Philippe Bernat-Salles scores the winning try at the Stade de France
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Matches: France 16 - 6 Scotland

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: France | Scotland

France scrambled to an opening Six Nations Championship win over Scotland at the Stade de France.

The French, who won only their fourth match in 11 outings at the Stade, scored the one try of the match through veteran wing Philippe Bernat-Salles while the Scots were down to 14 men at the start of the second half.

Flanker Martin Leslie was still cooling his heels after being yellow carded at the end of the first half when Bernat Salles cut in off the right wing to score his 22nd Test try.

Scotland lost their creative genius Gregor Townsend after just three minutes with what looked like a knee injury and rarely mounted sustained pressure through their backs in a disappointing, stop-start match.

Scotland fly-half Duncan Hodge, who had come on for Townsend, missed the opportunity to reduce the deficit after Bernat-Salles score, putting a penalty wide a minute later.

French coach Bernard Laporte, sensing it was the moment to turn the screw on a tired-looking Scots outfit sent on his shock troops 10 minutes into the second period - former Grand Slam winners captain Abdelatif Benazzi and prop Christian Califano along with Cameroon-born flanker Serge Betsen.

While the Scots were rare visitors to the French half in the second period they spurned one golden opportunity to get back into the match when with the French defence scattered after a sparkling move deep into hostile territory number eight Jon Petrie knocked on from Paterson's pass.

The French almost added a second try minutes from the end when fullback Xavier Garbajosa sped for the line only to be superbly tackled by Paterson.

The Scots were fortunate not to concede a penalty as winger Cameron Murray trod on the prone figure of Garbajosa - which led to a face-off between the Scot and furious flanker Olivier Magne.

The Scots got the first points on the board after a period of intense pressure as Kenny Logan, who celebrated his 50th cap by leading the team on to the pitch, slotted over a penalty.

However, France's kicking machine Christophe 'Titou' Lamaison, who was playing in only his second Six Nations match in three years after a terrible injury-run, levelled the match five minutes later only for Logan to restore the lead.

The Scots, who lost giant lock Metcalfe with a hand injury, almost grabbed the first try of the encounter when captain Andy Nicol burst through the middle but he was brought to ground by Xavier Garbajosa five metres out.

Despite five minutes of constant pressure the Scots came away with nothing as Logan missed a penalty and were further hindered as star centre John Leslie went off to the bloodbin replaced by Alan Bulloch, who was able to enjoy a few minutes on the pitch with his hooker brother Gordon.

An unusually docile French crowd took 35 minutes over it but the whistles and jeers began in full force after a succession of scrappy French play hit its nadir when with an overlap centre Richard Dourthe passed straight into touch.

Another darting Nicol run sparked one of the most exciting periods of play of a scrappy first-half as with a Scots try looking to be odds-on his pass went nowhere.

The French counter-attacked with a sweeping move down the left and then worked it out to the right where Bernat-Salles looked to have worked his way over the line only for the video referee to rule he had been held up.

The hosts again missed another opportunity to touch down as with a huge overlap an errant pass from that man Dourthe again went to ground and although winger David Bory gathered it the Scots got across in sufficient numbers to stop him short of the line.

The French came away with the consolation of a Lamaison penalty to make it 6-6.

However, 29-year-old Lamaison was unable to give the French the lead when he missed from the right hand touchline after Martin Leslie's high tackle on Bernat-Salles which left the silver-haired speed machine dazed and on the grund for a couple of minutes.

Lamaison made sure with a penalty with virtually the last kick of the match.