Fan’s View: Herculean effort required for Scots to beat resurgent French

This feeling is all too familiar. The thought process is along these lines every year, pretty much: “We should have beaten Ireland…”. 
“We could have beaten England...”. “Why have Wales got so many British Lions, they aren’t that good”.

Romain Ntamack, right, is a genuine talent and a potential danger man for France. Picture: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

But Scotland’s Six Nations record does not lie. Should haves and could haves are also now concomitant with this current Scotland set-up. Should have beaten England last year…er, no, because Scotland were appalling in the first half and gave away an easy seven-pointer at the death.

Could have beaten Japan at the Rugby World Cup (RWC)…er, no, because Japan were far better coached, more tactically astute, very skilful and executed beautifully.

Scotland have got what they deserved in every game they have not won. Which is every big game.

So, France. Thank goodness there is a team that is good to watch in this year’s championship. It has been a bang average tournament and that is over-egging it somewhat. But I guess this is what you get in year one of a four-year RWC build cycle.

Power up front and flair across the back line: what is not to like? Compare this immature French team to the previous two, more matured, Six Nations winners and you will see styles of rugby football that are poles apart. Always, enormous respect must go to any Grand Slam-winning side, but Ireland in 2018 and Wales in 2019 were both a hard watch. Effective, yes, easy on the eye, no.

This is not the case with this French side, who did extremely well to see off Wales in Cardiff in the previous round. Some of the rugby they played was like the France we remember in the old days. Fearless, off the cuff stuff, making the ball work. The win in Cardiff, one feels, was an important one for this young ambitious side. It was the first French victory in the Welsh capital since 2010.

Romain Ntamack, only aged 20 and playing at stand-off, is no doubt a genuine talent. It would have been something to watch on Sunday at Murrayfield, the young man pitting his wits against Scotland’s own sorcerer, Finn Russell. The French pack is laden with power not least in 21st 6lbs lock forward Paul Willemse. The bench is also strong. Scotland will have to be absolutely on top of their game, with France not so, to win this match. Even then it is hard to make a case for a home win.

France have, however, faded markedly in each of their games thus far, ceding late points, giving Fabien Galthie, Raphael Ibanez and Co a nervous time of it in the closing stages. But this French team is defending smarter and not capitulating.

The last French win in Edinburgh was in 2014. Stuart Hogg scored a try in a 17-19 loss. Hogg is the only player out of the Scotland 23-man squad from that day who is involved on Sunday. If Scotland are to turnover this resurgent French team he will have to feature heavily on the scoresheet and his team-mates will have to put in a Herculean shift.