SCRUM HAS TO COME UP TO SCRATCH

WINNING internationals often comes down to small margins. France created that winning margin through their big, bruising pack, but it was not until the last quarter of the game that Guy Noves’ side took advantage of their edge in the scrum. This is the second week in a row Scotland have come out second best at scrum time, which is an indication of the quality of the opposition more than a weakness in the Scotland pack. I would have liked the front row to lower the height of the scrum by sinking their hips preengagement and make the bigger French front row scrummage at a height they weren’t comfortable at — or risk hitting down, which increases the chance of conceding a penalty. That being said, No1 to No8 in the French ranks were outstanding and for a set of big men, they got around the park incredibly well. The French looked to offload and promote the ball right from the start although at times I thought they would have been better using their size and hard running forwards to keep the ball for longer periods in the hope of grinding the Scottish defence down. Scotland can take heart from their display, especially after losing a number of key players early in the match. They were patched-up, but incredibly dogged in defence. You could see from the disappointment in the Scotland players’ faces that they came to win in France — and believed they would. This Scottish team is not going to go down without a fight, a message that England, Italy and Wales would do well to heed when the Six Nations returns in a fortnight.