Six Nations 2020: Gregor Townsend shrugs off pressure talk after France win

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend says he has not felt under pressure during the Six Nations after his side earned a fine win over France.

The hosts seized on Mohamed Haouas' first-half red card to prevail 28-17, derailing France's Grand Slam bid.

Townsend came under fire after a poor 2019 and losses in the opening two rounds of the tournament, but has now led Scotland to back-to-back wins.

"That's irrelevant if it was the case," he said of any pressure growing on him.

"You feel responsibility every time you turn up at training, pick a team, bring the team to games. We've just worked hard to play to our potential and there were signs today that we did that.

• Scotland end France's Grand Slam bid

• How the action unfolded at Murrayfield

"Our defence has improved from game to game. The rips and turnovers we got, the contacts were dominant at times. On the back of that, we can play some very good rugby because we've got some excellent players."

After an impressive start at Murrayfield on Sunday, Scotland trailed 7-6 when Haouas was dismissed for striking Jamie Ritchie in the face.

Sean Maitland ran in a try either side of half-time before Stuart McInally's opportunistic score put the game beyond doubt, although the hosts fell short of a fourth try and a bonus point while Charles Ollivon crossed for a French consolation.

Having beaten Italy last time out, Scotland sit third in the table with a trip to Wales to come in Saturday's final round of fixtures.

"Initial thoughts are that we could've done better in the last 10-15 minutes but I was very proud of how we started the game," Townsend told BBC Sport. "We were very physical in the tackle, sharp when we had opportunities to move the ball.

"The try just before half-time gave us a big boost. We just felt with the pressure we could put on France in the second half, maybe we could have got one or two more.

"The weather didn't help at times but they changed their tactics and were more adventurous. They're a really dangerous team."