Paris in the springtime became like a rainy March day in Cardiff. They were perfect conditions for Wales and as Scotland played to them, kicking and harrying, France set out for the four tries and 21-point winning margin they needed to clinch the title, watching it slip from their grasp like the ball they struggled to hold on to.
England’s defence of their title ended in Cardiff when a French referee awarded Wales two disputed tries and France found themselves 10-3 down after 14 minutes when an English official, Wayne Barnes, awarded Duhan van der Merwe a try after a long rolling maul, although the wing needed to make a double movement before grounding the ball on the line.
France missed out on the title last year after losing at Murrayfield but Scotland had not won in Paris since 1999, the year they were last crowned champions thanks to Wales beating England at Wembley the day after. They had the motivation of finishing second, which they had never managed in the Six Nations era, and felt slighted that everyone was talking about what Les Bleus needed to do.
It was the final match of 15 but France could finish anywhere in the table from first to fourth, while Scotland and Ireland would end up second, third or fourth. Only the also-rans, Italy and England, knew their final resting place, but France only once, and then momentarily, looked as if the title was within their reach.
Damian Penaud finished off their best move of the night six minutes into the second half, when Stuart Hogg was in the sin-bin, to put them 18-10 ahead, but Scotland, like an irritating wasp at a picnic, refused to go away, having in the last six months discovered the knack of doing well on the road. When they travelled to Llanelli last October, they had not won away in the Six Nations since 2010 other than in Rome, but they followed victory there with their first success at Twickenham for 38 years before losing at home to Wales and Ireland.
Three times they turned down the chance to kick a penalty and tie the scores at 23-23 in the final quarter before Brice Dulin, the full‑back who scored the late, late try to beat Wales six days before, turned a home victory into defeat with a decision that owed to more than a tired mind. He received the ball from Charles Ollivon after Scotland were turned over on France’s 22 with the clock having reached zero, but instead of kicking it dead he went off on a final run and was penalised for holding on after being tackled by Hogg.
Twenty phases later, Van der Merwe scored his second try as the lead changed for the fifth and final time on the night. The Scotland head coach, Gregor Townsend, a try scorer in 1999, celebrated even though his side ended up fourth, level with Ireland but with an inferior points difference of one. Just as Ireland will reflect on two narrow defeats, so Scotland lost to Wales by a point and Ireland by three.
They were expected to win then while not given much of a chance at Twickenham or in Paris, but are struggling to lose their tag of underdogs. They were dangerous opponents for France, never mind the conditions, because of their persistence, but what was surprising was that a French team which has been well drilled and focused became so distracted by mathematics.
Their approach did not add up, to the point where some of their central figures froze, most notably the bulky centre Virimi Vakatawa, who for the hour he was on the pitch was like Popeye waiting for a delivery of spinach.
He set up Penaud’s try with a pass out of the back of his hand but too often took the ball standing still and summed up his side’s lack of direction.
France were never in control on a night when 30 penalties were awarded, evenly split between the sides. Finn Russell, who played his club rugby in Paris, became the fifth player to be sent off in this year’s tournament for a dangerously high fend off on the hapless Dulin, who had earlier scored the first of his side’s three tries, while two yellow cards took the total to 15, an average of one a match.
The penalties and the mistakes in the conditions slowed down the game but added to the tension. France’s losing bonus point ensured they finished second, which is where they would have ended up even if Dulin had scored from 80 metres at the end.
And so Wales will be presented with the trophy on Saturday afternoon, the misery they felt in defeat in Paris last week replaced with satisfaction. It has been a championship of the unexpected played at a time of uncertainty and the frantic, frenetic finish in France forged a fitting finale.
