By Tom Masters
...">By Tom Masters
..." />https://womens.sixnationsrugby.com
France continued their 100% start to the TikTok Women’s Six Nations with a 28-8 win over Scotland in Round 3 at Scotstoun.
Les Bleues kept their Grand Slam hopes alive after a dominant first-half performance put them comfortably ahead, with Scotland unable to claw their way back despite a spirited second-half showing.
A brace of tries from Laure Sansus and scores from Jessy Trémoulière and Gaëlle Hermet put France into an insurmountable half-time lead as they move one step closer to a potential Grand Slam showdown with England in Round 5.
France did spend much of the second half camped inside their 22, as Scotland fought for everything, refusing to make it easy for last year’s runners-up.
Chloe Rollie went over with ten minutes to go to the delight of the Glaswegian crowd, as Scotland finally found a way over.
France made to work for first-half lead
Scotland fronted up in the opening exchanges, but it was France who drew first blood, with superstar scrum-half Sansus showing a moment of pure quality with a chip over the top which she duly chased down and scored after nine minutes.
Bryan Easson’s side continued to impress, but their set-piece was not clicking, with a mixture of errors of their own and excellent French disruption preventing several lineouts from hitting their target.
They kept on coming though and had Les Bleues on the back foot after several powerful carries, eventually though, they had to settle for three Helen Nelson points from a penalty midway through the opening half.
They will have been pleased with their performance but perhaps a little frustrated they could not turn their possession into points, and it always seemed that France would eventually have a period of their own possession.
When they did, it did not take long before the other half of their excellent half-back duo Trémoulière finished off a second French score and despite being under pressure for large parts of the opening 28 minutes, France led 14-3.
It was to get better in the final stages of the first half, with Sansus adding her second score after inspirational captain Hermet charged down Jenny Maxwell’s kick, with Sansus reacting fastest to dot down in the corner and give France a hefty lead.
Trémoulière's goalkicking was exceptional all match, and she kept hold of her 100% record off the tee with a conversion from the corner.
Her kicking out of hand was also on point, and just a minute after their third score France were right back on the offensive again when France’s fly-half directed a perfect kick into the Scottish 22 for a 50:22 and a French throw.
Just two phases after the lineout and captain Hermet was the scorer this time, as France flexed their muscles to lead 28-3 at half-time.
Scotland show fight in impressive second-half showing
At 28-3, many expected France to extend that lead and run away with the contest at Scotstoun, but it was to be anything but.
Without Sansus, who was replaced at half-time, the French attack lacked the same sting as the first half, and Scotland capitalised.
From the opening seconds of the second 40, Scotland looked a different side, and a charged down kick very nearly rewarded them with a try early in the second half, but prop Leah Bartlett could not control the ball and spilled it over the line.
Scotland kept coming though, wave after wave, testing the French defence who showed no sign of creaking, led on by Hermet.
Eventually though Scotland did get France to budge, as flanker Julie Annery was shown a yellow card for another maul infringement, as Scotland’s second half showing still had yet to yield any scoreboard results.
That was to finally change with ten minutes left of the match when full-back Rollie went over in the corner.
They were to keep coming, but France’s defence proved to be too strong time and again.
Scotland will be mighty happy to have won the second half and kept France to nothing in the process.
It was an impressive second half for the home side, but ultimately there would have been a feeling in the camp of what if as France took home five points to keep pace with defending champions England.
