Scotland 25-21 France: Hosts hit back for victory despite Zander Fagerson red card

Darcy Graham crossed aft the interruption to spark Scotland's comeback

Scotland mounted a stunning fightback from 18 points down to bushed France contempt Zander Fagerson's reddish card.

The Scots roared backmost with tries from Darcy Graham and Pierre Schoeman - either broadside of Fagerson's dismissal - and substitute Dave Cherry.

Finn Russell kicked 10 points arsenic the hosts held connected for a superb win.

The sides conscionable again successful St Etienne adjacent Saturday successful the 3rd of Scotland's 4 World Cup warm-up matches.

After triumph implicit Italy past play with a shadiness side, Gregor Townsend elected to spell arsenic beardown arsenic imaginable for the sojourn of the World Cup hosts, with skipper Jamie Ritchie the lone notable absentee done injury.

On his 70th headdress Russell was captaining Scotland for the archetypal clip and got his broadside connected the committee with an aboriginal penalty.

France were without their superstar scrum-half Antoine Dupont, but his stand-in Couilloud finished disconnected a stunning counter-attack from heavy wrong French territory that sliced unfastened the Scottish defence for the game's opening try.

Even without a big of their prima names, Les Bleus inactive carried threats each implicit the pitch. The Scots were struggling to stifle the velocity of the French shot and Bielle-Biarrey came disconnected his helping to marque the other antheral retired wide and glide implicit successful the corner.

At 14-3 it was already looking similar an uphill task for the location broadside and connected the half-hour came the worrying show of Ben White limping disconnected with an injury. Having rapidly go an integral portion of the broadside this year, Townsend's volition beryllium praying White's World Cup hopes are not thrown into doubt.

Scotland's Ben White was forced disconnected injured earlier half-time

Scotland were struggling to marque immoderate benignant of content successful attack. The carriers were not making yardage and what small shot the Scots had was invariably slow. Throw successful a mates of sloppy line-outs and you were near with a French defence enjoying a mostly comfy afternoon.

The visitors stretched their pb erstwhile Woki powered implicit from adjacent scope and portion a warm-up is by its quality not the highest of stakes, determination was a information the Scots were heading for the intelligence stroke of a dense location defeat.

They needed thing rapidly to stem the tide and to the astonishment of cipher it came from their small effort instrumentality connected the wing, Graham.

Russell dinked a beauteous footwear implicit the defence into the dead-ball country and Graham did brilliantly to dive successful up of Ethan Dumortier to get fingertips to the shot and interaction down.

Scotland were making inroads for the archetypal clip and portion their momentum was checked somewhat erstwhile Fagerson was yellowish carded for a unsafe clearout astatine a ruck, his front-row spouse Schoeman utilized his sizeable powerfulness to volition himself implicit the line.

The joyousness astir around Murrayfield was shortlived, however, arsenic Fagerson's yellowish paper was upgraded to reddish aft being reviewed by the tv lucifer authoritative via the caller 'Bunker' system. Given the dearth of options astatine tighthead, the Scotland coaching unit volition person immoderate sleepless nights earlier Fagerson goes successful beforehand of the disciplinary panel.

Despite being a antheral down, the Scots had wrestled the momentum from the French and looked to person taken the pb erstwhile Blair Kinghorn blasted his mode past Brice Dulin to spell over, but the effort was ruled retired for a knock-on by Graham earlier successful the move.

The passivity of the archetypal fractional was present replaced by a ferocity the French were struggling to woody with and a rolling maul powered implicit the enactment to let Cherry to dot down and enactment Scotland successful the pb for the archetypal clip since the opening minutes.

Russell kicked beautifully disconnected the tee each time and his punishment stretched Scotland's vantage to four. Sensing the lucifer slipping distant from them, the French mounted a precocious onslaught which Scotland repelled with everything they had until Cameron Redpath pounced for a superb turnover to seal the win.

From staring a dense decision successful the face, 22 unanswered points secured a triumph that should beryllium a immense assurance boost to the Scots going into the World Cup.

Replicate the first-half show astatine the tourney itself and the Scots volition beryllium going location early. Replicate the 2nd and they volition beryllium a fistful for immoderate team.

Scotland: Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell (captain), White; Schoeman, Ashman, Z Fagerson, Gray, Gilchrist, M Fagerson, Watson, Dempsey.

Replacements: Cherry, Bhatti, Nel, Cummings, Darge, Horne, Redpath, Smith.