If Gregor Townsend talks as glowingly about this France team inside the Stade de France on Saturday night as he did today then some of his Scotland players might not fancy leaving the dressing room. Townsend was effusive in his praise of Fabien Galthie’s side ahead of this Six Nations finale, believing Les Bleus to be a formidable force in both the English and French meaning of that word. Even without their injured captain, Antoine Dupont, they still boast threats all over the park. And when their starters have run themselves - and the Scottish defence - into the ground, Le Bomb Squad will empty from the 7-1 bench to do the same all over again. There will be no respite. Given that awesome mixture of power and purpose, two obvious questions arise: how did such a limited England team find a way to beat them? And how on earth are Scotland expected to have any chance of doing likewise in front of 80,000 expectant home fans? Few will give them an earthly and maybe that will suit Townsend and his players. They don’t tend to handle the favourites tag especially well, as seen in the mid-game meltdowns endured against both Italy and Wales at home. If this is to be Townsend’s final game as head coach - and the debate over his future will intensify over the coming weeks - then he will surely want to go out with all guns blazing rather than meekly succumbing to a French onslaught, although preventing that is certainly easier said than done. ‘It is probably the biggest challenge right now in world rugby,’ he conceded. ‘I think when you put all the factors together, playing this French team at home is always a huge challenge. The way they’re playing, even in their defeat (to England) they scored a lot of points and could have scored more at Twickenham. ‘They’re physical, they’ll bring a fresh pack on at some stage in the second half and they’re going for the title. I think it would be a really exciting time if you’re a French rugby supporter right now. ‘It’s a great game to go up against one of the best teams in the world at home. (For Scotland to win) would require something like we’ve delivered in the past, like in Paris a few years ago and at Twickenham. Also repeating some of the performances we’ve put in this year and stretching that out for as long as possible would put us in a good position.’ Sustaining an 80-minute display has been something Scotland have struggled with for a while now, but Townsend believes his players have it in them to deliver a shock. And he believes the formation of a recent French connection will also help. ‘We definitely don’t want it loose because that’s where they thrive. I think we want to be high-paced, and that’s a lot about what you do in the contact area. So, it comes down to how quickly you’re producing ball. Our team have done that really well this year. ‘There are times you’ll lose rucks because we move the ball more than other teams to the width. But if we can produce that quick ball, that gets us into better positions. It also moves their pack around. And they’ve got a heavy pack. ‘Whether it’s the guys at the start or the guys coming off the bench, they are some of the heaviest players we will come up against. So we’re going to make it uncomfortable for them. What they want to do is to get any mistakes from you and get that ball to their very fast players really quickly. So we’ve got to be accurate. They also want to get their power game out, playing off nine and pick and goes. ‘Toulouse have done this really well. Over the last couple of years we’ve worked closely with them. They’ve sent coaches over to us. We’ve gone to them. We know about their DNA and how they play and how they practise it. And we’ve learned from that as well. There’s been a stylistic change in how we’ve played this year. Bringing our forwards into the game a bit closer.’ The loss of Jack Dempsey to a hamstring injury is an undoubted blow in that regard, while Rory Darge will have another fitness test but is expected to start. Dempsey’s loss means a first ever Six Nations start for his Glasgow team-mate, Gregor Brown, while Edinburgh pair Marshall Sykes and Ben Muncaster make the bench for the first time in the campaign. Jamie Dobie replaces George Horne as part of a 6-2 split. ‘Gregor has done really well off the bench,’ added Townsend. ‘I thought his energy last weekend (against Wales) and his carrying were excellent. He came very close to scoring a try. He is very good in the line-out, really athletic, and technically really strong. And Ben and Marshall, who have had really good seasons, get to be involved in the Six Nations for the first time, too.’ Scotland stopped the party with a rare win in Paris in 2021 and Townsend, a French rugby enthusiast, is looking forward to another big occasion. ‘We’re aware of the context of the game. The atmosphere will be amazing. It’s now just about focusing on our game and bringing that out for as long as we can. That’s going to be very important.’