Scots joy as Six Nations classic goes right to wire
THE 2021 Six Nations, staged against the odds in the depths of a Covid lockdown, continued to deliver right up to the sixth minute of added time in the last game with a sensational Scotland victory which rounded off a promising tournament for Gregor Townsend’s team.
It’s hard to think of a more entertaining and dramatic Six Nations in modern times and this was another close-fought classic that went right to the wire.
Scotland’s win did, of course, leave Wales as the worthy champions, a fine achievement we celebrate elsewhere, but this was a rugby occasion in its own right and a massive confidence-boosting victory for Scotland, their first in Paris since 1999.
This season is also the first time the Scots have won games in Paris and Twickenham since 1926 and underlines the impression that finally Scotland are going places.
This is tangible, something real for Scotland fans to get excited about and arguably one of the best fourth places in history. Warren Gatland will be pleased as well. Unlike 2017 there will be more than three Scots on this summer’s Lions tour.
In difficult but not impossible wet conditions it was a gutsy and skilful effort, and the joy of victory was only tinged a little by what might have
been. Looking back the game against Wales was the one that definitely got away, with Scotland seemingly bossing most of the match only to lose 25-24 at the death and they also had opportunities to beat Ireland last week before going down 27-24. As somebody tweeted, but for another six points it would have been a Scottish Grand Slam!
They will take this win though which finally came after a remorseless attack lasting over four minutes after Brice Dulin had unaccountably failed to kick the ball dead soon after the game went into added time.
The Scots had backed themselves throughout the game and went off in search of the spoils with
over 20 phases – forwards interlinking, short pick and goes, powerful bursts from Chris Harris and Stuart Hogg – before finally replacement Adam Hastings threw a long pass to the left where Duhan van Merwe, who is proving something of a try machine for the Scots, stepped inside Damián Penaud.
Hastings completed the celebrations with an excellent if academic touchline conversion with his teammates already celebrating back on the halfway line. Job done.
For France it was a tough, character-building night, a game in which they never came to terms with what was required. In tricky, slippery conditions and chasing a try bonus win of 20 points or more, they tried to play far too much rugby from the off while Scotland, through the boot of skipper Hogg and Finn Russell, kicked long and intelligently.
Other than an early opening penalty from Romain Ntamack it was all Scotland in the opening quarter and if they appeared to get a little lucky with their first try from Van der Merwe, who seemed to make a double movement as he scrambled over the line, they were good value for a 10-3 lead after 20 minutes with Russell also adding a penalty.
France did belatedly start to play with a little bit more thought and precision and worked their way back into the game with a second Ntamack penalty and a try from Brice Dulin on 35 minutes after Antoine Dupont had thrown a long pass out to Penaud who stepped inside a very poor attempted tackle from Van der Merwe to feed his full-back for the score.
As half-time approached France enjoyed their one period of true ascendency but they didn’t capitalise. Hogg had been belatedly yellow carded after Scotland’s
11th penalty of the half – at one stage they coughed up six straight penalties in their own 22 but Wayne Barnes had been strangley lenient – and on the stroke of halftime France pumped the ball into touch from a lineout five metres out rather than taking the three points on offer.
They wanted more but a poor long throw went awry and Scotland gratefully kicked dead. Scotland trailed by just three points with everything to play for.
France enjoyed one more decent spell straight after the break and this time scored a cracker after Dulin had initiated an attack and Virimi
Vakatawa – power walking to borrow Benjamin Keyser’s memorable phrase – made progress down the right before a back of the hand off-load to Penaud. The big wing chipped ahead at pace and rode an illegal tackle off the ball to score.
A contentious one this. Chronologically it was a penalty try before a try and France would have much preferred the automatic conversion from the illegal tackle on Penaud before his momentum saw him slide through and touch down. Barnes though opted for the try and France missed the tricky conversion. Such is life.
After that it was nip and tuck all the way. Russell kicked a simple penalty and replacement hooker David Cherry barged over for a try which gave the scots a 20-18 lead.
Back came France with second row Swan Rebbadj diving over after a long period of pressure but again Ntamack, not enjoying his best game, was wayward with the conversion.
As the final whistle approached France were nearing a rather fortuitous win but the Scots were having none of it. The opportunities to win in Paris are so rare you must dig deep when they present themselves – and that’s exactly what they did.