Under-20 Six Nations: Scotland 14-29 France - hosts lose despite strong second-half showing
- Published
Murdoch Lock's brilliant tap penalty gave Scotland a lifeline
Scotland lost their second 2024 Under-20 Six Nations match to age-grade champions France at a pulsating Hive Stadium.
With plenty of French fans in Edinburgh for the Six Nations proper, a packed house watched the visitors soar into a 26-0 lead at half-time.
Scotland recovered superbly to win the second-half 14-3, but it was not enough to overturn the scoreline.
Kenny Murray's side sit second-bottom, ahead of Italy on points difference.
Four first-half tries put France, who won the World Rugby Under-20 Championship last season, into a commanding lead at the break.
Full-back Xan Mousques got the scoring under way before further tries from winger Honi Bosmorin and scrum-half Thomas Souverbie.
French Captain and number eight Mathis Castro Ferreira burrowed over on the stroke of half-time to hammer home the gulf, although Scotland's fightback was far more impressive than it has been in recent years.
Quick-thinking from scrum-half Murdoch Lock - taking a quick tap penalty - put the Bath man under the sticks for Scotland's first score.
Jerry Blyth-Lafferty got the second as French replacement Sialevailea Tolofua was shown yellow for collapsing the maul.
France recovered and won a penalty after Fabian Brau Boirie was held up on the line, with Axel Desperes knocking over a penalty to put France well out of reach.
Scotland head coach Kenny Murray said: "I think we showed France too much respect in the first half in that we didn't play enough.
"We spoke at half-time about getting out there and having more of a 'go'. I said to the boys that, apart from a couple of sets in defence, we had fronted up really well with some good collisions and turnovers.
"And we won the second half 14-3, so I'm really proud of how they played, especially physicality-wise. It's onwards and upwards from here.
"We've been on the end of 50-odd points [against France in the past]. Away from home last year, they battered us. Whereas tonight, when we got to 29-14 with 20 minutes still to go, and we're getting penalties, I was thinking, if we get another try, we could be right in the game - but we didn't quite get the foothold we needed."
Scotland: Watson (Hocking 66'); Johnston, Gwynn, Yule, Caqusau; Coates, Lock (Patterson 60'); Deans (Smyth 41'), Young (J Blyth-Lafferty 35'), Norrie, Th Currie (Burke 54'), Hart (Clarke 74'), McConnell (c), Douglas, Morris (Job 74').
Unused replacement: Whitehead.
France: Mousques; Biasotto, Brau-Boirie, Taccola (Daunivucu 57'), Bosmorin (Cotarmanac'h 22'); Desperes, Souberbie; Aouad (Ametlla 47'), Chauvin (Akrab 49'), Affane (Bouare 62'), Mezou, Corso (Gambini 59'), Tuifua, (Zamora 69'), Karaba (Tolofua'), M Ferreira.
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand).