Duncan Weir was Scotland’s hero in Rome but a key error cost his side what should have been a comfortable victory leaving France to steal away from Murrayfield with a fortunate RBS 6 Nations win.
France’s Yoann Huget pounced on Weir’s errant pass as Scotland sought to work a two-man overlap into a third try of the afternoon, and the opportunistic wing returned it 80 metres to score France’s only try under the posts at the other end.
The key moment of the match came when Scotland were leading 14-9 six minutes into the second half of a match they were in control of, and although Weir landed a penalty to put the Scots back in front, he missed another from similar range with six minutes to play.
Inevitably, although they had struggled to hold on to their ball throughout the match and were by some way the poorer team, France managed to work position in the final minute and won a debatable penalty in front of the posts, replacement scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain kicking the three points to steal victory.
It was hard to take for the Scots after an outstanding pack display had the French on the back foot and struggling to hold their setpiece ball all afternoon, while two neatly worked tries in the first half had given the home side a position to win the game comfortably.
France had gone out to a 6-0 lead in the first 10 minutes through two penalties from starting scrum-half Maxime Machenaud, but the Scots responded with a try conjured and finished by full-back Stuart Hogg.
A charge-down of a Machenaud clearance kick by the outstanding Jim Hamilton had France in bother in their own 22, and when the ball was swept wide Hogg tried a chip into the in goal area that looked to be covered Huget and full-back Brice Dulin.
However the pair collided, the ball bounced free and the alert Hogg fell on it for the easiest of tries, converted by Greig Laidlaw.
Machenaud put France back in front after an error fi9elding the kick-off but the Scots second try was beauty straight off the training ground.
They won good lineout ball and set up possession under the posts, then spun it wide for Matt Scott’s deft inside pass to find wing Tommy Seymour bursting through tackles to score in the corner, Laidlaw landing the conversion.
At 14-9 ahead at half-time and with France unable to retain any possession from their lineout ball, the Scots looked to turn the screw early in the second half only for Weir’s calamity to shut down their momentum.
Having turned over possession at a French lineout in the visitors’ 22, Scotland swept it wide again but with men over had the ball gone through the hands, Weir attempted a floated miss pass which Huget read easily and scampered away to score at the other end.
Scotland rallied again in a resilient display by the pack, forcing France to retreat and winning three penalties at the edge of their kicking range. Laidlaw was short with the first, Weir just made the second to put his side back in front and the stand-off had another chance from 45 metres that he couldn’t make through the swirling wind.
That set up the finale with referee Craig Pollock deciding that a Scots tackler had not rolled away when it seemed a French fumble had gifted the home side possession at the death. Doussain, newly on the pitch, made no mistake from close range and the French escaped with an unlikely win.