It’s top against fourth in the final round of the Six Nations on Saturday as Scotland travel to the Stade de France to face France in the late kick-off.
The French know that victory will see them crowned Six Nations champions for the first time since 2022 but Scotland still have an outside chance of finishing top too.
Scotland need to beat France with a bonus point, surpass them on points difference, and ensure the French don’t earn a bonus point.
Meanwhile, they need the England and Ireland results to go their way too.
It’s complicated and unlikely, but the key point is Scotland will be competitive, making this game more than just a procession.
FRANCE VS SCOTLAND PREVIEW
France go into this game off the back of defeating Ireland 27-42 at the Aviva Stadium. This turned the Six Nations on its head as the Irish were the favourites and league leaders going into this game.
France have only lost once in the Six Nations this season – a 26-25 defeat at the hands of England in round two.
Scotland, meanwhile, have lost twice but go into this game following a morale-boosting 35-29 defeat of Wales at Murrayfield.
France’s only change sees captain Antoine Dupont out through injury, with scrum-half Maxime Lucu coming in to replace him.
Gregor Brown and Matt Fagerson will be introduced to the Scotland side. They replace the benched Jonny Gray and injured Jack Dempsey.
Brown will start in the second row, with Fagerson as prop. Dempsey is out due to a hamstring injury.
FRANCE VS SCOTLAND PREDICTIONS
France Win
France have lost just one of their last 15 Tests in Paris. South Africa beat them by a single point in a 28-29 defeat in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
Scotland Win
The French are not unbeatable, just ask England. In round two, England were clinical in attack and capitalised on uncharacteristic errors to defeat the French 26-25 at Twickenham. If France are similarly sloppy, they could let Scotland in. The Scots also beat them 23-27 in the Six Nations in Paris in 2021.
FRANCE VS SCOTLAND – BETTING TIPS
France Win
With France’s imperious record and home advantage, it’s hard to look past them. They have the best conversion rate in the opposition 22 in the Six Nations. They were also dominant in their only home game of the Six Nations so far, defeating Wales 43-0.
France to Win by 16-20 Points
All of Scotland’s wins have been by narrow margins, while France beat a superior Ireland side by 15 points last time out. There may be additional pressure on the French here though, with the home crowd getting twitchy, and Scotland went toe-to-toe with a decent England side this campaign too.
France should be too strong, but they shouldn’t steamroller the Scots.
FRANCE VS SCOTLAND – HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
France and Scotland have faced each other 103 times since 1910. France have won 60 matches, Scotland 40.
France have won 44 of 57 matches since Head Coach Fabien Galthié was appointed in 2019.
France have won seven of their last 10 matches against Scotland, and four of the last five.
France need 47 points to surpass the highest points total in a single Six Nations campaign. This was set by England in 2001.
France have scored 26 tries this campaign, 11 more than nearest rivals England and Scotland. They need to score four more to surpass England’s 2001 record.
Damien Penaud needs to score just one more try to leapfrog Serge Blanco to become France’s leading try-scorer of all time (with 39 tries).
