Grand Slam-chasing France will be hoping to avoid a potential banana peel in the form of Scotland when they travel to Edinburgh in the penultimate round of the Six Nations on Saturday.
To Win
Scotland | Draw | France
Handicap
Scotland | France
Match context
On paper, France should be far too much for Scotland to handle and should breeze past the Brave Hearts to set themselves up for a Grand Slam finish in next week’s Le Crunch showdown in Paris. In reality however, things are far less certain, with Gregor Townsend’s side having spoiled the party for Le Bleus on a number of occasions in the past.
Scotland did superbly well to bounce back from their opening defeat in Rome and smash England before holding off spirited Wales in their subsequent two matches.
Those results have seen them rise to second on the standings ahead of this pivotal encounter at Murrayfield, with the hosts still very much in contention for an elusive title, though they face arguably their biggest tests of the championship over the coming fortnight. And if they begin this encounter in the same fashion as they did against Wales in Cardiff in round three, the writing will be on the wall.
On that occasion two weeks back, the Scots allowed the Welsh to score inside the opening 10-minutes and lead the encounter for approximately an hour before they were finally able to wrestle control of the scoreboard away from the Dragons and ultimately edge it by three-points.
A similar performance against France will be terminal, with Fabien Galthie’s men looking a cut above the rest and well on course to defend their title this season. They triumphed over the Scots 35-16 in Saint-Denis last year and while matters may be closer this time around, it would still be a massive shock if the French and their mighty pack don’t submit their Celtic foes in Edinburgh.
Players to watch
Rory Darge (Scotland)
After being overlooked for the British & Irish Lions last year, Darge has been irrepressible in 2026 and heads into the latest round of action ranked first in the tournament for both jackals won (six) and total turnovers won (eight), while his tackle success rate of 97.6% places him second in the competition.
Coming up against the might of the French this weekend, Townsend will require another massive innings from the Glasgow Warrior if they are to disrupt the mojo of Antoine Dupont and company at source.
Francois Cros (France)
Possibly one of the most consistently underrated loose forwards on the planet, the world class talents of Cros have long been central to France’s successes since his debut in 2019 and his form in the Six Nations so far has been as good as ever. The 31-year-old Toulouse man is fourth in the competition for dominant tackle contact (five), while his work at the breakdown has also been key for the French.
With his fellow forwards likely to dominate proceedings up front this weekend, Cros’ work on the deck, and in shutting down the abilities of Finn Russell’s backline, will be crucial for the visitors.
Tactical overview
In Finn Russell and Antoine Dupont, each side possesses their own magic man, but how much the duo are able to influence proceedings will depend directly on the outcome up front. In this regard, Scotland could find themselves lacking again against France’s forward juggernauts, and they have little hope of denting the visitors’ defence if Russell can’t unleash his deadly backline out wide.
If Russell can allow Sione Tuipulotu to punch some holes and subsequently get his wingers involved, they will be in the scrap, especially if he’s on song with his kicking as he was last time out.
However it’s unlikely the hosts will have the stamina to go toe-to-toe with France for the full eighty. The Murrayfield crowd will give them inspiration and they should be in it for the opening three quarters, but the firepower Galthie can unbridle off the bench should take the game away from Scotland in the end and put Les Bleus within touching distance of a second straight title.
Prediction
France to avoid this potential Scotland stumbling block by clearing the handicap at Murrayfield. Expect them to march on to the final weekend with four wins from four.
