Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu has vowed to rattle France and make life as uncomfortable as possible for the visitors at Murrayfield on Saturday afternoon.
The free-scoring French are chasing a Grand Slam and are in devastating form but that didn’t stop their head coach Fabien Galthie complaining about the facilities at Murrayfield earlier this week.
Galthie said Les Bleus were being forced into using ‘the smallest’ changing room in world rugby and that their requests for use of a bigger room had been rejected. He then said that had ‘set the tone’ for the match.
Now Tuipulotu is looking to make things uncomfortable for the visitors on the pitch, as well, and claim a victory which would give them a chance of winning the championship against Ireland in Dublin next weekend.
‘What an exciting opportunity we’ve created for ourselves here,’ said Tuipulotu. ‘One of the best teams in the world coming to Murrayfield. It’s awesome for our fans and it’s exciting for this team.
France head coach Fabien Galthie, at Murrayfield on Friday, is unhappy with size of changing room at Scotland’s national stadium
‘I think those first three games have prepared us properly. I feel battle-tested leading into this fourth game — and I think that’s an important aspect going into these last two games.
‘The job is to make France feel as uncomfortable as we can for as long as we can. That’s the game and it’s probably the game we’re in.
‘Can we test them and ask questions of them? That’s our job, but it’s easier said than done. This is a brilliant team.
‘I’m not going to sit here and say they’re not because they’ve proved it over the first three weeks. They’ve been brilliant, haven’t they?
‘They haven’t been behind on the scoreboard, but if we can get in front, we give them a feeling that they haven’t felt in this championship yet.
‘I think that’s something that we have to strive towards doing, and I think that comes with a fast start.
‘We need to start fast, but against a quality team like France, starting fast, that alone doesn’t mean you’ll win the game. We’ve got to start fast and finish fast as well.
‘It’s going to take an 80-minute performance. One that we know we’re capable of. That’s how we get what we want from this game.
‘Playing at Murrayfield with the home crowd behind us, I can’t explain to people what that’s like. They’re going to be a massive part of this game. I hope they can make this place as hostile as possible.’
France, who will be led by captain and talisman Antoine Dupont, could clinch the title if they secure a bonus-point win over Scotland.
Scotland’s hopes will rest on the shoulders of Finn Russell, with many viewing that personal duel as a battle between the two best players on the planet right now.
This will be Scotland’s biggest match since the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against Australia, with victory teeing up the chance to win the title on the final weekend for the first time in the Six Nations era.
But Tuipulotu has stressed the importance of not looking too far ahead, adding: ‘Yeah, it’s massive, isn’t it? I’m not hiding away from that at all.
‘I think it’s about getting the balance. To understand as a group, this is one of the biggest games we’ve played as a group, and that’s a good thing. It is a big motivation, knowing that we could take it to next weekend.
‘I understand in a tournament like this, it’s all outcome-based of where you finish in the table and if you take a trophy home. But, for me anyway, there is no game after this one.
Sione Tuipulotu insists Scotland have to make life uncomfortable for the in-form French
‘My mindset was the same when we were on the plane back from losing in Italy. I don’t think anything should change for us, France is the team that’s in front of us. Anything the week after that, we’ll get there.
‘We’ll take care of that when we get there, but it’s stupid to start thinking about the fifth week or the fifth game of the tournament.
‘I want to earn another week with this group chasing the main goal, and that’s lifting the Six Nations trophy. To do that, we need to beat France first of all.
‘We have to go out there and execute ourselves enough to put it together. I think we do ourselves a disservice if we start looking too far ahead.
‘I know the crowds are bigger and the stakes are higher, but the game is the same to me. That’s how I approach every single game.
‘Nothing’s changed. My dad’s going to be in the crowd this weekend, just like I was when I was a kid. I know the stakes are higher and everything like that. But I try and keep the same approach.’
