SCOTLAND had risen to the occasion in their first three post-lockdown matches, but when it mattered most they fell flat against France.

The quality of the opposition had a lot to do with that, of course, and it is a measure of how much the team have matured that they should be second best almost from first to last yet still only lose by a single score. Even so, judging by the high standards they have set this year, this has to be seen as an under-performance.

They might just have snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in the final play of the game, when a penalty in stoppage time offered them the prospect of a line-out close to the French line only for captain Stuart Hogg to kick the ball dead instead of finding a safe touch. Yet the reality is that anything other than victory for the visitors would have been an injustice.

Never behind in the contest, France claimed the only try of the game with an inspired move early in the second half, and came closer to scoring a couple more than Scotland did to getting one. Now top of Group B by three points from their hosts, they will qualify for the final of the Autumn Nations Cup and a probable meeting with England if they beat Italy at home on Saturday.

In that event, Scotland will finish second once the tournament organisers award them a 28-0 victory from their cancelled match with Fiji. France have already benefited in that way, and Italy will do too, thanks to a decision that the Fijians had to be held primarily responsible for the cancellations, caused by a Covid outbreak in their camp.

That second place is likely to mean a match against Ireland a week on Saturday. Things could get complicated in Group A if Wales manage to beat England, but the odds are against that, and on Ireland beating Georgia. If that is how things turn out for Gregor Townsend’s side, it will mean the international year ending as it began, with a visit to Dublin.

Lest we forget, the year has included a win over France as well as two against Italy and others against Georgia and Wales. That run of five wins was Scotland’s best for a decade, and one more would have been their longest sequence since 1990. The French, however, had other plans, and those plans came to fruition yesterday.

The first half, which ended 12-12, was a tale of two tight defences and a sequence of successful attempts at goal. Only one move from either side in the regulation 40 minutes amounted to anything close to a try-scoring chance, and that came from a speculative kick ahead by France which was mopped up by Blair Kinghorn just ahead of Virimi Vakatawa. That had been a free play, and when Wayne Barnes called it back for the penalty, full-back Thomas Ramos was on target to add to another effort.

A 6-0 lead after 10 minutes was merited after a dynamic start, but by the midway point in the half, Scotland were level through Duncan Weir. The stand-off’s first penalty was from right in front of the posts as his team began to find their rhythm, and his second, from a lot further out, came after good work by Hamish Watson.

A Matthieu Jalibert drop goal had France back in front, but Weir soon equalised with a third successful penalty – something he repeated a few minutes before the break after Ramos had edged the French ahead once more. With time running out before the break, the referee looked long and hard at replays of a fend to Jonny Gray’s face by hooker Camille Chat, but in the end decided no action should be taken.

Play resumed with a French scrum, one which rocked Scotland back on their heels and drew a penalty as the clock went past the 40-minute mark. It was sent to touch, and from the line-out a serious assault was launched on the line. After several phases France thought they had the ball down and over the line, but the referee had already blown to end the half, deciding they had lost the ball forward.

After shading the first half, France would have been entitled to feel they should have been ahead as they went in at the break. They re-emerged determined to make their superiority count, and within minutes they had done so.

A solid scrum led to a Vincent Rattez break, and the winger got the ball to Vakatawa, who had the power to drive on to the line as Hogg tried to drag him down. Ramos converted, and although a fifth Weir penalty narrowed the gap to 15-19, France soon resumed the hunt for a second try as their superiority up front began to show, and they twice squandered overlaps before another Ramos penalty made it 15-22.

The onus was on Scotland to conjure up something magical, but with time running out it was still France who looked more like scoring. A long-range penalty from Ramos three minutes from time would have settled the issue, and perhaps seeing that kick fall short breathed some new hope into the home team. It was soon dashed, however, as Hogg’s errant kick was followed by the final whistle.

Scorers, Scotland – Pens: Weir 5.

France – Try: Vakatawa. Con: Ramos. Pens: Ramos 4.

Drop goal: Jalibert.

Scotland: S Hogg (captain); B Kinghorn (S Maitland 62),

C Harris, S Johnson (D Tayor 73), D van der Merwe; D Weir, A Price; O Kebble (J Bhatti 68), F Brown (G Turner 68),

S Berghan (Z Fagerson 44), S Cummings, J Gray

(S Skinner 68), J Ritchie, H Watson (B Thomson 62),

M Fagerson. Unused substitute: S Hidalgo-Clyne.

France: T Ramos; T Thomas, V Vakatawa, G Fickou, V Rattez (A Vincent 71); M Jalibert, A Dupont; J Gros (C Baille 54), C Chat (J Marchand 54), D Bamba (M Haouas 56), B le Roux, R Taofifenua (P Willemse 63), D Cretin, C Ollivon, G Alldritt. Unused substitutes: C Woki, B Couilloud, L Carbonel.

Referee: W Barnes (England).