Scots make just two changes for French test

After underperforming against Wales last week in a match they lost by a single point, Scotland know they will have to be at the top of their game tomorrow to have even a modest chance of beating France at Scotstoun.

The French, who beat Shade Munro’s side 55-0 at home in last year’s Six Nations Championship, are currently ranked third in the world and seen as the only serious rivals to England for this year’s title.

Head coach Munro, whose team are ranked 12th, has made just two changes of personnel to the line-up that began the 18-17 loss in Colwyn Bay. Sarah Law starts at scrum-half in place of Jenny Maxwell, who is on the bench, and Lana Skeldon is in at hooker instead of Rachel Malcolm, who moves to blindside flanker. Malcolm’s switch sees Hannah Smith move from No 6 to openside, meaning Louise Mcmillan drops to the bench.

“We’re not in a position to make loads of changes – it’s about them developing as a team and as players,” said Munro after naming his squad to face the French, who beat Ireland 24-0 last week in Toulouse. “There’s nothing to be gained by dropping people and bringing other people in. We don’t have huge resources.

“The challenge is obviously a bigger one than it was against Wales. It’s about [asking] where were we last week, what can we improve on? Let’s put that into practice against France, who yes, are a World Cup semi-finalist, top-four team in the world.

“It’s going to be a different challenge. They’ve got the physicality that Wales have got, and they’ve got the ability to play wide and play through you and kick in behind you that some of the other teams don’t have. There are a lot of challenges.” Despite losing nine players to Gregor Townsend’s Scotland squad, Dave Rennie has still unearthed nine full internationals for the Glasgow starting XV to take on the Dragons in Newport tonight.

There are a few less well known names filling a few jerseys. Ratu Tagive makes his first Pro14 start on one wing, Brandon Thomson, who is a standoff by trade, fills the No 12 shirt while Adam Hastings, pictured, finally gets a chance to show what he can do in the run-on XV in his favoured stand-off position, outside of thelivewirescrummygeorge Horne.

Much is expected of this young half-back pairing and how they cope with playing away from their Scotstoun sanctuary will be closely monitored – not that Rennie has any qualms. The Warriors