Now then... Scotland win a penalty after a French high tackle, and kick to touch just outside the France 22.

It's the first decent bit of territory the hosts have had in a fair while.

Scotland have looked a bit all over the place so far, not quite sure what the plan is, whereas France look incredibly well-drilled despite the changed nature of their side.

The visitors win another penalty, and kick to the corner...

Yoram Moefana peels away down the blindside after another few slick phases of French attack.

The centre looks set to score in the corner, but he's bundled into touch before he can get it down.

Ewan Ashman's lineout throw is slightly awry, and France do well to disrupt and steal possession.

Twenty-year-old Pierre Bielle-Biarrey has been heavily involved so far for France, but he's slightly over-eager in defence here.

The winger catches Ben White high, and Scotland kick the resulting penalty downfield.

France make their way into Scottish territory for the first time this afternoon, but Louis Bielle-Biarrey knocks-on, and Finn Russell boots it clear.

Scotland go through the phases nicely, with Blair Kinghorn and Sione Tuipulotu both getting over the gain-line after Finn Russell pulled out the first cross-field kick of the afternoon.

The ball goes to ground, but those are promising signs in attack for Scotland.

Finn Russell doesn't miss those, and Scotland lead early on.

A solid start for the hosts.

After several resets, Scotland win a penalty at scrum-time, and Finn Russell calls for his kicking tee...

Referee Ben O'Keeffe peeps his whistle, and Blair Kinghorn gets us under way.

There's an early handling error from Pierre Bougarit, and Scotland have a scrum inside the French 22...

Flower of Scotland is belted out by the home crowd, following La Marseillaise, and we are almost ready to go at Murrayfield.

It was absolutely hosing it down in Edinburgh less than an hour ago, but it's calm and dry currently, as we edge ever closer to kick-off...

One of the main highlights of last weekend's win over Italy was an eager seagull disrupting things on the pitch, and one Scotland fan clearly enjoyed that intervention more than most...

Did he already own the seagull costume? Has he been out and hired it for the day? So many questions...

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"Infectious competitiveness" and strong leadership skills make Finn Russell an ideal choice to captain Scotland, head coach Gregor Townsend suggests.

With a minor injury ruling out Jamie Ritchie, the fly-half is given the honour for the first time against France at Murrayfield on Saturday as he earns a 70th cap.

"He has always been a leader for us in terms of attack," Townsend explained. "He has obviously got older, got more experience and it's the right time to give him that opportunity."

Russell's promotion to captain comes less than 10 months after Townsend left the 30-year-old out of his initial squad for the 2022 autumn series.

The Bath summer signing shone against New Zealand and Argentina when brought back into the fold in November and carried that good form into the Six Nations, with Scotland finishing third.

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On the other hand, France have picked three debutants in a new-look XV, but make no mistake, Scotland will still have their work cut out.

The forward pack features the likes of Demba Bamba, which shows that it is still packed with quality and size, despite not being at its very strongest. For Scotland to get front-foot ball for their all-star back-line, their forwards have to win the battle up front.

Antoine Dupont and Roman Ntamack are noticeable absentees in the backs, with Mathieu Jalibert and Baptise Couillard wearing 10 and 9, respectively.

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Gregor Townsend picked something of an experimental XV last weekend, giving certain players an opportunity to force their way into his final 33-man squad, but there is no such experimentation today.

This is close to a full-strength Scotland side, one that could feasibly start in Marseille against South Africa come 10 September.

There are maybe a couple of question marks in the forward pack, regarding the make-up of the back row, and who will start at hooker, but that back-line pretty much picks itself now that Stuart Hogg has retired.

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Scotland: Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell (captain), White; Schoeman, Ashman, Z Fagerson, Gray, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Watson, Dempsey.

Replacements: Cherry, Bhatti, Nel, Cummings, Darge, Horne, Redpath, Smith.

France: Dulin, Bielle-Biarrey, Gailleton, Moefana, Dumortier, Jalibert, Couilloud, Tanga, Macalou, Boudehent, Chalureau, Woki, Bamba, Bourgarit, Gros.

Replacements: Mauvaka, Wardi, Falatea, Willemse, Cretin, Serin, Hastoy, Vincent.

Good afternoon everyone! Scotland welcome World Cup hosts France to Murrayfield, as their summer preparation continues apace.

Gregor Townsend's side blew off the cobwebs against Italy last weekend, winning 25-13 in a fairly forgettable encounter, and will want to step things up against higher quality opposition.

The weather in the capital isn't exactly conducive to free-flowing rugby, but fingers crossed that the rain relents...

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