France v Scotland: Six Nations 2019 – live!

44 min France 15-3 Scotland: That was a marvellous try, featuring strong running, several excellent offloads, a charge and a delightful chip-and-gather from Mathieu Basteraud before Huget went over. Scotland’s only touch of the ball in this half before France scored was their own kick-off.

France pick-up where they left off, coming from their own 22 to go over the Scottish line, with Yoann Huget finishing a wonderful team move. Thomas Ramos fails to add the extras, hitting the post.

41 min: Scotland kick off with a seven-point gap to close. Wenceslas Lauret rises to take the catch from Blair Kinghorn’s drop-kick.

“Half-time, boys,” announces referee Nic Berry after a shrill blast on his whistle as the ball bounces out of play near the halway line. France have dominated, showing flashes of their former selves with a wonderful counter-attacking

40 min France 10-3 Scotland: A period of sustained French pressure, in which they made no ground whatsoever, comes to an end almost exactly where it started after Sebastien Vahaamahina knocks on as he stretches to catch a pass. Scotland scrum on their own 22 and the clock is in the red zone.

37 min France 10-3 Scotland: Guilhem Guirado is back on for France. Winger Yoann Huget, whose spell on the Naughty Step is finished, also returns to the field. France put-in, just outside the Scotland 22.

36 min France 10-3 Scotland: Scotland win a cheap penalty for offside and Blair Kinghorn kicks for touch. Scotland line-out just inside the French 22. Wenceslas Lauret steals the ball and another opportunity is wasted by Scotland as they throw long.

34 min France 10-3 Scotland: Down to 14 men for another two minutes, France lead by seven points and have missed one easy(ish) penalty and had two tries disallowed. That’s a potential 17 points they’ve left behind them so far – a sign of their dominance, but will they be punished for their carelessness?

32 min France 10-3 Scotland: A woeful penalty kick from Thomas Ramos leaves the scoreboard operator with nothing to do, but in better news from France, their captain is back from his HIA and looks like he’s been given the all clear to continue.

30 min France 10-3 Scotland: Gael Fikou goes over, latching on to a wonderfully timed chip-kick under pressure from Romain Ntamack. TMO Rowan Kitt, a rosbif by nationality and bound to be unpopular with the home crowd, spots another knock-on in the build-up and the try is disallowed. That’s a shame, because it was another beauty.

28 min France 10-3 Scotland: The referee is as good as his word and Yoann Huget is sin-binned for going in the wrong side of a ruck, paying the price for the earlier indiscretions of his team-mates.

His skipper, meanwhile, is sent for a head injury assessment. With a shake of his head Guirado jogs off the pitch and down the tunnel. I’m surprised he wasn’t sent immediately after receiving treatment a few minutes ago, to be honest. I’m no doctor, but I suspect that may be the last we see of Monsieur Guirado in this game. Camille Chat is on in his place.

25 min France 10-3 Scotland Scotland penalty after Basteraud comes in from the side moments after making a tackle. The ref warns Guirado that the next French player to do this will be sent to the sin-bin and Greig Laidlaw slots the ball over to get Scotland on the scoreboard.

24 min France 10-0 Scotland Guirado, who has been inspirational for France so far, is passed fit to continue and takes his place for a scrum on the French 22. Scotland have the put-in.

24 min France 10-0 Scotland: Simon Berghan tries to make ground up the right touchline but is brought down. There’s a break in play for treatment to French captain and hooker Guillhem Guirado, who has shipped a Scottish hip to the head and looks to be in a bit of trouble.

23 min France 10-0 Scotland: Peter Horne breaks through the French defence and Scotland play the ball out wide out to Grant Gilchrist on the side line. The ball comes back inside and Horne take a massive hit from Guirado that prompts an intake of breath from those in the stands. Fair play to Horn, he held on to the ball and got back to his feet immediately. Scotland have a penalty in a kickable position, but Greg Laidlaw hits the post . France react quickest and make ground to the halfway line.

19 min France 10-0 Scotland Scotland win a penalty inside their own half after Demba Bamba handles illegally in a ruck. Horne kicks for the French ten metre line.

17 min: France 10-0 Scotland Completely in control of this game, France win another penalty in front of the Scottish posts after Blair Kinghorn refuses to release the ball after retrieving the ball under pressure from a French kick-and-chase. Thomas Ramos slots the ball over.

A brilliant counter-attacking try by France, who scythe through the Scotland defence with a glorious running move. Th0omas Ramos, Damian Pernaud and Antoine Dupont were all heavily involved as they built from deep, with Pernaud taking a massive hit from Nick Grigg as he offloaded to Dupont. Up in support, Ntamack touched down under the posts and the bonus points are duly added.

12 min: France 0-0 Scotland: France go through the phases – eight so far – to go within seven metres of the Scotland line. Excellent defending by Scotland, who win a penalty and another chance to clear their lines. Great running by Basteraud there, running at the heart of the Scottish defence like an angry bull.

10 min France 0-0 Scotland: France on the front foot and Sean Maitland takes a ferocious thump from Damian Pernaud, who flattens him as he barges through him. France win a penalty and kick for touch, with Demba Bamba snatching the ball from the air. France are dominating proceedings here.

9 min France 0-0 Scotland: Laidlaw passes deep to Kinghorn, who boots clear from the five-metre scrum. It’s a fine clearance by the full-back.

TMO: Referee Nic Berry consults with his TMO, Rowan Kitt, looking for a possible knock-on in the build-up to the try. He spots one!!! Five yard scrum and Scotland have the put-in.

7 min France 5-0 Scotland: Gael Fikou and Mathieu Basteraud are stopped just short of the Scottish line after a great chip kick. After a great off-load that suck in two Scottish defenders, the ball’s played out wide to French prop Jefferson Poirot, who goes over in the corner despite a challenge from Greig Laidlaw

5 min France 0-0 Scotland: Scotland have possession and are trying to advance up the pitch, ruck after ruck, breakdown after breakdown. Nick Grigg loses it and France are back in possession just outside the Scottish 22.

3 min France 0-0 Scotland: Scotland’s rolling maul is illegallly dragged to the ground, earning them the opportunity to clear their lines from the penalty. Play resumes in the middle of the park, with Scotland in possession. A box kick from Laidlaw is chased by Jamie Ritchie, but France full-back leaps highest to catch cleanly.

2 min: France 0-0 Scotland: Scotland kick for touch but France win the line-out, stealing possession. Antoine Dupont makes good yards for France, who win a line-out about five yards from the Scotland line. France don’t contest the line-out, opting to try to drive for the line. It doesn’t work – Scotland get their maul on and drive the French pack up the pitch.

1 min France 0-0 Scotland: On the whistle of former scrum-half turned referee Nic Berry, France get the ball airborne with outside-half Romain Ntamack doing the honours. Sean Maitland catches and takjes a big hit and Scotland win a penalty when several over-enthusiastic French players come in from the side.

Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away: Following stirring renditions of Flower of Scotland and La Marseillaise, the very last of the pre-match formalities are under way. Play will begin very shortly. Here’s hoping for a good one …

The teams are in the tunnel … and out they march on to the Stade de France sward, to an enthusiastic welcome from the 80,000 French supporters who haven’t lost faith in their team. There are pyrotechnics and cheesy Europop galore, while the supporters wave their standard issue tricolours.

Today’s match officials

Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)

Touch judges: Nigel Owens (Wales) and Andrew Brace (Ireland)

TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)

From Stuart Bathgate’s match preview: Of the Scotland team’s key quartet, only the captain, Greig Laidlaw, is in the squad, Finn Russell having joined Stuart Hogg and Willem Nel on the injury list this week. Factor in other absentees such as Huw Jones,, Ryan Wilson and Hamish Watson, and it may seem that this game is France’s to lose. But that also appeared to be the case at half-time in their last home game, before they went on to surrender a 16-0 lead to Wales.

“Given such an ignominious collapse was followed by a heavy defeat at Twickenham, it is evident self-belief is in short supply in the French ranks, as Jacques Brunel implied when asked if, by naming his team two days early, he were not giving the Scots an advantage. “After seeing our performance against England, Scotland must be pretty confident anyway,” the head coach said.

One of the worst French teams in living memory host injury-ravaged Scotland with both teams in dire need of a win. France have lost both their opening matches, the most recent defeat being an extremely heavy one at Twickenham. Now on his third full-back in as many matches, France coach Jacques Brunel has made four changes and several positional switches, completely revamping his backline in the process.

His opposite number, Gregor Townsend, has been forced into making the same number of changes, the main one being the introduction of Peter Horne at fly-half to replace Finn Russell, who is injured. Kick-off at the Stade de France is at 2.15pm (GMT), but stay tuned for team news and build-up.