Yannick Nyanga
Former France flanker on Amazon Prime

France have to front up tonight. If they don't they will lose for sure.

This is the first time France have played a full-strength side in their World Cup prep, so I think they will start slowly.

Gregor Townsend released Gloucester fly-half Adam Hastings, Glasgow Warriors centre Stafford McDowall, club-mate and full-back Kyle Rowe and Leicester Tigers lock Cameron Henderson from the Scotland squad following last week's win, reducing the current pool of players to 37.

Four more players will be cut this coming Wednesday, as Townsend names his final World Cup squad.

Places are up for grabs here, make no mistake about it...

Andy Burke
BBC Scotland at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

There's a nice atmosphere building in the stadium and we're expecting a pretty raucous atmosphere in here this evening. It's a sell-out and when the national side ventures beyond their Paris base, the French fans tend to bring the noise in a big way.

It's a hot, sticky evening in St Etienne and this is a huge test in every sense for Scotland. The heat, the atmosphere and a French side pretty much back to full-strength adds up to arguably the biggest challenge the Scots could possibly face ahead of next month's World Cup.

Gregor Townsend's men can be backed at odds as generous as 8/1. Not a bad price for the team ranked fifth in the world, but when you look down that French line-up you understand why.

France field a team that looks close to what might be regarded as their first-choice XV. Coach Fabien Galthie has made 13 changes from the side that lost to 14-man Scotland last weekend.

Only loose forward Paul Boudehent, who won his first cap in Edinburgh, and lock Cameron Woki remain in the starting line-up from last week.

Woki is retained after Paul Willemse was injured in training this week and Romain Taofifenua has a thigh strain.

Boudehent is joined in a powerful back row by Gregory Alldritt at number eight and openside flanker Charles Ollivon.

Captain Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack are restored at half-back alongside the dangerous centre pairing of Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty.

Gregor Townsend has made six changes from the side that beat France 25-21 last weekend, with captain Jamie Ritchie passed fit to start.

He joins Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey in the back-row, while WP Nel replaces the suspended Zander Fagerson.

Ali Prices comes in for the injured Ben White at scrum-half, while Kyle Steyn fills in for the rested Darcy Graham on the wing.

Image source, Getty Images

Although Scotland launched a remarkable comeback last weekend to beat France 25-21 at Murrayfield, they came out of the game with question marks hanging over two key positions in the build-up to the World Cup, as Ben White limped off injured, and Zander Fagerson was sent off for a high shot on Pierre Bougarit.

Fagerson will be available for the opening game of the World Cup against South Africa, in a major boost to Gregor Townsend.

The tighthead prop received a three-game ban, but the third game is to be replaced by a "coaching intervention programme", which will allow him to play when Scotland meet the reigning world champions in Marseille on 10 September.

The extent of White's injury meanwhile is still unclear, and opens the door for Ali Price or George Horne to don the nine jersey against South Africa.

France: T Ramos; D Penaud, G Fickou, J Danty, G Villiere; R Ntamack, A Dupont; G Alldritt, C Ollivon, P Boudehent; T Flament, C Woki; D Aldegheri, J Marchand, C Baille.

Replacements: P Bourgarit, J-B Gros, U Atonio, F Verhaeghe; B Chalureau, S Macalou; M Lucu, L Bielle-Biarrey.

Scotland: B Kinghorn; K Steyn, H Jones, S Tuipulotu, D van der Merwe; F Russell, A Price; P Schoeman, G Turner, W Nel; R Gray, G Gilchrist; J Ritchie, R Darge, J Dempsey.

Replacements: S McInally, R Sutherland, J Sebastian, S Cummings, S Skinner, J Bayliss, G Horne, O Smith.

Good evening rugby fans!

Scotland play the third of their four World Cup warm-up matches tonight, as they take on France in Saint Etienne.

Gregor Townsend's side triumphed when the two sides met at Murrayfield last week, but this is a far sterner test - France have recalled their big hitters and will have a fervent home crowd roaring them on.

It will give us a good indicator of where Scotland are at heading into the World Cup, and I for one cannot wait.

Let's get to it...