A titanic Six Nations showdown between Scotland and France witnessed two early red cards on Sunday as Les Bleus emerged as 32-21 winners in Paris.
Dismissals for Grant Gilchrist and Mohamed Haouas made for a disappointing development at the Stade de France, where Finn Russell's 11-point haul and a Huw Jones brace failed to rein in France from 19 points down. Fabien Galthie's titleholders came out on top despite being outscored in the second half, with Gael Fickou, Romain Ntamack, Ethan Dumortier and Thomas Ramos each scoring to seal the bonus-point victory.
Les Bleus were already 7-0 ahead thanks to Ntamack's quick score when Scotland's day went from bad to worse following Gilchrist's dismissal. The Edinburgh lock was penalised after his shoulder made contact with Anthony Jelonch's head on the six-minute mark, and he could have few complaints after replays showed no effort to wrap in the tackle.
Dumortier boosted the hosts' lead to 12 points when Scotland were handed a reprieve thanks to Haouas' head-first clear-out attempt at the ruck. As in Gilchrist's case, the prop had no defence despite his protests in Paris, seeing red against Scotland for the second time in his career after he was dismissed for a punch facing the same foe in 2020.
The remorse was evident in Gilchrist's face as the potential impact of his actions dawned on the 32-year-old, with Gregor Townsend's side targeting three straight wins in their opening three games of a Six Nations for the first time. The second row's offence was also the less grievous of the two dismissals considering a previous collision on Jelonch arguably altered the trajectory of his head.
The social media reaction to Haouas' hit identified the Montpellier front row as the more culpable of the pair, particularly given his history of ill discipline.
Journalist Paul Eddison suggested the red card may even cost Haouas his place at this year's Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in France for the first time since 2007. The Times' Chris Jones wrote both collisions "highlight how players need to change their actions to ensure head contact is avoided," with rugby reporting higher rates of long-term brain injury among retired players in recent years.
Rugby's revised laws around head contact have reduced the level of competition in certain fixtures due to teams needlessly being reduced in personnel. But after Gilchrist's quickfire red threatened to ruin Sunday's contest between two of Europe's best teams, equilibrium was restored in unfortunate fashion as Haouas became the first player to be dismissed twice in the Six Nations.
Scotland failed to stem the flow of France's attack despite seeing the sides go level once again in personnel, with full-back Ramos flying in from 70 metres with an intercept try. Russell helped make up for that error by assisting Jones' try response minutes later, though a Ramos penalty put the hosts 22-7 ahead at the break.
And there was to be more redemption for Russell after the restart, with the Bath-bound playmaker helping fashion another score for Jones, who dotted down amid huge pressure. A sustained spell of Scottish pressure resulted in Russell then crossing the line himself on 67 minutes as the guests reduced the deficit to just four points.
For all the chaos that comprised the first 20 minutes, a tense 'tete-a-tete' grew turgid as reality set in for both teams. Scotland entered Week 3 with a wind in their sails but having never clinched back-to-back wins in Paris, a sudden reality after striving to a 27-23 victory at the Stade de France in 2021.
It was not to be, however, as the hosts' hulking pack came to the fore and helped pen their guests in during the dying phases. Player of the Match Fickou forced his way over to apply the finishes touches with seconds left on the clock, breaking Scottish hearts and any chance of a losing bonus point.
France remain fourth in the Six Nations standings as one of three teams to take two wins from their opening three matches, level with both Scotland and England. Les Bleus travel to Twickenham when the tournament resumes in a fortnight's time, while Scotland host leaders Ireland at Murrayfield.
Scotland travelled to the Stade de France sat second in the Six Nations standings, while France were targeting a response following defeat in Dublin a fortnight ago. Galthie's titleholders are one of the favourites to win the World Cup on home soil this autumn, but cutting out ill discipline like that seen on Sunday will be crucial if they're to live up to such lofty aspirations.
