Scotland 9 - 18 France: Mathieu Bastareaud's clinical scores give France the platform

Published on Sunday 7 February 2010 23:21

TWO first-half tries simply fashioned by France and finished by Mathieu Bastareaud brought redemption for the young Frenchmen and piled agony on Andy Robinson's start to the RBS Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield yesterday.

&#149 Agreat try-scoring opportunity goes a begging early on at Murrayfield as Johnnie Beattie is met by Lional Nallet

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Bastareaud was making his return to the team after being suspended through the autumn in response to his faking of an assault during France's tour to New Zealand in June, which sparked a diplomatic incident and brought shame on French rugby. However, the manner with which the 21-year-old supplied the finish to incisive French running, claiming his first international tries, ensured he was the toast of France last night as it pushed his side into a commanding 15-6 half-time lead which Scotland never looked capable of hauling back in.

The finishing was a crucial difference between the sides, but it was far from the only one in an 80-minute show that has given Robinson and his coaching team a stark reality check around just how much work they have to do to challenge the Six Nations title-chasers.

The scrummage was under pressure at key times in the game with Nicholas Mas and William Servat giving Alasdair Dickinson a torrid time, and it says something about the Scots front row's determination that they never lost one against the head, while Lionel Nallet, Pascal Pape and Imanol Harinordoquy worked well in the lineout so that even when Scotland di well, notably with throws over the back, their ball was often too scrappy for half-backs Chris Cusiter and Phil Godman to feel comfortable.

That was in contrast to their opponents Morgan Parra and Francois Trinh-Duc, who were able to shape the game to suit their strengths from a reliable set-piece.

There were some good performances from a clutch of Scots, notably Johnnie Beattie, the No 8, as a strong attacking presence always looking for an off-load, his back row colleagues Kelly Brown and John Barclay in the battles for possession, and both wings Sean Lamont and Thom Evans had their moments in defence and attack, stopping good French breaks with fine tackles and Lamont twice opening up the French defence with superb quick feet and pace across the ground. But, there rose up in the Murrayfield gloom the great divide between the teams – their respective abilities to turn promise into tries. France were not at their world-class best, but they were always better than Scotland.

They instinctively view a line-break as the mere starting point, the spark that calls the team to arms and builds momentum, whereas Scotland still lack either the skills, the intelligence or simply enough players on the same wavelength to make their line-breaks any more than momentary flashes of excitement. They remain ends in themselves, but without the end that matters – a try.

Scotland had only ever won their opening match once in the decade of Six Nations, against France in 2006, but when Aurelien Rougerie, the big Clermont winger, was forced off after just four minutes having come off worst in tackles with Brown and Beattie there might have been memories of 11 years ago when France lost Thomas Castaignede in the opening minutes and Scotland went on to claim a glorious victory in Paris.

But, the next 76 minutes brought us back to the reality that this Scottish team does not share that attacking flair and this French team is further on in its development. Max Evans sparked hope early with an interception of Trinh-Duc's pass, and Moray Low and Ross Ford drove the French back to their line, but Scotland had to make do with three points from a Chris Paterson penalty for reward.

Thom Evans superbly denied Vincent Clerc the first try in the 11th minute, Brown having tap-tackled the winger and Evans then holding him up over the line after a sublime shift of attack to the left by the French, but the opening score was coming.

Harinordoquy, the veteran No 8 and eventual man-of-the-match, twice attacked the Scottish line in the 15th minute, and sucked in enough defenders that when half-backs Parra and Trinh-Duc quickly passed wide right Scotland had run out of cover and Bastareaud had an easy run-in from ten metres. It was a shockingly easy try that must have had Scots defence coach Graham Steadman dropping his head in his hands.

Scotland were still in the game at this point with a long lineout launching Brown on a good run, and Godman's delicate skills releasing Beattie charging into the French 22, as the home players proved they did have the creativity to open up France's defence. But Beattie's off-load to Cusiter was fumbled and the French scrambled superbly as they did all game to shut the door on follow-ups. Scotland then started to gift possession back to France. Godman had a kick charged down on halfway – only a last-ditch tackle by Lamont denied Trinh-Duc a try from it – the fly-half was nearly dispossessed inside his half and then Max Evans lost ball to Bastareaud in the tackle which killed stone dead the optimism from a good Scottish scrum and attack over halfway.

Parra nudged France further ahead with a penalty and while Paterson responded, after another great Lamont run, to lift Scots hopes, Bastareaud then crushed them with his second score seven minutes from the break.

The French attacked wide across the pitch from a ruck on the right, sumptuously outflanking the Scottish defence, and while Brown slid down off the powerful centre and Godman bought his dummy five metres from the line there was an inevitability about the way Bastareaud glided to his second try.

Scotland were struggling to keep their hands on the ball and relied on fine defence from Brown to stop Yannick Jauzion, so there was a sense of relief when Cusiter cleared the ball into the East Stand to bring an end to a half in which they had spent the vast majority nearer their line than France's.

But there was no respite on the return as Godman kicked straight to touch and Harinordoquy launched another flowing attack that brought the Frenchmen many more yards than they should have. Only this time Bastareaud fluffed his lines with a knock-on inside the home 22. Parra did convert another penalty and Paterson again responded in kind, 13 minutes into the half, but France were growing more comfortable and controlling as the second half continued and a missed drop-goal by Trinh-Duc brought relief to the home side. Robinson sent on Hugo Southwell at full-back in a bid to use his big left boot to get the ball into the French half, Paterson shifting to stand-off and Godman coming off, while Allan Jacobsen also replaced Moray Low, meaning a switch for Alasdair Dickinson, but there was little change to the pattern of the game and every move into French territory was too easily repelled.

Murrayfield resounded to the French beat on the field and off, La Marseillaise ringing around the stadium, and another dominant scrum handed Parra a chance to extend the French lead, but he sent his kick across the posts.

Cusiter, the Scottish captain, worked hard to lift his troops, as did vice-skipper Al Kellock, and Beattie succeeded with a great break from a melee which ended in a thumping clash with Benjamin Fall, while Lamont and Max Evans both threatened with excellent bursts. But, again, crucially, the support was not sharp enough in the face of fine defence to move the scoreboard.

There was no doubting the unstinting determination and physicality among the Scotland team, typified by Low, back on for the injured Dickinson, in great, bullocking charges, but Scots in the ascendancy were lone figures amidst the blue-shirted French and the gulf in skills and accuracy between the sides only widened as the skies darkened above Edinburgh.

For all the good signs, Scotland have much to improve to threaten tries and victory. This is not a development championship, but the Six Nations, and this performance joins the others in the waste-bin of failed starts.

The 2010 squad and coaches have six days to put it right and produce in the cauldron of the Millennium Stadium or Robinson's first tournament with Scotland will quickly start to fall through his fingers, reminiscent of the way the ball did from his players on too many occasions yesterday.

Scorers. Scotland: Pens: Paterson 3. France: Tries: Bastareaud 2. Pens: Parra 2. Con: Parra.

Scotland: C Paterson; T Evans, M Evans, G Morrison, S Lamont; P Godman, C Cusiter; A Dickinson, R Ford, M Low, N Hines, A Kellock, K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie. Subs: H Southwell for Godman, A Jacobsen for Low, both 52mins, S Lawson for Ford 66, R Gray for Hines 68, Low for Dickinson 69.

France: C Pointrenaud; B Fall, M Bastareaud, Y Jauzion, A Rougerie; F Trinh-Duc, M Parra; T Domingo, W Servat, N Mas, L Nallet, P Pape, T Dusautoir (capt), F Ouedraogo, I Harinordoquy. Subs: L Ducalcon for Mas 46, D Szarzewski for Servat 50, J Pierre for Pape 66, J Bonnaire for Dusatoir 67, F Michalak for Parra, D Marty for Bastareaud, both 72.

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More Six Nations match reports:

• England 30 - 17 Wales: Martin Johnson salutes progress after England survive late fightback

• Ireland 29 - 11 Italy: Gordon D'Arcy knows better must come from Ireland

More on Scotland vs France:

• Stuart Bathgate: Robinson requires a creative spark to cause fireworks

• Iain Morrison: Pass marks for efforts but Godman's error-strewn display is thrown into painful relief by tidy Trinh-Duc

• Andy Robinson rues missed opportunities

• Mistakes haunt Scotland captain Cusiter

• France coach praises pack

• Scotland vs France: Player ratings

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