Following Scotland’s narrow 25-21 victory over France in the Rugby World Cup warm-up, here are our five takeaways from an enthralling encounter.
Sluggish Scottish start
It was a nightmarish start from Scotland as their largely first-choice XV stumbled out of the blocks.
Finn Russell opened the scoring with an early penalty, but from there, it was all downhill for the first 40 minutes.
The adage that ‘a kick is only as good as its chase’ rings true for the opening score as Louis Bielle-Biarrey had unprecedented time to assess his options before flinging the ball out to Emilien Gailleton. He linked up with his teammate again as France hit the lead, with Baptiste Couilloud running an Antoine Dupont-esque support line off the shoulder of Matthieu Jalibert to round off the score. It was a bad kick but, in no way, assisted by the poor chase.
Bielle-Biarrey punished the lazy Scottish defence again when he darted down the short side off a pass from Jalibert with Russell and Hamish Watson far too slow on their fold.
🔪 Louis Bielle-Biarrey slices through the Scotland defence for a try on debut! #SCOvFRA pic.twitter.com/CEIjHyJiui
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 5, 2023
The final nail in the coffin in the first period was Pierre Schoeman failing to get into a decent position on the side of the ruck and effectively pulling Cameron Woki over the line for Les Bleus’ final first-half try.
Scotland looked far sharper and more accurate in the second half, and Gregor Townsend and his coaching staff will hope that the first 40 minutes was merely a blip due to a lack of battle-hardened time on the pitch.
Questions and answers for France
It was clear from the outset that Fabien Galthie was giving several players the opportunity to prove themselves ahead of his Rugby World Cup squad announcement.
Young flyer Bielle-Biarrey and centre Gailleton certainly gave Galthie something to ponder over. At the same time, locks Woki and Bastien Chalureau look to have cemented themselves in the squad with solid outings.
Staying with the positives and Pierre Bourgarit looks settled as the third hooker and scrum-half Couilloud put in a tidy performance that will likely see him picked ahead of Baptiste Serin in the final 33.
On the flip side, Demba Bamba struggled in the scrum against Schoeman, while Sekou Macalou proved to be a threat over the ball; however, he missed tackles he really shouldn’t have.
While Scotland were on top for most of the time he was on the pitch, the coaching staff will be happy to see Arthur Vincent back in action.
Surrendering a 21-3 lead will be a concern for any coach, but the defeat will have left Galthie with more answers than questions, which is a big part of the warm-up matches.
Concerns over Ben White and Zander Fagerson
Rugby World Cup warm-up matches are odd fixtures for Northern Hemisphere sides as they are there to shake off the rust and allow for fringe players to claim the last few spots in the side.
It’s this time of the rugby calendar every four years when we hold our collective breath for players who have suffered an injury in the warm-up games.
For Ben White, it does not look promising that he will recover in time for the Rugby World Cup in one month’s time, with his right ankle heavily strapped as he limped down the tunnel.
The tackle from Bielle-Biarrey was high, but it wasn’t that contact that did for White, with the scrum-half’s ankle seemingly trapped as the France wing made the hit.
One hopes it’s not curtains for Scotland’s first choice number nine, as it’s sickening to see moments like this that end World Cup dreams.
Unfortunately, it won’t be the last moment over the coming warm-up weekends where we’re feeling sympathy for the player’s fate. Such a cruel sport sometimes.
Meanwhile, Scotland will be sweating over the overcome of Zander Fagerson’s ban after his red card for his attempted clear out on Bourgarit.
He picked up a four-match ban for a similar clear-out in 2021, and a suspension of the same length would rule him out of the Rugby World Cup opener against South Africa.
A massive blow for Scotland as Fagerson is the first-choice tighthead, a crucial position, particularly against the Springboks.
Scotland fight for the victory
The second-half performance will give Scotland fans and the coaching staff some hope.
In stark contrast to their first 40 minutes, Townsend’s side came steaming out the blocks with Darcy Graham dotting down just minutes after the break.
Even after going down a man, Scotland continued to dominate proceedings as further tries from Schoeman and Dave Cherry put them ahead.
The defensive effort was also far superior in the second half, particularly when France were chasing a late score.
They shunted the French maul towards the try line and kept applying the pressure before Rory Darge came up with the turnover to seal Scotland’s second-biggest-ever comeback.
Any team that hopes to be successful at a World Cup needs to have some dog in them and grind out a victory when they are not playing well, and Scotland achieved that today.
While Townsend’s side is renowned for their attacking brilliance with their brilliant backs, it was the forwards that got them over the line today, literally.
🏴 Scotland lead thanks to this Dave Cherry crossing. #SCOvFRApic.twitter.com/kkJRhiRhgE
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 5, 2023
This may not have been the first choice France forward pack, but it was by no means a poor one. The likes of Paul Willemse, Woki, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Reda Wardi and Peato Mauvaka are near-nailed-on squad members of the World Cup squad.
A thriller awaits us next week
A game of two halves today, but next weekend is set to be an 80-minute thriller.
France are set to make wholesale changes once again as they ramp up their preparations for a home World Cup.
For Scotland, the game will give them a fantastic barometer as to how they are tracking for the tournament.
They will be keen to put the first 40 minutes at Murrayfield behind him and prove that they can put together a tidy performance against a stacked Les Bleus side.
After a game of two halves, both sides will be eager to bounce back and go hammer and tong at one another in the return fixture.
READ MORE: Scotland come from 18 points down to stun Rugby World Cup hosts France
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