Preview: Scotland v France
February 05 2010
France will head to Murrayfield on Sunday as the overwhelming favourites to start their Six Nations campaign off with a win over Scotland.
It seem like an obvious statement, but all the Six Nations coaches have reiterated how the opening match can set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
"The teams that are playing at home will be looking to set their marker down and win their games," said Scotland coach Andy Robinson in the tournament build-up.
"Too often in the last three years, Scotland have lost that first match and the impact of losing that first match and the way that it's happened has affected the rest of the tournament."
Never was a truer word spoken.
If France are live up to their status as title hopefuls, a comfortable win in Edinburgh is a non-negotiable. In 2008 Marc Lièvremont got his coaching career off to a winning start in Scotland with six new debutantes in his matchday 22 only for the Tricolor campaign to lose momentum later on as the French selection policy seemed more like a game of musical chairs.
Two years on, Les Bleus have a far more settled look about them. This time there can be no excuses for failing to build on a winning start...assuming they win.
Sunday's hosts have not won their opening game since 2006, but, just like in France, a few things have changed in Scotland. Robinson has tightened up the too-often error-riddled Scottish modus operandi and Edinburgh's recent win over Stade Français in the Heineken Cup - dull as it was - will certainly add to the confidence of the home team.
The sad truth however is that Scotland's only real hope of success is to make Sunday's encounter another dour occasion. A reliable place-kicker and a solid pack can win Scotland games if they keep it tight enough, as Australia found out in November (that's a reliable place-kicker on Scotland's team anyway - ed.).
But if good kicking could be Scotland's solution, poor kicking will almost certainly be their downfall. A new-look French back three of Clement Poitrenaud, Benjamin Fall and Aurélien Rougerie indicates that France will not be repeating Stade Français' mistake of simply hoofing the ball back.
Poitrenaud is as unpredictable as they come, Rougerie is six foot four inches of pure counter-attacking class and Fall is being hailed as the next great French wing - not a status easily dished out.
Dangerous as the Tricolor backline looks - and the physical midfield presence of Mathieu Bastareaud and Yannick Jauzion is sure to cause some damage - it's the French pack Scotland must be wary off. Not too many teams can bully the Springboks, but that's exactly what the likes of Imanol Harinordoquy did in November.
Of course, one can't mention that win over the World champs without mentioning the drubbing France received at the hands of New Zealand two weeks later. The common theme in the French press this week has been the need for an end to Les Bleus' yo-yo form if they are going to be trophy contenders in major competitions.
As one prominent French player aid this week, "the World Cup starts on Sunday." So does France's search for consistency.
Players to watch:
For Scotland: While the cameras will be focussing on the Evans brothers, take a moment to watch the hard graft being done by Nathan Hines. The 'old' war horse will be toiling away in the engine room against some familiar foes. Four years at Perpignan mean that Hines is no stranger to the rigours of French-style rucking and mauling. With veteran campaigners Lionel Nallet and Pascal Papé packing down in the opposition second row, Hines' experience will be invaluable.
For France: Most eyes will be on centre Mathieu Bastareaud as he makes his return to international rugby but don't expect too many surprises from the human wrecking ball. Instead cast your glance a little further back to find another player making a international comeback. Capable of mixing the outrageously brilliant with the horrendously awful, Toulouse full-back Clement Poitrenaud can win you a game as quick as he can lose it for you. Poitrenaud has not played Test rugby since last February when he put in an uninspired performance against...Scotland. However he's been back at his game-breaking best for Toulouse. Will he have the confidence to translate that form onto the international stage?
Head-to-head: Look out for the battle between two young props out to seize their chance on the big stage. Moray Low and Thomas Domingo were born just three months apart. They made their Test debuts two weeks apart. Both have five Test caps and will quite literally come head-to-head at scrum time on Sunday. Euan Murray's departure from Glasgow allowed Low to step into the limelight at club level and now Murray's unwillingness to play on a Sunday has given Low another chance to shine. Fabien Barcella's knee injury has given a similar opportunity to Clermont tighthead Domingo. The 25-year-olds have promising careers ahead of them and with nothing to lose and everything to gain in Edinburgh, expect them to tear into each other.
Previous results:
2009: France won 22-13 at Stade de France, Paris
2008: France won 27-6 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2007: France won 46-19 at Stade de France, Paris
2006: Scotland won 20-16 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2005: France won 16-9 at Stade de France, Paris
2004: France won 31-0 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2003: France won 51-9 at Stadium Australia, Sydney (RWC)
2003: France won 38-3 at Stade de France, Paris
2002: France won 22-10 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2001: France won 16-6 at Stade de France, Paris
2000: France won 28-16 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Prediction: France are missing one third of the team that beat the Springboks in November but their starting XV doesn't seem significantly weaker. On paper at least, it's tough to see how Scotland could beat les Bleus. France to win by eight points.
The teams:
Scotland: 15 Chris Paterson, 14 Thom Evans, 13 Max Evans, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Chris Cusiter (c), 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Moray Low, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements:16 Scott Lawson, 17 Allan Jacobsen, 18 Richie Gray, 19 Alan MacDonald, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Alex Grove, 22 Hugo Southwell.
France:15 Clement Poitrenaud, 14 Benjamin Fall, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Aurélien Rougerie, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Pascal Pape, 4 Lionel Nallet, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Thomas Domingo.
Replacements: 16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Luc Ducalcon, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Julien Bonnaire, 20 Frederic Michalak, 21 David Marty, 22 Vincent Clerc.
Date:Sunday, 7 February
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off:15:00 GMT
Weather:Cold, but dry. 4 deg C. White cloud cover. No wind worth mentioning.
Referee:Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Chris White (England) and Tim Hayes (Wales)
Television match officials: Geoff Hughes (England)
By Ross Hastie