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Sun 17 Mar 2013 | 02:34
France get first tournament win with Paris victory over Scotland

23
Comments

France avoided not winning a championship game for the first time since 1969 as they beat Scotland 23-16 thanks to two tries in the second half. Their disappointing campaign sees them ending bottom of the table however, for the first time since 1999.

France needed to win by 16 points to relegate Ireland to the wooden spoon, but a late Tim Visser try sealed their fate as they ended the competition with just one win and a draw.

Pre-tournament favourites for many, France showed glimpses of their potency in the second half as stars Wesley Fofana and Maxime Medard helped them end their seven-match winless streak.

Scotland on the other hand achieved their best championship result since 2006, finishing third on the overall table with many positives to take away from the campaign.

A Freddie Michalak scuffle with Lions hopeful Stuart Hogg soured affairs a little, before the enigmatic flyhalf left the field with a bad shoulder dislocation, to a standing ovation.

"We're last in the Six Nations and we have to accept that and face up to it. The game was like our tournament: complicated," said France coach Philippe Saint-Andre.

"The second half was better and we started to get back into the game and scored two very good tries. But we missed two other good chances.

"This team is young, it has a soul and fights. But it lacks control, collectively and individually, and you need control and patience when you play rugby at the highest level. The objective is to be ready for the 2015 World Cup. I think we will learn enormously from this Six Nations.

View all Six Nations Highlights

Time: 5:05
Credit: rbs6nations

Posted By: Grant Constable

23 Comments

  • kadova
    1:23 AM 20/03/2013

    It's also a punch to me, nbut i'm not suprised the referee didn;t see it, i have noticed seveal punches in matches that are never noticed.

    About Michalak clothesline, i'd like to see it again in a video, if possible.

  • sankeor
    12:53 AM 19/03/2013

    Fofana is such a great scorer ! One does not stop him like that before the try line... His style reminds me of Conrad Smith somehow.

    Michalak : maybe a reason for les bleus bad results, but I think he did what had to be done with Hogg, you know, dot the i's and cross the t's about on that obstruction issue.
    Don't tell me about karma sh*t and imaginary Debaty's shoulder, tas far as everybody knows the guy reached for the ball and you can't prove the contrary... end of story.

  • drg
    10:03 PM 18/03/2013

    Because the French are well known for their up and coming Sainthoods...

  • frenchie
    10:01 PM 18/03/2013

    On Michalak:
    simply to my opinion he is not our best option going to the next WC. Trinh Duc should be starting and we should have a young fly half on the bench. There are a few names for this role.
    Michalak nonetheless has all the support of St Andre who says we need experience in 10.

    In practice Michalak hasn't shown much of experience in this 6 nations. He seems out of form, uninspired (like most of the players) and inconsistent. Besides he's getting old.

    St Andre wasted this 6 nations. How can you be a runner up of the RWC, have good result in the Autumn then loose all your rugby. He should be sacked, period.

  • moddeur
    7:08 PM 18/03/2013

    I saw that during the match and wondered "what the ---??". It sure looks like a punch anyhow.

  • martin0922
    4:17 PM 18/03/2013

    I didn't watch the game but at 2:29, it looks like Bastareaud punched a player in the ruck? Did he really punched him?

  • rugbydump
    3:40 PM 18/03/2013

    Quick note - This post is now updated to include longer highlights

  • colombes
    3:29 PM 18/03/2013

    They aren't awful
    Their pack is a desastre, yes
    But their backs are creatives. Hogg and Visser should be with the lions

  • colombes
    3:21 PM 18/03/2013

    i'm not here to defend michalak, i'm not even a big fan of his last performances. if a commission considers it was a dangerous clotheline, i would be the first to make my mea culpa
    but it won't happen as it was just a scuffle between 2 thin players throwing some jabs.

    i'm more annoyed by people who constantly bring some petty comments in order to discredit or yell their anger. and it's becoming an habit to read this kind of trolling on this blog.

    i'm not an objectivity disciple, far from that, but it don't like these kind of shabby comments.
    got the impression that everyone is a citing commissioner, well send your candidature to irb or erc ;)

  • flanker2712
    2:59 PM 18/03/2013

    Colombes, I think you will be very much in the minority on this point! Although the replays of the actual incident were not close-ups, it was as far as I could see pretty clear that Michalak "clotheslined" Hogg from behind and then jumped on him while he was on the deck. It is then not clear what happened while they were getting up, but the next replay I saw was of the two in a some kind of clinch, and even as a few French players had made their way over to break it up, Michalak was still trying to get some uppercuts in.

  • colombes
    1:21 PM 18/03/2013

    you seem to see things that others don't see as the cameras didn't catch the scuffle...
    i guess people (you and me) just see what they want to see.

    but the fact that you save hogg, use the word "karma", or "what if a french player...", ask a citation for a "girl" fight and single out michalak as the main reason of les bleus problems just confirm me that rugby fans have changed.....

  • colombes
    11:34 AM 18/03/2013

    so if i read u well, u're happy to see a player quiting the pitch with a dislocated shoulder, very very interesting...

    but as i like facts and truth, i've rewatched your famous and savage "clotheline", and all i can see is Hogg making a lazy run in order to slow french players on a up&under, michalak reacting by tackling him by behind (maybe high, but never red)

    thx for your very interesting "contribution", really

  • drg
    3:28 AM 18/03/2013

    I completely missed that whole "event"...

  • drg
    3:28 AM 18/03/2013

    hmmm half and half, saw the game earlier today and he was stopped quite well on a few occasions. But he was definitely as instrumental and as useful as a human wrecking ball can be...

  • drg
    3:26 AM 18/03/2013

    As Colombes said, knee injury, ACL to be precise. Definitely a brilliant player to watch.

  • drg
    3:25 AM 18/03/2013

    Not quite sure how you can say Laidlaws boot got Scotland through the tournament.... Their first game against England there were 2 very good tries. Against Italy there was a fistful of good tries. Ireland and Wales there were no tries...

    I think the Scots and the Italians played some of the most exciting rugby earlier (for the Scots) and throughout (for the Italians) in the tournament. For Scotland, against Ireland iirc the weather was abysmal and neither side looked keen on doing much with the ball. Again against France the weather was rubbish. I'd say the side that played some of the most boring rugby was England or perhaps Wales, bar the last game, but even they both had their exciting moments.

    To top it all off this is never normally known as a Champagne rugby competition, in fact most of the games have been won off the boot of a player. Leigh Halfpenny alone probably racked up the most points this 6 Nations, in fact in the 6 nations website a title for the Wales Scotland game is "Halfpenny's boot keeps Wales' title hopes alive".. How many kicks has Farrell got for England. Sexton for Ireland.

    I thought Hogg was one of the sparks that Scotland has needed for years. Kelly Brown is good, but I have preferred seeing the likes of Strokosch and Denton roaring around more so..

  • marty
    1:09 AM 18/03/2013

    Bastareaud= big, huge, enormous and frightfull!!!

  • colombes
    11:50 PM 17/03/2013

    Fitness problem: Wasn't a problem in precedent years as the Top14 wasn't as ferocious as today. the apparition of "new rich" clubs since 3-4 years (Toulon, Racing, Montpellier) make the competition harder, so the best internationals are over-used. new FFR/Top14 agreements must be discussed in june to solve that problem

    The block: les bleus didn't complain. i tend to believe that these unfair actions are hard to notice at full speed

  • colombes
    11:41 PM 17/03/2013

    He had a serious knee injury and was coming back to competition since 1-2 months

  • stroudos
    11:05 PM 17/03/2013

    I agree. Scotland are much improved, but they're still awful.

  • stroudos
    11:04 PM 17/03/2013

    This clip is the only thing I've seen from this game. On this evidence alone, it looks like The Bastard was quite prominent in getting them over the gain line.

  • gallego
    8:17 PM 17/03/2013

    I agree about that last try, that was a clear penalty if you ask me.

  • gilly_tj
    7:32 PM 17/03/2013

    The Scottish try should not have stood in my opinion. I even noticed it in real time but upon further reflection the French player was quite clearly taken out by a runner off the ball and that was the gap in which Matt Scott made the break through. In fairness to the Scottish, you play to the whistle and they finished the break off with a try. But I really don't understand how the ref did not notice this when even spectators did hence the screams.

    The French, however have massively under-performed this Six Nations which is extremely disappointing given their run of good form before the championship. Whilst the Scottish have had a relatively good Six Nations I still personally believe that they deserve any rave reviews? Is anyone of the same opinion? The Scots to me, seem reserved and play a conservative style of rugby and are just quite simply afraid of attacking. This frustrates me highly when they sit back for penalties to just be handed to them. Some may argue "a win is a win" but for a Lions touring season, I do not wish to see any of this fear to attack and wait for kicks. As quite frankly there are a number of goal kickers (Halfpenny, Farrell, Sexton) and a Scottish one would not be needed. In fairness, players like Hogg and Kelly Brown have impressed me this Six Nations but not to the extent they have been raved about. In my genuine opinion, no Scottish players would really warrant a start for me over any of the players. Their win over Ireland has done the media no favour and they seem to forget that Scotts only got by due to Laidlaw's boot, which to be quite honest, got them by throughout the whole Six Nations.

    I do not understand St Andre though, is he that stubborn to play players out of position to coincide with his philosophy?

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