Scotland are 5/2 (sporting Bet) underdogs to beat tournament favourites France (6/4 with Sporting Bet) in the final match of the opening 6 Nations weekend.
France, who are 2/5 (
Totesport) to win at Murrayfield, have done little in their last few outings to rid themselves of their inconsistent tag. Which France will turn up at Murrayfield? Will it be the side who overcame South Africa in a powerful display in the autumn or the side that only a few weeks later surrendered so meekly to New Zealand?
If it’s the former, Scotland could be in for a long afternoon where they will have to replicate the defensive effort they showed in their historic win over Australia in November; if it’s the latter then the Tartan Army could well end up celebrating another famous home win.
France should win this one but Scotland at home are rarely pushovers and are likely to make the French work hard for any win. France will need to match the physicality of the Scottish pack but with experienced players like Fulgence Oedrago and Inamol Harinordoquy (20/1 with
Boylesports to score the first try) in their side that shouldn’t be too difficult and with the likes of Arelien Rougerie (12/1
Stan James to be first try scorer) in their side there is a real try threat.
An interesting selection for France is the powerful centre Matthieu Bastereaud who was banned for three months after injuring after falling over drunk in his hotel room and claiming he was mugged. If Bastereaud scores the first try (16/1
Paddy Power) he probably shouldn’t go out alone in Edinburgh on Sunday night or his mugging story may become reality.
With Chris Patterson at full back Scotland have one of the world’s most consistent kickers and he will look to punish any French indiscipline. Patterson’s boot and Scottish dogged determination could well keep Scotland in the hunt but will that be enough to stop France gaining a narrow victory? The 5/1 offered by
SkyBet for a narrow France win by 1-5 point win look tempting.
Scotland at Murrayfield usually come out all guns blazing and it wouldn’t be a shock to see the home side open the scoring.
Bet 365 offer 6/5 that the team who scores first doesn’t go on to win which may appeal to those who fancy Scotland to catch France cold before the French finally find their feet.