France 35-16 Scotland: report & ratings as players stake Lions claim despite shocking referee decision

Scotland were ultimately powerless to deny France the Six Nations title in Paris as the hosts ran out 35-16 with another game where Gregor Townsend's side didn't get as much reward as their excellent attacking display deserved.

It brings to an end another frustrating tournament where they will end proceedings fourth in the table. As for the game itself, aside from the French title victory the biggest talking point will likely be an incredibly poor decision from referee Mathew Carley and the TMO as the hosts should have been shown a red card in the first half.

It was an ominous start from Scotland after a line out went astray and France set up from their own set piece and won a penalty at the maul which Thomas Ramos slotted for three points after just four minutes. Positive signs came when Matt Fagerson won a good turnover penalty and Jamie Ritchie seemingly followed that up with a second before a dubious refereeing call instead awarded the penalty to the French and from that they had a another driving maul and another penalty and this time it cost the visitors in the form of a yellow card for Ritchie.

After initially holding out for the first five minutes of the sin binning without conceding a break by Gaël Fickou cut Scotland open and he got the ball to his centre partner Yoram Moefana who crossed the line for the opening try with Ramos adding the extras to make it 10-0 to the hosts after just 18 minutes.

Scotland got up the pitch and we had the major flash point where, after winning a penalty, a coming together saw Ramos push Ben White over French teammate Peato Mauvaka with the hooker then charging White on the ground with a nasty looking heabutt that saw him yellow carded with an off field review to follow for a possible red as Russell slotted an easy kick for the visitor's first three points. Jamie Ritchie returned to the field but it was France who got up to the Scotland line and won a penalty under the posts for offside which Ramos knocked over to restore their ten point lead at 13-3.

Astonishingly, the news then followed that Mauvaka's yellow would remain so as the incident with White was deemed to not have a high degree of danger. The application of this ruling to a situation of serious foul play can only bring into question the competency of the referee and TMO. Scotland should have been playing the bulk of the game against 14 men and how different things might have been if that were the case.

Before he could return though the visitors were able to get their first try with an excellent pass by Russell to Graham on the inside line who went in under the posts. Russell added the conversion easily enough to make it 13-10 to France on the stroke of the half hour mark. Both sides had been guilty of conceding too many penalties but France were the ones being punished more and had another man in the bin after consecutive penalties saw Jean-Baptiste Gros sent to the bin and Russell's penalty brought the scores level.

Just after that though it was another penalty to France, this time Gregor Brown was guilty of trying to steal the ball on the ground when it wasn't available, and France were back ahead within minutes as Ramos slotted between the posts. France did take the lead into the break but Scotland thought they'd scored when an incredible run from his own 22 by Blair Kinghorn burst the French line and a few more phases saw Russell send Tom Jordan in for the try but the TMO reviewed that the tackle that brought Kinghorn down had also seen him go into touch so the score was chalked off and the half time whistle blown.

The Scots, still with a man advantage, looked determined to get the first score after the break and their play was both positive and silky but it was high risk/high reward and results in an interception that eventually saw Louis Bielle-Biarrey score his eighth try of the tournament with Ramos adding the conversion. As the sin bin clock ran out the French then brought on a host of forward replacements to try and drive home their advantage. They wouldn't be deterred by that though and kept up their fast paced striking in the back field with White and Rusell providing quick ball after quick ball and the eventual outcome was another penalty and another three points from the boot of the fly-half.

With Scotland throwing everything at the game the French went back to what had been their most useful tool, the driving maul. Two more of those splintered the Scotland defence and the ball was out to Ramos who ran in a comfortable score and converted his own try and the score was now 30-16 to the hosts. If that score didn't kill the game off the following certainly did as the hosts got their bonus point try which saw Moefana brute force his way over the line in the corner as the celebrations began in Paris.

It proved to be the final score of the game as the tempo gradually but noticeably slowed down in the closing stages and it was another game where Scotland should have had more reward than they ultimately got but, in terms of performance, there was a lot to be proud of even if it didn't reflect on the scoreboard.

Make no mistake, France deserved to win this game. However, had the right call been made to red card Mauvaka in the first half then things could have been very different.