The hosts and favourites made a distinguished start to the competition, running in nine tries to defeat the Scots.

Three touchdowns in the opening ten minutes from Nicolas De Martini, man of the match, hooker Kane Bentley and prop Ismael Khattabi laid the platform with the French building an impressive 36-0 half time lead.

Full back Gary Thornton finally broke the uncompromising home defensive line in the 51st minute for their sole consolation effort but France hit back with doubles for De Martini and Bentley and two late tries by substitutes Nicolas Delgal and Adrien Maurel.

France
1 Andrei Olari
2 Kevin Liguoro
3 Nicolas De Martini
4 Thomas Barrau
5 Cedric Barnagaud
6 Amar Sabri
7 Aurelien Besset
8 Ismael Khattabi
9 Kane Bentley
10 Mohamed Jamil
11 Vincent Duport
12 Florian Quintilla
13 Jean Philippe Baile

Subs (all used)
14 Thibault Ancely
15 Adrien Maurel
16 Jacques Rives
17 Nicolas Delgal

Tries: De Martini (5, 63), Bentley (9, 65), Khattabi (10), Olari (26), Barnagaud (31), Delgal (56), Maurel (68)

Goals: Bentley 4, Delgal 2
Coach: Laurent Dupuy

Scotland
1 Gary Thornton
2 Greg Wallace
3 Alasdair Carvers
5 Rob Sloman
17 Jack Burns
7 Ross Bryan
13 Karl Beardshaw
8 Wayne Rafferty
9 Scott Porteous
16 Che Smith
11Chris Lyle
14 Tommy McColl
6 Paul Walker

Subs (all used)
4 Matthew McNee
10 Ben Parker
15 David Valentine
12 Martyn Lowe

Try: Thornton (51)

Ville de Palau Man of the match:
Kane Bentley
Referee: Jean Pierre Boulagnon, (France)
Attendance: 856

article by Phil Caplan
8 July 2006