The Blues, on their way to the Grand Slam before kick-off, had to face the elements contrary to Murrayfield, and were largely beaten (28-17). They first lost the hooker Camille Chat during the warm-up before seeing their opener Romain Ntamack leave the lawn very early on concussion protocol to never see him again.
Deprived of attack balls by Scots who had targeted dynamiters Antoine Dupont and Virimi Wakatawa, the French team, very penalized (7 penalties conceded in the first period, 10 after 50 minutes and 11 in the end), was generally in great difficulty.
The three quarters
We expected a lot from the first tenure of Damian Penaud, but the Clermontois had a quiet start before concluding the first major movement of the Blues (34th). More discreet thereafter. Virimi Vakatawa's sharp races were systematically stopped by Scots who had identified Racingman as the main threat. Anthony Bouthier, solid at the foot, lacked efficiency in his defensive climb on the second Scottish test (47th). Sharper after the break. Gaël Fickou and Arthur Vincent were on the rewinder before getting their heads out of the water in the second half.
Anthony Bouthier: 4 - Damien Penaud: 5 - Virimi Vakatawa: 4 - Arthur Vincent: 4 - Gaël Fickou: 3
The half
Cardiff man Romain Ntamack didn't start the game the best way. The opener first missed a penalty (3rd) before missing the reception of a candle and going out on concussion protocol (8th). Replaced by Matthieu Jalibert, directly at work with a good breakthrough (14th). But the Bordeaux is guilty in defense on the first Scottish test. Good at it, he sometimes seemed distraught when launching the game of the Blues. Antoine Dupont, disturbed by the rapid climbs of the Scots did not weigh as much on the part before adapting and finding the diagonal at the foot for the Penaud test (33rd). He came out injured (shoulder) and is already forfeited in a week.
Romain Ntamack: not rated - Matthieu Jalibert: 3 - Antoine Dupont: 5
The forwards
By excess of commitment François Cros almost left the XV of France to 14. Fortunately the Blues have conceded only three points during their numerical inferiority. In the second line, Bernard le Roux felled his work from the usual shade but his compatriot Paul Willemse experienced more waste.
In melee, the pack did not show as much to its advantage as during the first matches of the Tournament. Julien Marchand and Jefferson Poirot suffered in the first scrum before making good adjustments. Mohamed Haouas, upset by his counterpart Shuterland was punished with two broken arms before being excluded (37th) for a punch on Jamie Ritchie. Excellent during the first three games of the Tournament, the Montpellier pillar will miss the last against Ireland.
Captain Charles Ollivon distinguished himself by his all-terrain defensive activity before entering his fourth attempt at the Tournament. It is the best test marker for the Blues in the competition.
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Ollivon (cap.): 6 - Alldritt 6 - Cros 2 - Willemse 3 - Le Roux 4 - Haouas 2 - Marchand 5 - Poirot 5