France vs Scotland: Les Bleus find their form to record first victory of Six Nations campaign
Re-live all the action from the Stade de France
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Scotland's Six Nations campaign has been reduced to an exercise in damage limitation after failing to end their two-decade wait for a win in Paris.
France secured a 27-10 bonus-point win with tries from Romain Ntamack, Yoahn Huget and a late Gregory Alldritt brace as the injury-hit Dark Blues contributed to their own downfall for the second game running.
Defeat to Ireland a fortnight ago was also self-inflicted and now Gregor Townsend's men are left with two games against Wales and England - the world's number four and three ranked sides - to salvage some pride from a Championship that has so far produced only a win over whipping boys Italy.
Townsend has had to contend with a horror casualty list this campaign but the loss of Scotland's three most dangerous weapons in Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg and Huw Jones was felt as they struggled for attacking inspiration.
Ali Price's late score was mere consolation, while France had four tries chalked off as Scotland escaped an even more chastening afternoon.
Re-live the action below:
Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Six Nations opener between France and Scotland, brought to you from the Stade de France in Paris.
The two sides enter the match in very differing circumstances, with France coach Jacques Brunel giving youth a chance as he desperately clings on to his job, while Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has a painful injury crisis on his hands that has robbed the Dark Blues of their best players.
The match gets underway at 2:15pm, and we'll begin our full build-up from 1pm this afternoon.
The third week of the 2019 Six Nations begins at the Stade de France.
For Jacques Brunel, this may be last chance saloon. France followed implosion here agains Wales with perhaps the country's worst ever performance in the Six Nations at Twickenham, and there is once again talk of revolt in the hosts camp.
There are reasons to be optimistic if you are of a French persuasion. Scotland haven't won here in 20 years and have an injury list to stretch across the Firth of Forth.
The Auld Alliance battle again, and we'll bring you live updates throughout the 80 minutes.
Team News
Plenty of new names and faces on the two team sheets compared to those who started the tournament in royal and dark blue, though for very different reasons...
It has been an année horrible for Jacques Brunel and France, and after that defeat to England, the changes had to come. And shockingly, the experienced head coach has picked a team that actually resembles a functional rugby team.
Gone are on-field (and indeed off-field) stirrers-in-chief Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez, jettisoned not just out of the starting fifteen but from the squad, too. It is, therefore, young Toulouse duo of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack who are paired in the halves, with the inclusion of the electric Dupont particularly exciting.
Ntamack has played little at ten this season, but the silky youngster played much of his youth rugby at out-half and his game may be a more natural fit there at this level.
But the positive changes don't stop there!
Gael Fickou, the form centre in the Top 14 this season, starts, and stick with me on this, at centre!
Even more astonishingly, Jacques Brunel has picked a full-back at full-back - Thomas Ramos, club teammate of Ntamack, Dupont and Yoann Huget in a vibrant Toulouse backline, handles duties at the back, and may be the chosen option with the tee, too.
There's still a Mathieu Bastareaud-sized question mark in the 13 jersey, but it's progress...
Scotland would have struggled to have a worse two weeks.
The attritional defeat to Ireland took its toll, further ravaging an injury-stricken playing group: Stuart Hogg, Ryan Wilson and Huw Jones all shorn from Gregor Townsend's already limited options.
And while those based in Scotland enjoyed a much-needed week off last weekend, Finn Russell was pressed into club duty for Racing 92, took a hefty bang to the head and stumbled off before halftime.
A concussion, and Townsend's woes deepened.
Scotland could ill-afford to lose one of Hogg, Russell and Jones, and with all three out they are a very different proposition.
Pete Horne has beaten club teammate Adam Hastings and the rejuvenated Duncan Weir of Worcester to the ten jersey, Nick Grigg maintains continuity at 13 in an all-Glasgow midfield and Blair Kinghorn, Week One hat-trick scorer, returns at his more natural full-back slot.
In the pack, Magnus Bradbury comes in on the flank in a back-row perhaps missing options one-through-four through injury.
Gregor Townsend orchestrated Scotland's last victory in France 20 years ago, and despite his side's injury issues, has confidence that this current iteration can end the fallow spell.
France are on a desperate run of form. They have won once in their last five (against a very Argentina), but it is the manner of those defeats that is so concerning.
Against South Africa, Brunel's side had the lead in the final minute. And the ball. In the South Africa 22. And lost.
France followed that Argentina win with a first ever defeat against Fiji. At home.
Wales were 16 points behind at half-time in Round One.
And then the England game left France considering a second coach change in this World Cup cycle, and that's why Jacques Brunel has put his faith in youthful exuberance.
Warm-ups are well underway at the Stade de France.
To perhaps further illustrate France's problems, Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack will form the 36th different half combination for Les Bleus since 2009...
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