By Canadian Press

6N: France gifts Scotland historic win and Wales the title

Mar 26, 2021 | 4:49 PM

PARIS — France gifted Scotland a last-gasp try to lose 27-23 and handed Wales the Six Nations title on Friday.

France had the match in hand at 23-20 up in injury time, but fullback Brice Dulin bizarrely decided not to kick the ball into touch with victory assured if he did.

The Scots exerted huge pressure over 22 phases, and left winger Duhan van der Merwe swept into the left corner in the 85th minute for his second try of the night and secured Scotland’s first Paris triumph since 1999.

Eleven years after last winning the tournament, France needed a four-try bonus point win and a 21-point margin of victory in the tournament finale in an empty Stade de France.

The French did get three tries, but they also gifted points and possession and ended up second again, just like last year.

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France stopped Wales from winning the Grand Slam last weekend with its own last-gasp winning try — ironically to Dulin — at the Stade de France but Wayne Pivac’s revitalized unit still ended up winning a second title in three years.

Another tense contest on Friday finished with 14 players on each side for the closing stages.

Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell was red-carded and replacement scrumhalf Baptiste Serin was sin-binned moments later for messing up Scotland’s maul.

The cards came too late to make a serious difference to where the title ended up.

But coach Gregor Townsend’s enterprising Scotland deserved the win against a French side affected by the weight of positive expectation, and which reverted back to the sloppy mistakes of recent years.

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Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press