Paris: Veteran full-back Maxime Medard scored twice as France hammered Scotland 32-3 in their first Rugby World Cup warm-up Test in Nice on Saturday.
Medard, 32, winning his 57th cap, dotted down either side of the break for his first tries in more than three years.
The fixture was the first outing of the side since the appointment of former French captain Fabien Galthie as an advisor to head coach Jacques Brunel, before he takes over from the 65-year-old after the World Cup in Japan.
“We were opportunistic, we managed to score some good tries. We could have scored more but it’s a satisfactory match which will do some good to our spirits,” Brunel said.
Prop Jefferson Poirot led les Bleus for the first time in the absence of injured Guillem Guirado as Fijian-born winger Alivereti Raka and flanker Francois Cros made their debuts in the starting line-up as the hosts scored five tries in all.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend chose to rest first-choice half-backs Finn Russell and Greig Laidlaw and put his faith in Glasgow pair Adam Hastings and Ali Price for the match in Nice.
“We thought we had prepared the squad well, but we were wrong. We wasted the whole first half,” Townsend said.
“The team will be changed quite a bit for next Saturday,” he added looking ahead to the return fixture between the sides in Edinburgh.
Galthie’s focus on improving France’s fitness was seen almost immediately.
Raka, 24, celebrated his first cap with a maiden Test try after just 94 seconds as he crashed over under the posts.
Camille Lopez converted before adding his only penalty of proceedings after a quarter of an hour of play.
Les Bleus’ second try came from further pressure inside the Scottish 22m.
Lopez found himself in space out wide before feeding Damian Penaud who passed to Medard for his first try in international rugby since February 2016.
The fly-half missed the extras before his opponent in the visitors’ number 10 shirt Hastings claimed his side’s first and only points with a penalty after 26 minutes.
