A mouthwatering encounter awaits at Murrayfield on Saturday as Scotland host France in what promises to be an epic Six Nations clash.
Scotland come into the game after a rollercoaster test against Wales in Cardiff, with Gregor Townsend's side putting in starkly contrasting performances in each half.
It was still a historic win for the Scots, but their first in Cardiff in 22 years was met with jubilation rather than jubilation after they scored 26 unanswered points and narrowly defended victory. It was done.
Meanwhile, France arrived at Murrayfield with a disappointing record, conceding 38 points to Ireland for the first time on French soil. The loss by a huge margin of 21 points added salt to the wound, and the backlash from the French media this week has been nothing short of cruel.
Les Bleus arrived in the Scottish capital with a bruised ego, a head coach and a point to prove.
It has been a common tendency for past French teams to unravel the seams and create rifts within the squad, but this French outfit is different – or so they promised – and now it's time for them to show it. .
Scotland will be keen to fulfill the promise of their star-studded side and prove that the blow they inflicted on Wales in the first half was more than just a flash in the pan. They were favorites to beat Wales in round one, but this weekend's match against France will give a clearer picture of where they stand as a team as they aim to be title contenders.
What will happen in the battle?
Last week, I highlighted how the battle between playmakers was a key part of the game against Cardiff, and Finn Russell's first-half masterclass proved that to be the case. just It was enough to send the Scotsman over the line.
But a shift from the Scottish pack in the second half will undo them, and it will feel as if France have the upper hand there. Scotland had their fair share of issues at the scrum against Wales, winning just 4 of 9 feeds and losing 2 of 6 lineouts against Wales, but they will look to repeat that performance against France. It is not possible. They managed to disrupt Wales' lineouts six times, which is an impressive statistic in itself, but gave Wales too many lineouts overall (20).
A lot of things went wrong for France on the opening night of the championship, but arguably the most damaging was the lineout. Ireland were very successful, converting four of their 18 deliveries and doing everything they could to disrupt almost every possession from set-pieces. Paul Willemse's sending off hasn't helped France, who have lost some size and weight in the second row this week, but Cameron Woki's promotion to the starting 15 will certainly ease their lineout woes .
Lineouts remain the most prolific source of tries in Test rugby, a trend that continues into the opening weekend of the Six Nations, but both teams will be keen to improve on their results in the first round. Dew. France took a beating on the gain line, and the accuracy on the breakdown was sharp as a rolling pin. They will be proud of their scrummage performance which gave them a comfortable advantage against Ireland, but that was one of the few phases of the match.
Scotland were equally effective in the second half against Wales at the gain line and at the breakdown, but were largely outclassed at the scrum against the Welsh side. Regardless of which pack can produce a more balanced and efficient performance, this pack has the potential to come out on top.
The last time we met
what they said
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend is bracing for a strong response from the visiting side after their first-round defeat.
“We know them and we know every team we're going to play,” the Scotland coach said. “This will be my fourth game. [against France] within a year.
“We've had some bad games against them over the last 12 months but they have a lot of jackals in their squad so we have to be at the best level physically, defensively and in the contact areas.
“They played a really good Irish team and were down by one for the majority of the game.
“From a French point of view, they know they're not playing their best rugby, so there will be a reaction from there.
“They came back at some stage, even with 14 men on the field, but we know that with 15 men on the field they are a quality team and are still a top three, top four team in the world. I know.”
France's assistant coach William Selva said the French side had put the disappointment of the World Cup behind them, but had prepared for the match against Scotland with the hurt of losing their first match.
“The Scotland game will be prepared with the Irish stigma in mind,” he admitted. “But the Ireland game was not set up like a World Cup game.
“New staff have been put in place. New players have joined the group. The club holds competitions one after another. Players are used to being prepared for new challenges.
“You know, from one scrum to another, you can go from being dominant to being dominant and vice versa.” Talking about the performance against Ireland while evoking memories of South Africa It must be a mistake.”
Featured players
jack dempsey He was inexplicably named on the bench for last week's game against Wales, but has returned to Scotland's starting XI. The hard-working back rower will hurt the French on both sides of the ball, but will be especially important on the ball against an imposing French defense who will surely be under attack from Shaun Edwards. right. Dempsey is strong in possession and will need to be successful on the gain line on a regular basis if Scotland are to have any chance of winning.
Finn Russell They will share the captaincy this weekend, but there is no doubt that it will be all about his skills in Scotland's attack. The fly-half put in a great performance against Wales with great tactical precision and a great kicking game. He faces a stiff challenge this weekend from the excellent Mathieu Jalibert, but he will be keen to hang in there and pull the strings.
Duhan van der Merwe Last week, he dispelled concerns about a drought in scoring tries and scored an impressive double. The first was from a smart support line, but the second was pure personal brilliance. With French try-scoring addict Damien Penault lining up opposite him this weekend, the acerbic winger will be keen to make his intentions known once again.
Talk about making the most of your opportunities. Paul Gavrilags He earned his first cap since 2019 last weekend and took the opportunity with both hands. He was clearly the standout in a lackluster performance from Les Bleus. The hard-working second-rower kept his name on the scoresheet and produced a hard-working shift that earned him his first recall.
Scrum-half is once again in the spotlight Maxim Luk He was unable to make a good impression in his first start this year, trying to fill the void left by Antoine Dupont.Bordeaux's No.9 is a classy operator in his own right, and although we didn't see that in the first round, he will be desperate to set the record straight – he just needs to a lot The other single-digit jersey numbers in front of him help further.
Jonathan Danti and Gael Fickou He will be in the spotlight again this weekend, having shifted well below his high standards against Ireland. Not too long ago, this duo was regarded as one of the best central partnerships in the game, but against Ireland they were more obscure than box office. There is no doubting their ability, but if they put in a similarly tough performance against Scotland's beloved 'Huwiplotu' combo, especially defensively, it will be another long night for French fans. .
main match
On the day of the game, there are interesting battles between the starting lineup and the bench, but the battle between the two players cannot be ignored as the breakdown and gain line will be the determining factors of the game. Rory Durge and François Clos.
Although their approaches are different, both players appear to be breathing into the breakdown. On one side are the Scottish robbers, and on the other are the French bulldozers. Both are very effective in their approach and aim to place a mark.
Darj returns from injury and will continue to play as a starter, taking on additional responsibilities as co-captain of the team. He is preferred over Jamie Ritchie in the back row, linking up with Glasgow Warriors team-mates Matt Fagerson and Dempsey. Townsend's loose trio are hard-working grafters who work tirelessly during their working hours, but as they need to stop France's momentum in key areas of the pitch and propel Scotland forward with their explosive carries when in possession. Durge's participation will be extremely important.
Cross has been tasked with a similar job with the French national team, and the accuracy and power of his breakdowns are key assists he brings to the game. Thanks to the balanced skillsets of his back-row mates Charles Ollivon and Gregory Aldritt, Cross can focus on what he does best: driving into rucks and tackling.
prediction
Recent history between the two countries suggests it could go either way, with France winning six of the last 10 meetings and Scotland winning the other four. There is. Les Bruce defeated Scotland last year, winning two of their three games. However, the final two games were decided by four points and three points, respectively. France can no longer win their way against Scotland and Townsend's side will be hoping to claim a clear victory against the injured French side. But we get emotional and expect them to disappoint. Les Bleus' team bounced back from defeat to win by 11 points..
past results
2023: France wins 30-27 in Saint-Etienne
2023: Scotland won 25-21 at Murrayfield.
2023: France won 32-21 in Paris.
2022: France won 36-17 at Murrayfield.
2021: Scotland win 27-23 in Paris
2020: France won 22-15 at Murrayfield.
2020: Scotland win 28-17 at Murrayfield
2019: Scotland win 17-14 at Murrayfield
2019: France wins 32-3 in Nice
2019: France wins 27-10 in Paris
team
Scotland: 15 Kyle Lowe, 14 Kyle Steyn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Duane van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Durge (cc), 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Xander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Pierre Schumann
Replacement: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Elliott Miller-Mills, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Andy Christie, 21 George Horne, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Cameron Redpath
France:: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damien Penault, 13 Gaël Ficou, 12 Jonathan Danti, 11 Louis Viel-Bialley, 10 Mathieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Roux, 8 Gregory Aldritt (c), 7 Charles Ollivon , 6 François Clos, 5 Paul Gavrilag, 4 Cameron Wouki, 3 Wini Atonio, 2 Piet Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Bayle.
Replacement: 16 Julien Marchard, 17 Sebastien Taofifenua, 18 Dorian Aldegueri, 19 Posolo Tuirangi, 20 Alexandre Luma, 21 Paul Boudean, 22 Nolan Le Garrec, 23 Yoram Moefana
date: Saturday, February 10th
venue: murrayfield, edinburgh
kick off: 14:15 GMT
Referee: Nick Berry (RA)
Assistant referee: Nika Amashkeli (GRU), Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Brian McNeice (IRFU)
read more: Expert witness: Adam Jones highlights areas where Wales 'can't beat England', makes bold predictions for Scotland
