After holding off a late Wales rally to claim a 25-21 victory the day before, England’s title was confirmed as France, the only side who could possibly overhaul them at the top of the table, were beaten 29-18 at Murrayfield.
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“We always talk about total awareness in games and I thought they were aware”. France put a lot of width on the game and we had to scramble for each other.
Laidlaw, who collected his 50th cap against France, added: “This is the reason why we throw on the jersey and make so many sacrifices”.
Ambition – France set their stall out from the off, with Virimi Vakatawa and Wesley Fofana offloading on the right flank to give Guirado his try in the fourth minute.
“You don’t get many opportunities in worldwide rugby and the ones we have created we have finished them off”, he told BBC Sport. Peter Horne, Richie Gray and Taylor all carried bravely into contact before Laidlaw released Hogg to dance past Fickou for the touchdown.
“To lose our play-maker and then a try within five minutes but come back, show composure, build the game and win the game was great”.
Laidlaw missed the conversion, but four minutes later Taylor broke clear from near his own 22-metre line, puncturing some sloppy French defending and racing the length of the field to touch down for a superb individual try.
That a first home Six Nations win since 2013 ensured that England were confirmed as tournament winners mattered not a jot.
With Scotland leading 21-15 10 minutes into the second half, France cranked up the pressure. Halfback Maxime Machenaud moved the ball quickly to the left, and Fickou spotted a gap and surged through.
But France were repeatedly frustrated by resolute Scottish defence and were forced to settle for for another Machenaud kick as the deficit was cut to three.
The visitors kept their intensity up after the break, with Hogg’s penalty cancelled out by scrumhalf Machenaud’s two kicks.
But Guirado decided against kicking for points and appeared to go against team orders by choosing an attacking lineout.
In what was often a very physical match with one full on stooshie and a series of following “engagements” on and off the ball and with the France squad throwing incessant pressure on Scotland in the second half, Vern Cotter’s team knew what they had to do – and did it. Take it and keep going. The same initiative led to the winning try against Ireland, but failed this time.
The French, however, struggled to turn its possession into anything other than minimal territorial gains and Hogg showed the way with an instinctive piece of magic.
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After the best part of a decade as a streetwise No 8, venturing where only the fearless or foolhardy dare in the dark and brutal world occupied by French forwards, and another eight years as a coach of Clermont, there can not be much Vern Cotter does not grasp about the challenge Scotland face at Murrayfield tomorrow.
