Friday 31 October 2014 22:48, UK
France coach Richard Agar insists the 2014 European Championship should be decided by a final after his side missed out on a place in the next Four Nations Series.
The French needed to beat Scotland by more than 17 points in their final fixture in Galashiels on Friday night to keep alive their title hopes but they conceded three converted tries in the last 18 minutes to win by 38-22.
Scotland will now be crowned champions - and secure a place alongside England, Australia and New Zealand in the 2016 Four Nations Series - unless Ireland beat Wales by more than 40 points in the last match of the tournament in Wrexham on Sunday.
Whoever wins the tournament, it will probably be by a very marginal points difference. I just think with the massive prize at the end of it, perhaps there should be a final and I would have said that had we won by two more points.
"There are mixed emotions and it just highlights some inadequacies of the tournament because you were probably going to get two teams finishing on two wins," Agar said.
"Whoever wins the tournament, it will probably be by a very marginal points difference. I just think with the massive prize at the end of it, perhaps there should be a final and I would have said that had we won by two more points.
"It would give the competition a little bit more credence. They could even replicate what they've done under with Fiji and Samoa in the southern hemisphere and put the final on next year to give both teams an opportunity to get their top men out."
France scrum-half Remy Marginet followed up his man-of-the-match performance against Wales with a second consecutive 22-point haul, this time with a first-half hat-trick of tries and five goals from seven attempts.
Baitieri, Eloi Pelissier and wingers Aurelien Decarnin and Tony Gigot also took advantage of Scotland's wafer-thin defence to touch down as Les Tricolours opened up a 32-point lead by half-time.
But Scotland centre Ben Hellewell showed a nice turn of pace to pull back a try on 62 minutes before twin brothers Adam and Jonathan Walker also notched tries and Danny Brough maintained his nerve with his final kick as the hosts claimed a moral victory from a comprehensive defeat.
"That wasn't the Scotland way in the first half," admitted Bravehearts coach Steve McCormack. "All credit to France, who were too quick for us and offloaded like the French can do.
"We said a few home truths at half-time. We wanted a bit more honesty, a bit more desire.
"We also mentioned that we had an awful lot to play for in the second half, firstly our pride but secondly because we were still in with a chance because of how we played in our two other games.
"In the second half I thought we were sensational."
