It was a late consolation which allowed Les Bleus to dodge some serious interrogation in the game’s post-mortem. France had once again failed miserably away from home as Grand Slam favourites – similar happened at the Allianz Stadium in 2025 – but Fabien Galthié, the head coach, was able to point to the importance and value of the bonus point in terms of the context of the championship. The fact that his side never gave up means that, this weekend, France remain favourites for the title despite being obliterated in Edinburgh.
At least, back in 2017, the Six Nations organisers thankfully swerved the silliest faux pas of them all. They realised that a team winning four matches with try bonus points and losing their remainder could still finish above a team which had won all of their matches, achieving a Grand Slam, but without any bonus points. Given that the Grand Slam is the Six Nations’ Holy Grail, organisers sought to protect it by awarding three bonus points to any team completing the Grand Slam.
But that was simply a case of improving a shambles with something slightly less shambolic, rather than avoiding one in the first place.
This weekend, the Six Nations risks an unholy mess. If Ireland defeat Scotland in Dublin without a bonus point, then France will know that they will only require two points against England to claim the title. Les Bleus won’t even have to win. Of course, France probably will, but we might be left in the farcical situation whereby the Six Nations champions have won only three matches, and the second placed team have won four. That is against the ethos and a spirit of a competition for which winning is everything.