Following a remarkable 50-40 victory over France in the Six Nations clash at the Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Scotland.
15 Blair Kinghorn: Has received criticism for his Test form, but this was better from the talented full-back. With the Scots on the front foot, Kinghorn was a threat with ball in hand and caused problems for the French defence. 7
14 Darcy Graham: After inspiring Scotland’s comeback in the triumph over Wales, he continued where he left off on Saturday. Sped through the smallest of gaps to score their first try and regularly wriggled through tackles to create chances for the hosts. 8
13 Huw Jones: Not quite at his game-breaking best but his combination with Tuipulotu was still in evidence thanks to the multi-skilled inside centre, who varied his game nicely and almost sent Jones through a couple of times. 7
Stunning Russell-Tuipulotu axis
12 Sione Tuipulotu (c): As mentioned, the captain was in fine form. Dovetailed beautifully with Finn Russell in that midfield playmaking axis to manipulate the opposition defence to perfection. Also carried hard throughout to provide a real focal point in attack. Fantastic display from the skipper. 9
11 Kyle Steyn: Gregor Townsend certainly got his wing selection right as Steyn showed all his class and try-scoring instincts to go over twice. The first was a lovely set-piece move while the second was a superb piece of opportunism following a rare Antoine Dupont mistake and he had the pace to get away from Yoram Moefana. Also competed well in the air once again and put Theo Attissogbe under pressure, but we just hope his injury is not too serious. 9
10 Finn Russell: After a stunning Six Nations performance against England, Russell once again turned up when it mattered to guide Scotland to victory. The French defence didn’t know what to do with the pictures he was showing as he manufactured one of his country’s greatest performances. 9
9 Ben White: The scrum-half also deserves immense credit for how the Scots kept the tempo up. White was quick to the breakdown, was accurate with his passing and box-kicking, while his decision-making was exceptional. 9
Rampant Scotland ruin France’s Six Nations Grand Slam dream with emphatic victory at Murrayfield
8 Jack Dempsey: One of Scotland’s primary ball carriers with the number eight particularly excellent from restarts. Made big metres, primarily in traffic, as he continually got his side on the front foot. 8
7 Rory Darge: A typical workhorse display from Darge who did his bit in defence, but it was his support work in clearing out works and maintaining Scotland’s tempo which particularly stood out. 7
Sheer work ethic
6 Matt Fagerson: Similar to Dempsey, the back-rower did the hard work close to the ruck in getting the hosts over the gain line and providing speedy ball for White and Russell. Another fine and tireless performance from Fagerson. 8
5 Scott Cummings: Smashed back a few times by the French but Cummings has helped rectify the lineout issues they had against Italy. 7
4 Gregor Brown: We thought his injury might hamper Townsend’s men as Brown had a fine opening half-hour. He has revelled in the Scottish front five, shoring up the lineout and also showing plenty of physicality around the field. 7
3 D’arcy Rae: Did his job to perfection. Was a surprise starter for some, but he was brought in to put in a shift before unleashing Zander Fagerson and Rae did it very well, one penalty aside. Scrummaged well and was busy on both sides of the ball. 7
2 George Turner: Solid in the set-piece and useful in the loose, Turner was part of a fine Scotland pack who had the better of some mammoth French forwards. 7
1 Pierre Schoeman: Incredible shift from the loosehead, who was the game’s top carrier before going off just after the hour mark. Also sent Dorian Aldegheri into reverse at the scrum in what was a superb effort. 9
Replacements: Zander Fagerson was outstanding off the bench as Townsend’s switch paid off, while Ewan Ashman was similarly impactful. There was also plenty to like about the contributions from Grant Gilchrist, George Horne and Tom Jordan as they continued the momentum of the starters. Unfortunately, Scotland just dropped off slightly in the final 15 minutes to allow France to rescue a bonus point. 7