France had made the perfect start in front of their home crowd, capitalising on early dominance to take a 13-7 lead into the break against Scotland.

The opening exchanges had been fiercely contested, but it was the hosts who had struck first after seven minutes. A spell of sustained pressure inside the Scottish half had earned a penalty 25 metres out, and Morgane Bourgeois had made no mistake from the tee to put France 3-0 ahead.

Les Bleues had immediately been back on the front foot, punishing Scotland for a handling error straight from the restart. Some powerful carries had sucked in the defence before fly-half Carla Arbez had stepped off her right foot to slice through and dot down under the posts. Bourgeois had slotted the simple conversion, stretching the lead to 10-0 after just 13 minutes.

France’s dominance at the set-piece had been proving a real problem for the visitors, and when their scrum had forced another penalty in front of the posts, Bourgeois had made it three from three to keep the scoreboard ticking at 13-0.

But just as it had looked like France were in complete control, Scotland had pounced on a rare error. A loose French pass had been hacked ahead by Lisa Thomson, and Emma Orr had shown blistering pace to win the race and touch down. Helen Nelson had added the extras, cutting the deficit to 13-7.

Despite France dictating much of the first half, that opportunistic Scottish score had ensured there was still plenty to play for as the teams had headed into the break.

France were the first to strike after the restart, with Morgane Bourgeois maintaining her flawless kicking record. The fly-half slotted her fourth successful attempt of the match, extending the hosts’ advantage to nine points.

Scotland were under pressure once again as France drove towards the line, only for the ball to be held up. The visitors cleared their lines from the goal-line dropout, but it fell straight into the hands of Pauline Bourdon Sansus. Spotting an opportunity, the scrum-half wasted no time in producing a moment of brilliance—catching the ball, assessing the situation, and nailing a long-range drop goal to push France further ahead at 19-7.

This was the first drop goal in 11 years in the Guinness Women's Six Nations, and only the eighth in the Championships history.

Scotland, however, were beginning to find their rhythm in attack. Their pressure earned a penalty in front of the posts, and Helen Nelson made no mistake from close range, cutting the deficit back to nine points.

France had struck again on the hour mark with a try of real quality. A powerful driving maul had set the platform before Pauline Bourdon Sansus had sniped down the edge, keeping the attack alive with a clever offload to the ever-present Téani Feleu.

The second-row had shown her pace to beat the final defender and race over the line. Bourgeois had kept her flawless kicking streak intact, drilling the conversion low but accurate to extend the lead.

It hadn’t been long before Les Bleues were over again. Kelly Arbey, making her first start since facing Scotland last year, had produced a moment of brilliance. With seemingly nothing on, she had delivered a stunning offload to Séraphine Okemba, who had gathered cleanly and raced in untouched for try number three. This time, Bourgeois’ effort had drifted just wide, but France had been in full control.

France had wrapped up the bonus point in the 67th minute, capping off another spell of relentless attacking pressure. This time, it had been Bourgeois who had gotten the reward for her impressive display, crossing the whitewash to put the result beyond doubt. She had made no mistake with the conversion, taking her personal tally to 20 points for the day and stretching France’s lead to 38-10. France co-captain Manaé Feleu had been named Guinness Player of the Match after a standout performance that showcased her brilliance in both attack and defence. Her leadership on the field had been key to France’s commanding victory, contributing both in key moments of the game and in steadying the ship when Scotland had begun to threaten.

With the clock in the red, Scotland had managed to grab a late try, as a powerful driving maul had seen Elis Martin power over the line. Helen Nelson couldn’t convert, but the score had provided a final glimmer of hope for the visitors. However, the referee had blown the whistle soon after, with France maintaining their unbeaten run in the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations, securing a 38-15 win in the sunshine.