Teams
Gregor Townsend has shuffled his selection again, which will exacerbate the feeling among observers that he is struggling to know what his best team is. Nick Haining is back in at 8 to continue his in-out hokey-cokey selection experience, Grant Gilchrist makes a return at lock and the great hooker tombola is given another spin with Fraser Brown back in the starting shirt.
In the backline it appears that Huw Jones’ international career has the pause button pushed again as he is not recalled in any way after his exclusion vs Italy – Sam Johnson and Chris Harris keep their shirts.
France welcome back the wonderful Damian Penaud, who replaces Teddy Thomas, and after magnificent performance vs Wales, young Arthur Vincent keeps the 12 jersey which also sees the resurgent Gael Fickou stay in his wing berth.
All eyes will once again be on France’s dynamite back row and half-backs, they have had the best of every team so far and if that happens again today it will be a difficult afternoon for Scotland.
Scotland: 15-Stuart Hogg (capt); 14-Sean Maitland, 13-Chris Harris, 12-Sam Johnson 11-Blair Kinghorn; 10-Adam Hastings 9-Ali Price; 1-Rory Sutherland, 2-Fraser Brown, 3-Zander Fagerson, 4-Scott Cummings, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 6-Jamie Ritchie 7-Hamish Watson, 8-Nick Haining
Replacement: 16-Stuart McInally, 17-Allan Dell, 18-Willem Nel, 19-Sam Skinner, 20-Magnus Bradbury, 21-George Horne, 22-Duncan Weir, 23-Kyle Steyn
France: 15-Anthony Bouthier; 14-Damian Penaud, 13-Virimi Vakatawa, 12-Arthur Vincent, 11-Gael Fickou; 10-Romain Ntamack, 9-Anthony Dupont; 1-Jefferson Poirot, 2-Julien Marchand, 3-Mohamed Haouas, 4-Bernard Le Roux, 5-Paul Willemse, 6-Francois Cros, 7-Charles Ollivon (capt), 8-Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16-Camille Chat, 17-Jean-Baptiste Gros, 18-Demba Bamba, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Dylan Cretin, 21-Baptiste Serin, 22-Mathieu Jalibert, 23-Thomas Ramos