Six Nations

Two tries from centre Mathieu Bastareaud helped Marc Lievremont's France team to lived up to expectations and scored a solid 18-9 victory over Scotland in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield on Sunday.

An entertaining firsy-half, followed by a forgettable second, saw France tested but never pushed by Scotland. Powerful up front, with their pack once again proving too good for their opposite numbers, France showed a good level of professionalism in their victory as well.

Imanol Harinordoquy, Francois Trinh-Duc and Thomas Domingo were all particularly impressive for their team while, for Scotland, captain Chris Cusiter and wing Sean Lamont never gave up the fight.

Sco v Fra: France player ratings
Sco v Fra: Scotland player ratings
Lack of 'control' cost Scotland

France enjoyed a very good first half, running in two tries, and gave themselves a 15-6 lead. While Scotland showed a lot of great attacking intent they lacked a killer edge and could muster just two Chris Paterson penalties from their first half efforts.

Before the match got going though the Murrayfield faithful stood quietly for a minute, honouring the memory of the legendary Bill McLaren, before turning their attention to the new Six Nations season.

Trinh-Duc got the game going with a deep kickoff and very quickly the determination and passion from both sides was evident for us all to see.

A couple of big hits from Aurelien Rougerie quickly put them the hosts on the back foot but the Clermont star paid for his passion. Twice receiving attention in the opening five minutes, he was replaced early on.

The big hits though continued to come from both sides.

With seven minutes gone France were starting to build momentum and looked dangerous before an interception from Max Evans put Scotland on the front foot and just a few feet short of the France line. Eventually the pressure told and referee Nigel Owens awarded the home side a penalty which, unsurprisingly, Chris Paterson slotted over.

Stung into action, France were on the attack down the blindside. A clever kick from Trinh-Duc was collected by Clerc but somehow, thanks to a tap tackle from Brown and some brilliant work from Thom Evans, failed to touch the ball down.

Awarded a five metre scrum France started to put the pressure on the Scotland pack. Another strong scrum, followed by a number of strong drives by Harinordoquy and Co., created the space for France out wide. A long pass from the Les Bleus No.10 found Bastareaud unmarked and the much critised star finished easily in the corner.

Twenty minutes into the match Scotland enjoyed their first bit of sustained attacking possession. One break, created by Godman, saw Beattie burst through the France line and get the Murrayfield crowd on to their feet for the first time.

Having sustained the Scottish pressure France should have scored their second try of the afternoon. An attempted grubber from Godman hit the knees of his opposite number and bounced behind the Scottish line.

With no one in front of him Trinh-Duc tried to recover the ball. Sitting up awkwardly, the ball slowed the flyhalf's progress and gave Scotland wing Lamont just enough time to get back and make a try-saving tackle.

A penalty at scrumtime after 28 minutes allowed Morgan Parra to extend his sides lead to 8-3 but, after a fantastic break from Lamont, Scotland struck back with a three pointer of their own just a couple of minutes later.

An entertaining opening 30 minutes, France always seemed as though they had another gear if they needed it. Seven minutes from the break then they clicked and Bastareaud got his second. With space and a man outside of him, the powerful Stade Francais showed good skill carrying the ball in both hands and ran in from 20m out despite a number of Scottish players being around him.

The French were in control of the match and perhaps should have extended their lead ahead of the half-time whistle. Scotland though somehow managed to hold on for the interval and quickly left the pitch in search of some words of wisdom from head coach Andy Robinson.

Robinson was not looking particularly pleased with his troops four minutes into the second period. A short kickoff gave the French a scrum on the halfway spot and eventually led to a penalty. Parra's second penalty took France out to an 18-6 lead.

It was a crucial period of the match for Scotland then. With France looking dangerous there was a chance that Scotland could be overrun. It was the Scots though who scored next. With 52 minutes gone Paterson scored his third penalty, reducing the gap to just nine points.

An hour gone and the power and pace of the French side was started to really come to the fore. Dominating the scrum, the contact points and attacking with great speed, Dusautoir's troops were taking control.

Even when they were enjoying their longest series of phases on the ball they seemed to be lacking a genuine attacking threat which could do damage to France. Cusiter, Lamont and Beattie all remained willing runners but defensively Lievremont's men were very good.

With just under 10 minutes left in the game France seemed destined to make the most of a couple of attacking scrums five metres out from the home sides tryline but they were kept out. Simple errors by their own players, and solid commitment from Cusiter and his troops, saw Scotland get out of trouble.

Having offered very little on attack in during the second half Lamont finally provided a moment of spark for his side six minutes from time. Cutting through the French midfield the powerful flyer gave his side plenty of momentum. Sadly for the home fans though it came to nothing and the match stumbled its way towards the final whistle.

by Peter Murison

Man of the Match: Officially the title went to Imanol Harinordoquy. The powerful No.8 was heavily involved throughout the match, both defensively and in attack, and certainly deserves the praise. rugby365 however feel the real star of the show was  France's flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc. The playmaker was not perfect but his great range of passing and impressive work in defence certainly stood out.

Moment of the Match: The first half was full of action but it was France's second try which was the real jewel in the bunch. A fantastic switch of play from Jauzion started the move before a quick pass from Harinordoquy created the space for Bastareaud to go on his run. Balanced in his running, the Stade Francais star left the Scottish defence chasing shadows.

Villain of the Match: Not  a sour moment to remember really. Morgan Parra, if we're being picky, could perhaps spend a little less time asking the referee for a penalty and a little more looking to use the possession.

The Scorers

For Scotland

Pen: Paterson 3

For France

Tries: Bastareaud 2
Pen: Parra 2
Cons: Parra