Graham Bean and Mark Atkinson discuss France v Scotland in the Six Nations.
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00:00Hello and welcome to this episode of the Scotsman Rugby Show. My name is Mark Atkinson, Sports
00:08Editor and I'm joined by our Chief Rugby Writer, Graeme Bean, who is locked up in the press
00:13room at the Stade de France ahead of the final Six Nations match for Gregor Townsend's men.
00:18They're up against potential champions in waiting, France, in Paris on Saturday night,
00:239pm local time. Graeme, does it feel like in France that they're preparing for a party
00:29tomorrow night? Definitely, yes. The bunting's out, metaphorically at least. The Stade de
00:37France is looking in good shape and I think the expectation is that France will be lifting
00:45the trophy late on Saturday night here. Scotland have a few things to say about that but I
00:52think there's a lot of confidence in the French ranks. Indeed, so it's Super Saturday tomorrow,
00:57the final round of fixtures in the Six Nations. We start off with Italy against Ireland and
01:03then we have Wales against England. If results go to form, we expect Ireland to win in Rome
01:08and possibly England to win in Cardiff, which means that France would have to beat Scotland
01:15to secure that top spot. Had a look at the odds earlier. French are landslide favourites
01:22to beat Scotland. But of course, Scotland have done it before. They've been party poopers
01:27in France. In 2021, I believe, was the last time that Scotland came and spoiled the French
01:33parade. Do we think this Scotland team...
01:42Yes, the win in 2021 was a brilliant performance and that was referenced today when we were
01:49speaking to Finn Russell. One important point he makes, however, is that that win in 2021
01:55was in an empty stadium because it was during COVID. I think tomorrow night it's going to
02:01be slightly different. There'll be 80,000 folk here. It'll be absolutely jumping. The
02:06atmosphere is expected to be red-hot. It's a nine o'clock kick-off, local time. So I
02:13think it'll be a big light show, lots of music, lots of fireworks and they'll really try and
02:18ramp up before the game. So Scotland will have that to deal with as well as a brilliantly
02:24talented French team. But there are a good few players from that 2021 side that are still
02:30going to be involved tomorrow, not least Finn Russell, who has played really well again
02:37against Wales last week, a big part of that win for Scotland. We saw how he dropped off
02:43a little bit when he went off the pitch for the last 20 minutes. But you'll need to do
02:49something really special tomorrow if Scotland have any chance.
02:54Speaking of the camp, Graeme, because this has been a difficult Six Nations for Scotland
02:58on the end of two really painful defeats against Ireland and England, with wins over Italy
03:05and Wales. Is there a sense of regret among the players and the coaching staff?
03:12Yeah, I think it all comes down to that match at Twickenham. I think that is the one that
03:17got away for Scotland. They missed three conversions that day, outscoring England by
03:24three tries to one, but Finn Russell couldn't land one of those kicks and the one at the
03:29end, in the last minute of the game, pulled wide. He made the point today that if Scotland
03:38won that match it would have been such a different outlook on this whole campaign. These are
03:42the kind of margins. Scotland could be going for the title themselves tomorrow evening
03:49if they'd won that match at Twickenham. It could have been a straight shoot-out between
03:53Scotland and France. But as it is, it looks like Scotland will end up fourth regardless
03:57of the result tomorrow evening.
04:00And that will obviously pose questions, if that is the outcome, about Gregor Townsend's
04:05role as head coach, contracted for another year, but with a new regime in the door at
04:11the SRU. Do you think two wins would pose a question at board level as to what the future
04:19holds at head coach?
04:22Yeah, I think it will certainly come under discussion. I think if Scotland do finish
04:29fourth that would be the fifth time in six seasons that they've finished fourth in the
04:32Six Nations. Now, there have been some good seasons amongst that. Some would have won
04:39three games and still finished fourth. But nevertheless, they've never finished in the
04:44top two since it became the Six Nations. Gregor Townsend has had eight seasons now. This is
04:51his eighth crack at the Six Nations. Third is the best he's achieved. As you say, there's
04:58a new chief executive at the helm of Scottish rugby. I think his position will come under
05:07scrutiny if they lose tomorrow evening. But he has got credit in the bank. There's been
05:14some notable wins, including four in a row against England, which is perhaps his greatest
05:18achievement in this reign. There may be a question whether he wants to continue as well.
05:25Eight years and one job is a long time at that level. He may have aspirations to go
05:32elsewhere, do something different. But as you say, he's contracted until next April.
05:38So, he could sit tight. One more crack at the Six Nations, who knows? But I think a
05:47lot could hinge on tomorrow night.
05:49In terms of the players, Graeme, is there a sense that this group has still got the
05:57talent to be a Six Nations winning squad, or indeed be on the premises of winning a
06:03Six Nations? And they still have a few more years left in them. You talk about Townsend,
06:08whether he wants to stay or not. You must look at what he's built and gone. I still
06:12think I can get more out of this team.
06:15Yes, I think the squad evolves all the time, doesn't it? Young players come through a
06:21lot. It's made up of this core group that have got to use that phrase, golden generation.
06:28But there are some high-quality players in that squad that have been around a while,
06:35including Russell. They've not maybe delivered on the promise that they're a very, very
06:45talented group. But I think, as I say, the squad does evolve. You've got Gregor Brown
06:51coming in this week. It's always changing. But the one thing that hasn't changed is Scotland's
06:59ability to challenge at the very top. They've just not done it since it became the Six Nations.
07:05They've not won a title since 1999, when Townsend himself was playing. So, it is a long, long
07:10wait.
07:11It is. And, of course, I think everyone sometimes forgets that, while Scotland are a very proficient
07:17rugby team, there are some real powerhouses in world rugby right now in the Northern Hemisphere,
07:24in the shape of Ireland and, of course, France. And the fear is that tomorrow night, the French
07:28team could just turn it on. And when they do, they're almost unstoppable with that blend
07:33of really powerful forward play and lightning-quick movements from the backs, even without Antoine
07:40Dupont.
07:42Yes, they're a brilliantly gifted team, aren't they? And Gregor Townsend made the point yesterday
07:46that it's the turn of some of the best performances he's ever seen from a French side. France
07:53and Ireland do seem a cut above the rest, but we've got this scenario tomorrow where
07:57if Scotland were to win, England would probably end up as the champions, which would be very
08:03strange. They don't look like a particularly good team, but here they are in second place
08:11at the moment. They've got a tough game in Cardiff, obviously, to come, but if they were
08:15to win and Scotland were to win tomorrow, it's England's title, which we think France
08:23and Ireland are so far ahead of everyone else, but we could have a scenario where England
08:27end up as champions.
08:28Who would have thought it? England supporting Scotland on Saturday night. We'll see what
08:35happens in the games that take place before France against Scotland, and then of course
08:40the big one in Paris. Graeme will have all the pre-game material on Scotsman.com and
08:46also in the Saturday edition of the Scotsman, and then we'll have all the reaction from
08:50the game on Saturday night in Scotland on Sunday and also online throughout the weekend.
08:55Graeme, thanks for joining me from the Stade de France and we look forward to the game
09:00tomorrow. Bye for now.
09:02Cheers.