SIX NATIONS SPECIAL
Former Scots forward Johnnie Beattie’s lowdown on the French
SCOTLAND international Johnnie Beattie joined Montpellier from Glasgow Warriors in 2012 before moving to Castres and then Bayonne in 2016. After three seasons there, he retired earlier this year at the age of 34. He still lives with his family in France.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has consulted with him and Racing 92 fly-half Finn Russell in the build-up to the French game to tap into their knowledge of Les Bleus.
Beattie gave Sportsmail the ultimate lowdown on the strengths and weaknesses of the French side, plus its head coach Fabien Galthie and his coaching staff.
Fabien Galthie (head coach)
Fabien was my coach at Montpellier and is the best technical coach I’ve ever worked with.
He is an incredible attack coach and very good on blitz defence, using tactics that he copied from Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards when they were at Wales and the British and Irish Lions.
He wasn’t great at manmanagement and wasn’t shy when it came to criticising you.
Maybe this French team hasn’t seen that side of him as they have won their first three games and there hasn’t been much for him to criticise.
This is the first time in a decade that France have had a coach of the quality of Galthie and they have Edwards now as their defence coach.
He has added a bit of detail, a bit of grit, a bit of determination and a bit of huff and puff we may not have seen from the French defence in the past.
France have gone through a mini revolution over the last six months under the new coaching staff.
It’s great for the French public and it is great for the Six Nations that France are doing well as they are a massive rugby nation.
No1: Jefferson Poirot Bordeaux-Begles
His point of difference is that he is really good over the ball and is almost like another back rower in the side.
He is very quick around the park and a vital part of the French pack but not the best at the scrum. Zander Fagerson could make him suffer at the set-piece.
No2: Julien Marchand Toulouse
One of the unsung heroes of the French side and somebody that maybe not many people in Scotland will know much about.
He has been top class for Toulouse for three or four seasons and has overcome a very bad ACL injury that made him miss the World Cup. He is a great leader with a superb overall skills set.
He is a very powerful guy and he has been a great addition for France during the Six Nations.
No3: Mohamed Haouas Montpellier
He would be one of the men Scotland should target as he could be a weak link. He is inexperienced and gives away lots of penalties for Montpellier.
On the positive side, he is a good athlete. Tight-head is a problem area for France — and I am not sure that Haouas is the long-term solution.
No4: Bernard Le Roux Racing 92
He may be starting in the second row but is equally at home in the back row, too.
He is leading all the tackle stats lists for Racing 92 in France and also in the Six Nations. He is the glue that holds the French pack together.
No5: Paul Willemse Montpellier
Adds massive bulk to the French pack. He is dynamic and hard to stop from five metres out. A big, powerful ball carrier who can cause Scotland problems.
No6: Francois Cros Toulouse
Leads the line-out alongside Richie Gray at Toulouse. He is a very good all-round athlete who gets around the park well and can cause Scotland problems.
He is not very experienced and won the first of his five caps against Scotland in the World Cup warm-up just last August.
No7: Charles Ollivon Toulon
The French captain reminds me of the great Olivier Magne, who was a superb flanker in his day. Ollivon came through the Bayonne Academy before moving to Toulon.
He is a young guy who has struggled with injuries in the past but who has been in fantastic form in this Six Nations.
He started the tournament with a bang, with two tries in the first game against England and another against Italy. And remember he is still only 26.
No8: Gregory Alldritt La Rochelle
His family have strong Scottish links and his brother Scott plays for Stewart’s Melville.
He is the pretender to the throne left by the superb Louis Picamoles. He is a big, physical ball carrier who really challenges defences.
No9: Antoine Dupont Toulouse
Probably the best scrum-half in the world just now. I played with Antoine at Castres when he came through as an 18-year-old. What a talent.
He is enthusiastic and very good at controlling the game. He can step off both feet, defends really well and can cause mayhem whoever he plays against.
No10: Romain Ntamack Toulouse
He has shown a new level of maturity in the Six Nations. He had won the Under-20 World Cup with France earlier in his career and is one of the best tens in world rugby. Under the tutelage of Fabien Galthie, he has become a worldclass player at the age of just 20. He can step off both feet and is exciting to watch.
No11: Gael Fickou Stade Francais
Seems he has been around forever but is still only 25. A wonderful athlete who breaks tackles easily and finishes off everything for Stade Francais. He has played 54 times and scored nine tries for France.
No12: Arthur Vincent Montpellier
This has been his breakthrough
season at Montpellier and he is a very physical player.
With Wesley Fofana now retired, the door is open for him to keep the starting jersey for a long time to come.
He is not the finished article and sometimes is caught ball watching in defence, so when Scotland attack, there might be some gaps.
A talented guy and part of the next generation but a player who still has his flaws.
No13: Virimi Vakatawa Racing 92
Plays outside Finn Russell at Racing 92 and probably the most dangerous player on the park.
He is that good. New Zealand born but brought up in Fiji, he qualifies for France through residency.
He came through the French sevens circuit into the national team. He breaks tackles for fun and his offloads have created some great tries for club and country. France did well to get him in their ranks.
No14: Damian Penaud Clermont Auvergne
He is a winger who can play equally well at full-back. A very talented runner with ball in hand.
He is very quick for a man of his size and has been ripping it up for Clermont for two or three seasons and been man of the match for his club side in many of their Heineken Champions Cup games this season.
No15: Anthony Bouthier Montpellier
He started in the third tier of French rugby four years ago for Vannes before moving to Montpellier in the summer.
A natural talent but he struggles with decision-making at times and any indecision has to be pounced on by Scotland.