The key talking points for Scotland if they want success against France
Scotland welcome France to Murrayfield in round two of the Guinness Six Nations on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some key talking points ahead of the Edinburgh showdown.
Chance for Scots to build momentum
Scotland opened a Six Nations with back-to-back wins for the first time last year, and they now have the chance to achieve the feat for a second campaign in succession following last weekend’s narrow 27-26 victory in Wales. Last year, after defeating Wales and England in the first two rounds, they came unstuck across a formidable double-header away to France and at home to Ireland.
This time, their fixtures on match-day three and four look notably less daunting, with England at home followed by Italy away. If they can get the better of Les Bleus on Saturday, Scotland are entitled to fancy their chances of contending for the title.
Can wounded, Dupont-less French summon a response?
After the deflation of their World Cup quarter-final exit on home soil, France failed to get the positive Six Nations starter they were after when they were destroyed 38-17 at home to Ireland last weekend. In mitigation, they played more than half the match in Marseille with 14 men, but the French arrive in Edinburgh with their backs firmly against the wall and in need of a response. They will have to find a way to conjure it without their influential half-back pairing of Antoine Dupont (who has switched to sevens) and Romain Ntamack (injured).
Murrayfield not a happy French hunting ground
If France had their way, they would probably choose to head somewhere other than Edinburgh to try to get back on track. Les Bleus have lost five of their last seven matches at Murrayfield, including their last visit for a World Cup warm-up match in August, when they squandered a 21-3 half-time lead to lose 25-21 to the 14-man Scots. Scotland have won three of the last four Six Nations meetings with the French on their own patch.
Darge leads all Glasgow back-row
Scotland have made three personnel changes from the side that won in Wales, with two of them in the back-row, where they are deemed to have a wealth of options. Last weekend it was Edinburgh flankers Luke Crosbie and Jamie Ritchie who started alongside Glasgow’s Matt Fagerson.
This weekend, Gregor Townsend has opted for the “cohesion” of an all-Glasgow back-row, with recently-appointed Rory Darge fit enough to start his first match in six weeks alongside Fagerson, who shifts to blindside, and Jack Dempsey, who is restored at number eight. Ritchie – who captained the team at the World Cup, drops out of the 23 entirely, with the more versatile Andy Christie preferred on the bench.
Another huge test for Kyle Rowe
At this time last year, when the iconic Stuart Hogg was still wearing the number 15 jersey, Kyle Rowe – battling back from an ACL injury and with just one substitute outing for the national team to his name – would have struggled to envisage himself as Scotland’s starting full-back in the Six Nations. Hogg’s retirement plus injuries to Blair Kinghorn and Ollie Smith have paved the way for him to do just that, however.
The 25-year-old Glasgow back – who predominantly operates as a wing – handled his first start superbly in Wales last weekend, and he will be hoping for a repeat performance on Saturday against the highest-calibre opposition he will have faced in his career.
Comments on RugbyPass
Interesting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to comments