| Scotland: (3) 25 |
| France: (21) 21 |
Despite Zander Fagerson’s red card, Scotland defeated France with a stunning fightback from 18 points down.
In response to Fagerson’s dismissal, the Scots roared back with tries from Pierre Schoeman and Darcy Graham, as well as substitute Dave Cherry.
The hosts managed to hold on for a fantastic victory thanks to Captain Finn Russell’s 10 point kick.
The third of Scotland’s four World Cup warm-up games will take place in St. Etienne the following Saturday.
With captain Jamie Ritchie being the only notable absentee due to injury, Gregor Townsend decided to travel as strongly as he could for the World Cup hosts’ visit after defeating Italy last weekend with a shadow side.
Russell led Scotland for the first time in his 70th cap and scored an early penalty to put his team on the field.
Half of Antoine Dupont, France’s superstar scrum, was absent, but his stand-in Couilloud completed a stunning counterattack from deep within French territory, slicing open the Scotland defense for the opening try of the game.
Les Bleus still carried threats around the field even without a lot of their star names. Bielle-Biarrey descended from his wing as the Scots struggled to slow down the French ball’s speed in order to spread the extra man wide and slam into the corner.
At 14-3, the home team’s task was already beginning to look difficult, and at the halfway point, Ben White was seen limping away with a wound.
Townsend will be hoping that White’s World Cup hopes are not dashed because he has quickly integrated himself into the team this year.
Scotland was having trouble making any kind of attack impression. The Scots’ meager possession was always slow, and the ball carriers were not making yardage. Add a few careless line-outs, and the France defense was left to enjoy what was essentially an enjoyable afternoon.
While a warm-up is by its nature not the highest of stakes, the visitors stretched their lead when Woki came over from close range, and there was concern that the Scots were on the verge of suffering the psychological toll of an embarrassing home loss.
To no one’s surprise, Graham, their tiny try machine on the wing, provided the quick solution they needed to stop the tide.
Graham did brilliantly to dive in ahead of Ethan Dumortier to get fingertips to the ball and touch down after Russell delivered a lovely kick over the defense into the dead-ball area.
Scotland was making progress for the first time, and Schoeman, his front-row partner, used his considerable strength to will himself over the line even though Fagerson’s yellow card for a risky clearout at the ruck somewhat dampened their momentum.
The excitement in Murrayfield was fleeting, though, as the television match official reviewed Fagerson’s yellow card and changed it to red using the new “Bunker” system.
Before Fagerson appears before the disciplinary panel, the Scotland coaching staff will experience some sleepless nights due to the lack of options at tighthead.
Blair Kinghorn blasted his way past Brice Dulin to go over, but Graham earlier in the move ruled out the try for a knock-on. Despite being down one man, the Scots had fought the French and appeared to have taken the lead.
A rolling maul powered over the line allowed Cherry to dot down and put Scotland in the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, replacing the French’s initial passivity.
Scotland had a four-to-four advantage thanks to Russell’s flawless off-the-field kick throughout the entire day. When the French realized they were losing the game, they launched a late assault, which Scotland repelled valiantly until Rory Darge’s brilliant turnover to seal the victory.
22 unanswered points helped the Scots win, which should give them a huge boost of confidence as they enter their competitive World Cup pool.
The Scots will depart for home early if they can replicate the first-half performance from the tournament itself. Any team will have a handful if they replicate the second.
Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell (captain), Gray, Gilchrist, M. Fagerson, Watson, and Dempsey are from Scotland.
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