The battle has already started. On Friday, Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend was keen to respond to the comments made by Fabien Galthié who, the day before, had criticised the away changing room at Murrayfield.

“I think it’s the first time the opposition team has publicly complained about our away changing room. It’s the changing room Edinburgh use every week. It’s a changing room every visiting team has used over the past twenty years“, Townsend fired back.

A motivational tool?

He went on: “France have a sizeable staff, which I think partly explains the problem. But it doesn’t concern me and I don’t think it really bothers the players. Apparently the media have more power than French rugby“. No mincing of words.

The day before, Fabien Galthié had complained about the facilities at Murrayfield. “The ground is one of those exceptional stadiums of the Six Nations”, he qualified. Before turning more barbed: “The changing room, you have to know that it’s the smallest changing room in the world in my view. Which means we get changed in the corridors. You have to tell it like it is. They force us to get changed in the corridor. So straight away, that sets the tone“.

The match, eagerly awaited by supporters in both camps, is now well and truly up and running. It remains to be seen whether those conditions might, in the end, over-motivate the French troops. In any case, the Scottish fans will not miss the chance to wind up the France head coach… See you on Saturday.