Paris: France secured their seventh Six Nations title in a dominant 35-16 victory over Scotland on Saturday, delivering a commanding performance at the Stade de France. Les Bleus, often labeled as perennial runners-up, erased any doubts with an electrifying display, matching England’s number of titles since Italy joined the championship in 2000.
The French squad showcased their attacking prowess throughout the tournament, amassing 30 tries in a thrilling campaign. Their only setback came in a narrow 26-25 defeat against England at Twickenham, but Fabien Galthie’s side rebounded emphatically. They dismantled Italy and overcame Ireland despite the absence of their inspirational captain, Antoine Dupont, who was sidelined due to injury.
Clinical Second-Half Performance
On Saturday, France shifted into another gear after halftime, securing the win with tries from Yoram Moefana (2), Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and Thomas Ramos. Ramos, who also contributed with kicks, made history by becoming France’s all-time record points scorer. Scotland showed resilience, with Darcy Graham crossing the try line and Finn Russell adding points from the boot, but they ultimately fell short against the relentless French attack.
For Galthie, this marks his second Six Nations title since taking charge in 2020, having previously led France to glory in 2022. Les Bleus finished the tournament with 21 points, with England securing the runner-up spot in the standings.
Following their heartbreaking 29-28 loss to South Africa in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on home soil, France’s triumph provided a much-needed boost.
“It’s a relief to win after two years seeing the others lift trophies,” said Ramos. “There was a lot of stress at the beginning of the game. The halftime break did us good.”
Galthie acknowledged Scotland’s resilience, stating, “It was a very difficult game, it’s not a scenario we had anticipated. But the team reacted well and we won scoring four tries again.”
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend remained optimistic about his team’s progress despite the defeat. “We created things and the effort was there until the 80th minute,” he said. “There’s a lot to be proud of and a lot to build on, our best moments came in defeats, against England and France.”
Dominant Forward Play Secures Victory
While celebrations erupted at the Stade de France, Les Bleus truly found their rhythm in the second half, once again utilizing their powerful forwards to break down a spirited but limited Scottish side.
Despite being sidelined, Dupont remained with the squad, and the mercurial scrumhalf received the loudest cheers as he watched from the stands.
France started brightly. Gael Fickou’s piercing run through the midfield set up Moefana for an early try while Scotland were temporarily reduced to 14 men after Jamie Ritchie received a yellow card. However, France faced a setback when Peato Mauvaka was sin-binned for head-butting Ben White. The hooker breathed a sigh of relief when the sanction remained a yellow card rather than an upgrade to red.
Ramos added a penalty from close range, surpassing Frederic Michalak’s record of 436 points for France. He now holds 450 career points for Les Bleus.
Scotland responded as Graham capitalized on Russell’s clever inside pass to touch down, with Russell converting and adding a penalty to level the score. France’s Jean-Baptiste Gros was sent off for 10 minutes, but Ramos restored the lead with a penalty just before the break.
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Scotland came close to another try when Tom Jordan finished off a superb Blair Kinghorn break, but the TMO ruled that Kinghorn had stepped into touch before offloading.
Bielle-Biarrey further cemented his place in the record books, scoring a championship-record eighth try in a single campaign after being set up by Romain Ntamack’s blistering run. Galthie then deployed his forward reinforcements, and Scotland crumbled under the pressure.
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Ramos finished off another rolling maul to cross the line, while Moefana bulldozed past Russell after a slick offload from Fickou, securing the bonus-point victory.
France’s triumph not only cements their status as Six Nations champions but also reinforces their resurgence as one of the world’s premier rugby teams.
