Scotland defeat France to secure first home win in eight attempts

Now we can say at last that Scotland are starting to make progress. This was a first win over France in 10 years, an achievement to relish. Not that one could have guessed they were the ones playing for such a milestone. After the righting of the ship with victory in Italy here was a win of confidence against a side ranked higher than them. Let us not pretend France are much more than the rabble we have become used to in recent times, but they are dangerous when, as here, they play as if they could not care less.

Scotland were subjected to the kind of challenges they might not have risen to in the past. They lost Finn Russell, their fly-half, to concussion in the fifth minute and in the same passage of play conceded the game’s first try. The Scotland of recent times might well have imploded.

Instead they regrouped and came again with calm assurance. And so the wooden spoon this year will go to Italy, a palpable relief to the Scots, which will be in no way diminished by this win securing the championship for their dear old friends, the English. How they celebrated at the end.

“France tried to steamroller us but I felt we fronted up and finished the stronger team,” said Greig Laidlaw, who celebrated the win on his 50th cap with rare passion. “To lose by four against Wales showed we’re right in the hunt in these games. We lost by six to England who are on course to win the grand slam so I’m sure they appreciate we’re not far away.”

Second place is theoretically still within Scotland’s reach. Realistically, though, they will play Ireland in Dublin next weekend for third with Wales, who are at home to Italy, all but certain of second place.

Scotland go into the final round with the capital of consecutive wins. They are fast assembling the basic requirements of a solid scrum, dominant here again, a tenacious back row, which has been richly improved by the uncompromising work rate of John Hardie, and backs not only unafraid of the ball in their hands but positively enthused by it.

All three tries showed precision and derring-do. Just as Scotland thought they had found a centre pairing for the ages in Alex Dunbar and Mark Bennett, now Duncan Taylor has broken it up with a series of increasingly powerful performances. Stuart Hogg won the man-of-the-match award but Taylor would have been as worthy for his game-breaking contributions of the first half. If they were after yet another option in midfield, Peter Horne assumed the reins at fly-half with confidence and a liveliness of mind that will give Vern Cotter further pause for thought.

Meanwhile, it is over to France to deny England the grand slam. Eddie Jones will note their happiness to play from anywhere but also a lack of intensity and precision that would be welcome if repeated in Paris. France scored two fine tries in the first half but at the key points of pressure – in particular attacking lineouts and restarts (where Italy had caused Scotland so much trouble in the last round) – they were insipid, and their handling was simply not up to their ambition.

For all that we have lost faith in them, though, France remain top of the offload charts this Six Nations. They added another 14 to their tally here and clearly felt they would find more joy against the Scottish defence with such a tactic than they did against Wales’s in the last round. Cue Scotland’s trials at the start of the match. Russell was knocked out as he partook in the tackling exercise France set them with a blur of offloads and angles in the first few minutes. As he was being tended to, Guilhem Guirado combined with his wingers as if he were one himself and he stepped the last man for a second try in only five match minutes, having dotted down at the end against Wales.

François Trinh-Duc missed the conversion and a simple penalty soon afterwards. That helped but more significant was the Scottish response. By the start of the second quarter, two Laidlaw penalties, one at a scrum, had overturned the early deficit before Scotland struck with a confidently wrought try. Two carries by Taylor were telling, as was a little dart by Horne, and Laidlaw sent Hogg stepping to the line.

Murrayfield was rocking, all the more so three minutes later – and only four before the break – when Taylor took a penalty quickly, beat Virimi Vakatawa and galloped down the right for a try from 60 metres and a handsome lead of 18-5. Alas, Scotland could not hold out until the break.

Gaël Fickou, a deadly finisher in the finest French tradition, was worked over on the stroke of half-time and so another test of Scottish nerve was developed. The Scotland scrum won another penalty shortly after the resumption, which Hogg converted from 55 metres, but within 10 minutes two nothing penalties in unthreatening parts of the field allowed France to whittle the deficit to three. Scotland’s fans, at least, started to squirm.

Not so the team. They responded decisively in the final quarter. After another attack of vim and precision, an overhead flip from Hogg to Tim Visser sent the latter away for their third try. Then a third scrum penalty allowed Laidlaw to finish the scoring with five minutes to go.

From the flash to the prosaic this was a win that hit all the notes. A new confidence is growing in Scottish rugby.

Scotland Hogg; Seymour, Taylor, Dunbar, Visser; Russell (Horne, 6), Laidlaw (capt); Dickinson, Ford (McInally, 68), Nel (Low, 73), R Gray (Swinson, 78), J Gray, Barclay, Hardie, Strauss (Wilson, 62)

Tries Hogg, Taylor, Visser Con Laidlaw Pens Laidlaw 3, Hogg

France Spedding; Fofana, Fickou, Mermoz (Médard, 69), Vakatawa; Trinh-Duc (Plisson, 69), Machenaud (Bézy, 75); Poirot (Atonio 62), Guirado (Chat, 70), Slimani (Vincent Pelo, 62; Poirot 65), Flanquart (Vahaamahina, 52), Maestri, Lauret, Camara (Goujon, 65), Chouly

Tries Guirado, Fickou Con Machenaud Pens Machenaud 2

Referee Glen Jackson (New Zealand) Att 67,000