London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Wales win title as Scotland beat France

Wales win title as Scotland beat France

Wales clinched the Six Nations as 14-man Scotland snatched their first victory in Paris since 1999 to wreck France's title hopes.

The hosts, needing a bonus point and a winning margin of 21 points, had only one try and a 13-10 lead at the break.

Damian Penaud's second-half score showed France's danger, but they could never stretch clear of their visitors.

Scotland's Finn Russell was shown a late red but Duhan van der Merwe swooped for a decisive late try.

It was fitting that a Championship that has been packed with tight games and show-stopping finales should finish with another match-deciding score and the clock deep in the red.

As Scotland's players leapt skywards to celebrate Van der Merwe's step and finish, France's slumped to the sodden Stade de France turf.


However, their hopes of swiping the trophy from Wales had long since gone.

It is the sixth title of the Six Nations era for a Wales side that came into the campaign as distinct underdogs after an underwhelming autumn.
It could easily have come earlier, and with the added decoration of a Grand Slam for Wales - only for France to keep Wales' celebrations on ice and their own hopes alive with a last-gasp bonus-point victory over Wayne Pivac's men six days ago.

But the twin tasks of running in four tries and racking up a 21-point winning margin on a tight turnaround proved far too steep.

Tandy's tightened defence snuffs out France flair
France's much-vaunted attack found Scotland's defence hard going

Fittingly, it was a Welshman who played a key part in denying France. Since arriving at the end of 2019, defence coach Steve Tandy has transformed Scotland into the meanest defence in the Six Nations.

They conceded the fewest points in last year's Championship and have similarly suffocated their opponents in this edition.

The critical period came either side of half-time.

In a drenched, empty Stade de France, Van der Merwe's short-range try had survived the suspicion of a double movement to help Scotland to a 10-6 lead.

France soon wrestled their way into the ascendancy, camping on the Scotland line, but found themselves ushered down blind alleys at every turn.

Chris Harris' canny cover and bravery in contact was especially impressive.

Brice Dulin breached the line before the break but, even with Scotland captain Stuart Hogg in the sin-bin for the first nine minutes of the second half, Scotland did not disintegrate.

Romain Ntamack zipped through a hole, Virimi Vakatawa flipped an offload out of the back of his hand and Penaud chipped, chased and grounded for a fine score.

But France could not replicate those bursts of flair. And Scotland wouldn't let them.

Party like it's...
France captain Charles Ollivon had spoken about his side 'collecting the trophy' in the build-up to the match

Scotland's last win in Paris was so long ago that the Six Nations were Five, Emile Ntamack, rather than his son Romain, was in the France team and Scotland's coach Gregor Townsend was on the pitch rather than the touchline.

Scotland, though, started this campaign with an away victory over England that ended an even longer barren run, and never lost faith.

Captain Stuart Hogg admitted earlier in the week that France's public confidence had irritated his side and they took great delight in shredding the script.

The route to victory was not the one many might have expected.

Russell, who has been lighting up Racing 92's futuristic home ground across town, produced a performance low on dazzle, but high on IQ.

The fly-half, along with Hogg, turned France's back three with long, raking kicks, penning them deep in their own half during the first quarter.

After Russell's 70th-minute departure for a fending forearm into the throat of Dulin, it seemed Scotland would have to settle for a narrow defeat and pooping a party.

But Scotland's forwards, with Hamish Watson, Jamie Ritchie and Dave Cherry all excellent, took it to a tiring and dispirited French pack.

And when stand-in fly-half Adam Hastings held his nerve to find Van der Merwe with a looping pass worthy of Russell, a famous win was assured.

Man of the match - Jamie Ritchie
A massive performance from Scotland's blindside who made 15 tackles and two turnovers, both team-high numbers
France: Dulin; Penaud, Vakatawa, Vincent, Fickou; Ntamack, Dupont, Baille, Marchand, Haouas, Le Roux, Rebbadj, Jelonch, Ollivon, Alldritt.

Replacements: Thomas for Vakatawa (61), Serin for Dupont (64), Gros for Baille (56), Chat for Marchand (56), Atonio for Haouas (60), Taofifenua for Le Roux (50), Cretin for Jelonch (63).

Not Used: Bouthier.

Sin bin: Serin (73).

Scotland: Hogg; D Graham, Harris, Johnson, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price, Sutherland, Turner, Z Fagerson, Skinner, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Haining.

Replacements: Jones for D Graham (66), Hastings for Johnson (73), Kebble for Sutherland (49), Cherry for Turner (59), Craig for Skinner (75), Wilson for Haining (67).

Not Used: Berghan, Steele.

Sin bin: Hogg (39).

Sent off: Russell (71).

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
×