Gregor Townsend rues tries either side of half-time as France outclass Scotland

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend lamented the loss of two tries either side of half-time as his side were ultimately thrashed 36-17 by Grand Slam hopefuls France at BT Murrayfield.

Les Bleus made a strong start and scored two brilliant tries in the opening 13 minutes but the home side looked to be in the ascendancy towards the end of the first half as a try from Rory Darge just before the half-hour mark helped cut the deficit to 12-10.

However, France scored a third try against the run of play in the very last action of the half and then scored again two minutes into the second half to go 26-10 ahead and seize full command of the match.

Asked about the loss of those tries, Townsend said: “It was tough on the players, particularly the try after half-time.

“We were disappointed not to have gone ahead when we had a couple of opportunities to score before half-time.

“We were frustrated to concede from a lineout on the half-way line when the momentum was with us (at the end of the first half). The belief was still there at half-time and we had learned a lot from the first half that we discussed at half-time.

“That French try (at the start of the second half) came from an attack around the 22 when we had the ball so you can class it as a breakaway try. That must have been a blow for the players on the field.”

The French scored six tries while Scotland mustered just two, and Townsend – while pleased with the spirit his team showed – admitted they were beaten by the better side on the day.

“France won more moments than us in the game and we didn’t put them under enough pressure over the 80 minutes,” he said.

“We put ourselves under pressure at times and France put us under pressure. There were some positives. Our scrum was very