrey, Ramos; Cons: Ramos 3; Pens: Ramos 3

Scotland: Try: Graham; Con: Russell; Pens: Russell 3

Scoring sequence (France first): 3-0; 8-0; 10-0; 10-3; 13-3; 13-8; 13-10; 13-13; 16-13 (h-t) 21-13; 23-13; 23-16; 28-16; 30-16; 35-16.

Yellow cards –

France: Mauvaka, Gros

Scotland: Ritchie

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