Auld Alliance highlights in Scotland
1925: Scotland 25 France 4 (Inverleith):
The opening game of what proved to be a Grand Slam season and Scotland started in style in front of a 20,000 crowd with a seven-try demolition of a team that had beaten them in Paris the previous season. Ian Smith – the glamorous Australian-born wing educated in New Zealand before he moved to Winchester and Oxford University – crossed for four tires, a feat he repeated in the next match against Wales. Another Australian-born wing Johnnie Wallace – he played for both Australia and Scotland – scored twice and went on to score a try in all four Championship matches that season. No.8 Sandy Gillies scored Scotland’s other try while fly-half Yves du Manoir kicked a first half drop-goal for France, then worth four points.
1968: Scotland 6 France 8
Scotland, captained by Pringle Fisher, fancied their chances first up against France but a howling wind made conditions difficult and France were in the groove after playing Romania in a warm-up game just before Christmas. They had designs on their first ever Grand Slam and were in business-like mode. Debutant wing Hamish Keith – he played only one more Test, against Wales two weeks later – scored a fine first half try for Scotland but Bernard Duprat replied for the French who then ground out their 8-6 win with a converted second half try from Andre Campaes. The Camberabero brothers Guy and Lilian – who never lost when playing together for France – kept an iron grip on the game at half-back with their clever kicking game.
1984: Scotland 21 France 12
One of the great days in Scottish rugby history with coach Jim Telfer’s side completing Scotland’s second Grand Slam against a really good French team. The underrated Peter Dods, enjoying his season of all seasons, kicked 17 points for Scotland in a brutal physical encounter which Jim Calder clinched with his side’s only try. Jerome Gallion scored a cracking try for France before half-time and was threatening to take control after the break when he was wiped out by flanker David Leslie who, having done his homework, anticipated a lineout throw over the top to the small French scrum-half.
1986: Scotland 18 France 17
A memorable win against, on paper, one of the strongest-ever France sides and also a notable changing of the guard for Scottish rugby. This was the day that Scotland gave debuts to six players and four of them proved to be modern day greats – Gavin and Scott Hastings, David Sole and Finlay Calder. The other two were wing Matt Duncan and lock Jamie Campbell Lamerton. Big Gav announced his arrival on the Test scene with six booming penalties in a cracking match in which France scored two tries through Philippe Sella and Pierre Berbizier and Guy Laporte added two penalties and a drop-goal. The observant among you will notice that under today’s scoring system France would have sneaked the win.
1996: Scotland 19 France 14
This game was slap in the middle of a classic run of Scotland-France fixtures. The year before Scotland had won in Paris when the Toonie flip (that back of the hand pass by Gregor Townsend) sent Gavin Hastings away under the posts and later that year France scored a late try from Emile N’tamack to win their World Cup match. Tension was high, but Scotland – with Rob Wainwright and Bryan Redpath to the fore – surprised France by virtually playing Sevens from the kick-off in one of the most electric starts ever seen at Murrayfield. When play settled it was Michael Dods – brother of Peter and similarly underrated – who made the headlines by scoring all Scotland’s points with two tries and three penalties.
1998: Scotland 10 France 51
Payback time for France from two years earlier with France putting a strong-looking Scotland side to the sword with seven tries – two from old silver fox himself Philippe Bernat-Salles, left, and one apiece from Olivier Brouzet, Christian Califano, Philippe Carbonneau, Thomas Castaignede and Marc Lievremont. The only blow Scotland were able to land was a try from Tony Stanger. Yet it’s funny what a difference a year can make. Twelve months later Scotland travelled to Paris for their first game at the Stade de France and scored five tries in a 20 minute period in the first half to herald a stunning 36-22 win.