A torrid opening 20 minutes in the end proved pricey for Scotland as their excellent begin to the Guinness Six Nations marketing campaign got here to an finish with a 32-21 defeat by France in Paris.
Gregor Townsend’s aspect have been ripped aside early on because the hosts raced right into a 19-0 lead by means of tries from Romain Ntamack, Ethan Dumortier and Thomas Ramos. This frenetic interval additionally included crimson playing cards for Scotland’s Grant Gilchrist and France’s Mohamed Haouas.
The Scots performed their manner again into the match with two tries from Huw Jones and one from Finn Russell, however the hosts killed off their hopes of a well-known fightback with a late strive from Gael Fickou.
France made the breakthrough within the fifth minute when Ntamack bolted over on the left after being arrange by Antoine Dupont who had collected the ball from the again of a ruck. Ramos duly kicked the conversion.
Issues acquired worse for the Scots simply two minutes later when – following a TMO evaluation – Gilchrist was proven a crimson card for showing to plant his shoulder within the face of Anthony Jelonch. The Frenchman was pressured off to get replaced by Francois Cros.
The hosts made the additional man depend inside seconds when Dumortier was introduced with a simple landing on the left after good work by Ntamack and Dupont to create the opening. Ramos hit the submit together with his conversion try.
With Scotland at risk of being blown away, flanker Hamish Watson was sacrificed within the tenth minute to make manner for substitute lock Jonny Grey to come back on and fill the void left by Gilchrist.
The eventful begin to the match continued within the twelfth minute when Frenchman Haouas – who was red-carded in opposition to the Scots in 2020 – was despatched off for flying around the aspect of a ruck and banging heads with Ben White.
The night up of the numbers didn’t halt the hosts, nonetheless, they usually acquired their third strive of the match within the nineteenth minute when Ramos seized on a unfastened go from Russell contained in the Scotland half and the full-back darted clear down the left earlier than touching down behind the posts. The try-scorer then added the conversion himself from shut vary.
Scotland ultimately began to settle into the match they usually acquired their first factors on the board within the twenty sixth minute when Jones bounded over after being arrange by Russell. The conversion was efficiently kicked by Russell.
The French went in on the break with a 15-point benefit after Ramos kicked a penalty within the thirty sixth minute.
Scotland made additional inroads into their deficit three minutes into the second half when Jones pressured his manner over for his second strive of the match after being arrange by Sione Tuipulotu. Russell was once more on the mark with the conversion.
One other Ramos penalty within the 56th minute edged France 11 factors forward, however the Scots remained within the ascendancy they usually acquired themselves a 3rd strive within the 68th minute when Russell reached over after being performed in by substitute Ali Value. The tryscorer kicked the conversion.
The Scots have been inside 4 factors of what would have been a well-known fightback however the French regained their composure within the closing levels, with Fickou scoring a 79th-minute strive, transformed by Ramos, to place the end result past doubt.
