Scotland fell to a home RBS Six Nations defeat against a superior French side at Murrayfield.
Chris Paterson, earning his 99th cap, put Scotland ahead with an early penalty, but the French scored through Mathieu Bastareaud’s try. Paterson reduced the gap with another penalty but then as the first half was coming to an end the supreme Imanol Harinordoquy who had been involved in the first try released Bastareaud for his second Parra slotted the conversion to take us in at 6-15 Half time.
With the power of the French we all expected them to run away with the game in the second half, but stout Scots defence meant the game fizzled out with just a penalty to each side and the final score of:
Scotland 9-18 France
Scorers
Scotland
Pens: Paterson 3
France
Tries: Bastareaud 2 Con: Parra Pens: Parra 2
Team
Scotland: Paterson, Evans, Evans, Morrison, S Lamont, Godman, Cusiter (Captain); Dickinson, Ford, Low, Nathan Hines, Kellock, Brown, Barclay, Beattie.
Replacements: Southwell for Godman (51), Jacobsen for Low (51), Low for Dickinson (70), S Lawson for Ford (65), Gray for Hines (68).
Not used: A MacDonald, A Grove.
France: Poitrenaud, Fall, Bastareaud, Jauzion, Rougerie, Trinh-Duc, Parra; Domingo, Servat, Mas, Nallet, Pape, Dusautoir (captain), Fulgence Ouedraogo, Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Clerc for Rougerie (4), Ducalcon for Mas (45), Szarzewski for Servat (50), Pierre for Pape (65), Bonnaire for Dusautoir (66), Marty for Bastareaud (71), Michalak for Parra (71).
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Attendance: 65,687