France vs Scotland (Dewch ymlaen Yr Alban!)

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France vs Scotland

Stade de France
Friday 26th of March 2021
KO: 20:00
Referee: Wayne "Barnesy" Barnes (England)
TV Coverage: Live on BBC

Teams

France
15-Brice Dulin, 14-Damian Penaud, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou, 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Antoine Dupont; 1-Cyril Baille, 2- Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4- Bernard Le Roux, 5-Swan Rebbadj, 6-Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (capt), 8-Gregory Alldritt.

Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Uini Atonio, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Anthony Bouthier, 23-Teddy Thomas.

Scotland
15-Stuart Hogg (capt), 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Chris Harris, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Duhan van der Merwe, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price; 1-Rory Sutherland, 2-George Turner, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 6-Jamie Ritchie, 7-Hamish Watson, 8-Matt Fagerson

Replacements: 16-Dave Cherry, 17-Oli Kebble, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Alex Craig, 20-Nick Haining, 21-Scott Steele, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Huw Jones

The fate of Welsh rugby being in Scottish hands is the big talking point after a dramatic and gut wrenching end to Wales Grand Slam hopes. You can read about all the possible title winning scenarios by following this link >>> https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/2021/03/21/scenarios-how-the-guinness-six-nations-title-will-be-decided-by-france-v-scotland/

Scotland

It's a tournament that started so promisingly. A chance of winning a 6N title, ultimately coming down to a tap tackle on DVDM against Wales. Had Scotland won that match and gained 5 points with a BP last gasp score, Scots fans could have been tuning in to watch their team fight it out with France for the title themselves this weekend, even after losing to Ireland at home.

For Scottish fans it is still a crucial match for the following reasons...

The opportunity for Scotland to finish 2nd for the first time in Six Nations history (Our best result being 3rd in 2001, 2006, 2013 and 2018)

The possibility of a first away win to France since 1999

Scottish Lions selection

And on a secondary note, a good win could put Hogg in contention for Player of the Championship for a third time (equalling Brian O'Driscoll's record).

Stats from the 2021 Six Nations

https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/overview/?FixGuid=20FS4243#overview

France and Scotland have very similar statistics after four matches played. Both teams have scored 15 tries a piece, both have made a similar amount of line breaks and scrums and turnovers won. France have a slightly higher return rate per visit to the opposition 22 than Scotland do and nine more dominant tackles. Scotland have a better defensive record with less tackles missed.

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:So we’re constantly calling for tacklers to go low. Here the tackler goes high and the ball carrier is red carded. It’s starting to get laughable, that’s a split second decision I don’t see how Russell has any control over that outcome personally

He led with the arm, worse still it was above his shoulder.....almost inevitable outcome

It was a handoff!

Clue is in the name, hand off requires a hand. You can't lead with the forearm like that. You used to get away with it but these days with the whole thing of reducing concussion then a forearm to the throat is only going to be one colour card.

COME ON SCOTLAND!

formerly known as Sam wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:So we’re constantly calling for tacklers to go low. Here the tackler goes high and the ball carrier is red carded. It’s starting to get laughable, that’s a split second decision I don’t see how Russell has any control over that outcome personally

He led with the arm, worse still it was above his shoulder.....almost inevitable outcome

It was a handoff!

Clue is in the name, hand off requires a hand. You can't lead with the forearm like that. You used to get away with it but these days with the whole thing of reducing concussion then a forearm to the throat is only going to be one colour card.

Nice way to incentivise tacklers to go high. Seems counterproductive given the stated aims

Ritchie immense too. He loves playing the French!

HARRIS YOU BEAUT

Why did the french not just kick the ball out, game over.

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

formerly known as Sam wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:So we’re constantly calling for tacklers to go low. Here the tackler goes high and the ball carrier is red carded. It’s starting to get laughable, that’s a split second decision I don’t see how Russell has any control over that outcome personally

He led with the arm, worse still it was above his shoulder.....almost inevitable outcome

It was a handoff!

Clue is in the name, hand off requires a hand. You can't lead with the forearm like that. You used to get away with it but these days with the whole thing of reducing concussion then a forearm to the throat is only going to be one colour card.

Nice way to incentivise tacklers to go high. Seems counterproductive given the stated aims

If the French players head is coming up to Russell's chest it's not going to be high. It's awful tackle technique because it's a desperate cover tackle but that doesn't mean you can shove your forearm into his throat.

Get in there

I really don’t know what to make of that game.

Some good. Some bad. Some awful.

Ritchie Turner and Watson were utter giants. Harris was colossal in defence.

Our lineout was great for the first 11 throws but then it went a bit wayward.

We were fortuitous to get our two tries and then France kept playing after 80mins when they should have kicked it out. That then gave us another opportunity to win and we hit and hit with price giving the slowest service on earth meaning we’re always hitting away from the gain line and finally a pass is thrown to Duhan the man.

Scotland win the game but don’t do enough to take second place.

Congrats wales for the title win.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!!!

unbelievable!

a win is a win. well done Scotland.

Well done Scotland, Wales said thanks!

That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Wonderful patience at the end by Scotland. How they didn't concede a penalty for sealing off I don't know. Good end to a brilliant end to end game.

WHAT.A.WIN.

Although we still finishing 4th!

Love it. Even when Wales had won the championship, I still wanted Scotland to win that. France don’t deserve anything out of it. It should’ve been 28-0 anyway.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Wonderful patience at the end by Scotland. How they didn't concede a penalty for sealing off I don't know. Good end to a brilliant end to end game.

Yeah there was one specific belly flop in front of the posts, but if the referee doesn’t see it, it didn’t happen. still great ball retention to seal the deal

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

???

But well done Scotland. Congrats

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

Fantastic to stay in that right till the end, and to actually come away on the right side of a tight game. Toonie you’ll make a believer out of me yet. There was a lot I liked about that performance, tactically I thought we played a great game patchy discipline aside. We came out after half time with a completely different attitude, that’s great to see. Fantastic stuff

Well done Scotland, congrats lads

Wonder if that idiot Galthie will highlight the French play acting, like he wanted to for Wyn Jones?

Really happy with this result.

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

I think it's bloody brilliant to type
Away wins on the road
3 monkeys off our back

Really enjoyed that game.  Not just because of my vested interest as a Welsh fan.  It was a really entertaining game of lovely running rugby.

The French players being interviewed could give a few lessons about how to show class during a post-match interview after a tough loss....

Old Man wrote:Why did the french not just kick the ball out, game over.

Stupidity? Wales already had the championship in the bag so no idea what he was doing ... but congrats to Scotland for taking their chance and getting the win.

flyhalffactory wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

I think it's bloody brilliant to type
Away wins on the road
3 monkeys off our back

We lost to Wales

Great win. I'm willing to eat humble pie on Harris, he was outstanding this evening in defence.

I thought Haining and Gilchrist also put in big shifts. Whisper it quietly but we have a wee bit of depth in the squad. Goes without saying that Ritchie and Watson were warriors. Kebble is very handy off the bench.

It's been both a frustrating and very positive 6 Nations. Frustrating because we really should have done Wales at home. But those two away wins are massive for us.

All in all, well played Toonie and the squad.

flyhalffactory wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

I think it's bloody brilliant to type
Away wins on the road
3 monkeys off our back

You don’t mean this tournament, right?!

Well done Scotland. Great effort. Must have thought it was lost when France had that penalty.
Good pass from Hastings.
Great effort from Scotland.

Must be thinking what might have been. Could have won a grand slam.

Great ending to a game.

I would like to say well played Scotland, well deseved winners to night.

I will admit i honestly thought France would win this game at a canter.
I am very happy to be proved wrong though, I would also like to say well played Wales for winning the 6nations.

The Oracle wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

I think it's bloody brilliant to type
Away wins on the road
3 monkeys off our back

You don’t mean this tournament, right?!

Yes not just this tournament! sorry I mean 3 away wins against our cousins

flyhalffactory wrote:

The Oracle wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

RDW wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:That was all because of Harris chasing a lost cause
WINS ON THE ROAD .....ENG WAL FRA

Outstanding

I think it's bloody brilliant to type
Away wins on the road
3 monkeys off our back

You don’t mean this tournament, right?!

Yes not just this tournament! sorry I mean 3 away wins against our cousins

Oh OK

Regardless, well done. And thanks for the helping hand Lovely rugby on display tonight

flyhalffactory wrote:

tigertattie wrote:What odds will you give me of Ryan Wilson giving away the game Winning penalty?

How about you being a bit more positive

come on - this is scotland! that counts as positive!

I am really pleased for Wilson - how many times have we said WTF is he doing in the squad but this season he deserved to be there

Fabulous win, we got the 3 wins I said we must but again a poor return with 4th place

Apparently it was 1926 the last time Scotland won at England and France!

TJ wrote:

flyhalffactory wrote:

tigertattie wrote:What odds will you give me of Ryan Wilson giving away the game Winning penalty?

How about you being a bit more positive

come on - this is scotland!  that counts as positive!

I am really pleased for Wilson - how many times have we said WTF is he doing in the squad but this season he deserved to be there

Finns red? Unfortunate but these days a red all the way.

RDW wrote:Apparently it was 1926 the last time Scotland won at England and France!

Should have waited another 5 years - would have made a much better story

Can anyone explain how we’ve gone from a team that were winning all our home games and losing all our away games to the total opposite?

We’re still a basket case of a rugby nation

Well done Scotland. Big result and shows that they are now a team who can beat most teams on their day.

Well done Wales.

"Nothing to play for..."  

Thoroughly enjoyable game well done Scotland (and Wales).

France are still miles away from being a top team. That's the second year on the trot where they've failed to produce the goods when they had the opportunity. Still a long way to go for them to become serious operators.

Amazing end! Never give up until the final whistle. That was such a great bit of play to win the penalty after Dulin had a massive brain fart when the ball went loose.

flyhalffactory wrote:Russell again sodding immature play....no f@@king brain

this is not news. finns head is full of rugby and beer - there is no room left for thinking

tigertattie wrote:Can anyone explain how we’ve gone from a team that were winning all our home games and losing all our away games to the total opposite?

We’re still a basket case of a rugby nation

Bounce of the ball and luck ( with a bit of added ill discipline) We were very close against both Wales and Ireland and no one stuffed us this year

If Wales missed their only conversion against Scotland, Scotland would have won the entire tournament.

Wales BP win would become a 2 BP loss, dropping them from 20 to 17 points. Scotlands BP loss would become a non BP win, which would have pushed them to 18 points.

Incredibly fine margins.

TJ wrote:Finns red?  Unfortunate but these days a red all the way.

These days maybe. But in my humble opinion that shouldn't even be foul play. The French player should tackle properly and go low.

I'm remain unconvinced that sending players off almost every game is making anything safer at all.

whatahitson wrote:"Nothing to play for..."  

Thoroughly enjoyable game well done Scotland (and Wales).

France are still miles away from being a top team. That's the second year on the trot where they've failed to produce the goods when they had the opportunity. Still a long way to go for them to become serious operators.

Or maybe like England they are a top 4 team (who last week beat Wales) that Scotland deserved to beat because Toonie with limited resources is building quality strength in depth.
Unlikely but maybe some Scots today forced Gats tae think again

It is nice to win a game we probably should not have. The discipline in the first half was a travesty for us, committing offences going after complete lost causes. Shame we are still left in 4th but we have taken wins away in Wales, England and France in a 6 month period. 2 points away/a penalty in the final minute away from winning a 6N. Fine margins

Random thoughts:
- Definite red for Finn. Had an okay game leading up to that, managed the side well considering the awful platform he had. Sadly can see that red being an excuse to drop him for Ford, Biggar and Sexton for the Lions.

- Awful game from Price. His slow ball was setting the forwards up to carry into a set defence causing slow ball and him slowing it even further. Not going to Steele for the last 20 is a kick in the teeth and the sooner Dobie is ready, the better. Hogg seemed to be fairly poor as well.

- Turner, Ritchie and Watson were immense as previously mentioned. The lock pairing were good, Gilchrist managed Turner well at the lineout though it fell apart at the end with Cherry

- Harris was excellent. Say it quietly, but his lines in attack have improved immensely over the last year. He took Vakatawa out the game. S Johnson's carries make me worry for his health, he absolutely slams into the defence.