France battered into submission
Scotland tore up the form books at Murrayfield on Sunday afternoon, recording an astonishing 20-16 victory over France to get their Six Nations campaign off to the best possible start.
Northampton Saints wing Sean Lamont grabbed both of his side's tries as the resurgent Scots recorded a famous victory in front of a jubilant home crowd. But it would be wrong to single out one man from what was a splendid team effort.
The Scots, led by 50-cap winning skipper Jason White, believed they could shock the traditionally slow-starters, especially after giving them a scare on the opening day of the last campaign in Paris, but precious few outside the Scotland camp shared this view. After all, France arrived in Edinburgh as tournament favourites -- and departed black and blue and bowed.
It is a game played with mind and heart as well as sinew and skill. It is an oval ball. It is unpredictable. That's why rugby football is a great game. That's why this match as such a thriller. And what a turn-up for the books.
Before the match there was a moment's silence for Guy Basquet, the former French international who played a remarkable 33 Tests for France as a No.8. He had died in Agen on 31 January. The silence was broken with the firing of a cannon.
Back to the match, and all bets were on France. Never mind their injuries, they were still favourites to win the whole Six Nations, let alone this match against the also-ran Scots. An hour and a half later their ambitions were in tatters. It was back to the Eighties for France and their bête noire at Murrayfield. They lost there seven times in succession between 1980 and 1992.
When Jean-Batiste Elissalde missed the conversion of Sébastien Bruno's late try it left France needing a try to win and just three minutes to do it in. They did not look remotely like doing so as the confident Scots clamped down on them again. In the end a four-point margin of defeat flattered the French.
The Scots played second fiddle only in the scrums -- but then the French had only five put-ins in the whole match because the Scots were not nearly as error-prone as the French were. But the French did manage that rare rugby feat -- a tighthead.
The line-outs were generally sloppy and the French may have been better off here. But the Scots were certainly much better at the tackle. They cleaned out well and provided quick ball.
They were also better with ball in hand, especially their passing in the tackle. There was hardly a Frenchman who did not make a handling error.
No doubt the French missed Yannick Jauzion in the centre. He broke his toe and the French brought Ludovic Valbon to inside centre where he looked right out of his depth. It must have been a nightmare afternoon for him as he wandered about in uncertainty, gave no direction to his backs at all, knocked on and ran across the field. Surprisingly he played the whole of the match.
But most of all there was a great difference in the levels of confidence. France started with insouciance enough but gradually it flagged until they looked planless. On the other hand the confidence level of the Scots rose. Their heads were up, their eyes were glinting and their hearts fearless as they rushed to tackle the jittery French.
That France was so close at the end may have been due to good fortune and the obvious virtues of the few -- Cédric Heymans, Florian Fritz, Rémy Martin and Yannick Nyanga.
That said, the try count was still two-all.
The Scots ended the half 13-3, which flattered France. France had started with their usual calm elan but the Scots were unyielding. There was just under two minutes before the first whistle went, when Hugo Southwell kicked the ball into touch. It was another two minutes before the next whistle went, a penalty when Cédric Heymans use his hands in a ruck. It was played at a great pace, as was the whole half on cropped Murrayfield.
The first crack in French composure came when Dan Parks hoisted an up-and-under into the French 22. Under pressure, Nicolas Brusque fumbled and Marcus di Rollo dived on the ball. Suddenly the Scots were attacking but, with a four-against-two overlap, Jason White ran on a diagonal. Dimitri Szarzewski felled White and the French won a turn-over to clear. In fact France won three vital turn-overs in the half when they were in trouble -- and they were in lots and lots of trouble.
A line-out to Scotland became a maul where Szarzewski was penalised. It was kickable but the Scots tapped. Their brave intentions were an anticlimax in a mess.
But the Scots got the score they so richly deserved. They battered on the right and then came left with an overlap. Sean Lamont checked and straightened inside Frédéric Michalak and past Pieter de Villiers for a try at the posts. Paterson converted and the Scots were in a well-deserved 7-0 lead after 11 minutes.
Florian Fritz broke but the pass to Brusque was forward. Mike Blair had a break and Gavin Kerr was there to bound on with it. Paterson then goaled a penalty at a tackle. 10-0 after 20 minutes.
Blair broke and gave to Paterson who chipped. Christophe Dominici was penalised for an early tackle and Paterson kicked the goal. 13-0 after 32 minutes and France looked right our of it.
France did get some attaching going but met Scottish aggression on defence and capitulated for Michalak to try a drop, which missed.
On the stroke of half-time Bruce Douglas was penalised and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde goaled to make the score 13-3.
After five minutes of the second half, Scotland got their second try -- an astonishing try. A long kick down the left by Hugo Southwell, who must surely have had his best match ever for Scotland, resulted in a line-out on the French 22. On the French 22. It is worth noting. Scotland won the line-out, made a maul and scored a try.
Those are the simple facts until they actually sink in.
The Scottish forwards had taken on the powerful French pack, which had none of the excuses of injury that the backs had, and beat them. In this maul they licked them. They marched the maul down 22 metres and there was big wing Lamont to plunge, stretch and score. Paterson converted to make the score an incredible 20-3.
France's try came five minutes later and was a brilliant moment of interpassing that went down the right with Fritz running well and then came back to the left.
Two on two, Heymans sold a little dummy to fix the Scots and then sent Julien Bonnaire over in the left corner. Elissalde's conversion came back off the bar. That was an important strip of wood in the scheme of the match.
Dan Parks tried a drop and missed. Paterson missed his easiest penalty of the afternoon, but still the Scots led 20-8 and the clock was plodding along as if covered with treacle.
With 20 minutes to go Andrew Henderson tackle high and Elissalde goaled easily. 20-11.
But Scotland kept the ball with many passes. The French dropped the ball with fewer passes.
With three minutes to go, France scored a copy of their earlier try with lots of interpassing before going wide to the left. This time replacement No.8 Thomas Lièvremont was the one to sell a little dummy and pop a pass to replacement hooker Bruno on his inside for a try in the left corner. The conversion was wide.
With a tense minute and a half to play, France got the ball inside their own 22 and Heymans hoisted a kick into touch. The French did not get possession again.
The Scots won the line-out and played keep-ball until, with half a tense minute left, France were penalised at a tackle-ruck. It was kickable, but intent on limiting French options, Paterson kicked the ball out for another Scottish line-out, deep in French territory.
France's only hope was to win the line-out. The Scots won it, and replacement scrum-half Chris Cusiter kicked the ball into touch. The referee did a bit of tense checking and then blew the final whistle for euphoria to break out all over the field and in the stands as the blue and white flags of St Andrew took on colourful life, all over Edinburgh and all over Scotland. And coach Frank Hadden allowed himself a smile -- a gentle, satisfied smile.
And in the royal box, with a courteous bow, the president of the French Rugby Federation, tall Bernard Lapasset, shook the hand of the patron of the Scotland Rugby Union, the Princess Royal, and gave her a congratulatory thumbs up.
The Scots had had trouble selling tickets for the match. There must be many a Scot who would regret not being there and be beating his way to a source of tickets for the next match, when the Sassenachs come north on February 25.
Man of the Match: There were only Scottish candidates -- 22 of them, but if you whittled it down you would mention Hugo Southwell, clever Chris Paterson, two-try Sean Lamont, all-round scrum-half Mike Blair and the tackling of the forwards. The forwards really laid the victory on and so you would look for your man of the match there, and our man-of-the-match is veteran lock Scott Murray, so good in the line-outs, so unwaveringly strong when making a tackle, and so clever with the ball in hand.
Moment of the Match: That maul -- that second half maul that shunted the might of France 22 metres for the try. The first score of the second half was going to be vital and Scotland did it with that remarkable maul.
Villain of the Match: Nobody -- why taint such a memorable day of rugby?
The scorers:
For Scotland:
Tries: Lamont 2
Cons: Paterson 2
Pens: Paterson 2
For France:
Tries: Bonnaire, Bruno
Pens: Elissalde 2
The teams:
Scotland: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Chris Paterson, 13 Marcus Di Rollo (Simon Webster, 28), 12 Andrew Henderson, 11 Sean Lamont , 10 Dan Parks (Gordon Ross, 64), 9 Mike Blair (Chris Cusiter, 55), 8 Simon Taylor, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Jason White (captain) (Jon Petrie, 73), 5 Scott Murray, 4 Alastair Kellock (Scott MacLeod, 75), 3 Bruce Douglas (Craig Smith, 41) , 2 Dougie Hall (Scott Lawson, 63), 1 Gavin Kerr.
France: 15 Nicolas Brusque (Guillaume Bousses, 78), 14 Christophe Dominici, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Ludovic Valbon, 11 Cedric Heymans, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (Dimitri Yachvili, 80), 8 Julien Bonnaire (Thomas Lièvremont, 73), 7 Yannick Nyanga, 6 Rémy Martin, 5 Jérôme Thion, 4 Fabien Pelous (captain), 3 Pieter De Villiers (Olivier Milloud, 64), 2 Dimitri Szarzewski (Sebastian Bruno, 66) , 1 Sylvain Marconnet
Unused replacements: 18 Lionel Nallet, 21 Benjamin Boyet.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Kelvin Deaker, Steve Walsh (both New Zealand)
Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
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