Memories of the previous week's hefty reverse by Ireland came flooding back as the Scots' shortcomings in attack were ruthlessly exposed once again, this time by a French side which never quite hit top gear.

Brendan Laney, given the nod ahead of Gordon Ross at fly-half, gave his side more options in attack but the lack of firepower outside him ensured the Scots never created any real momentum.

The performance was a sad way for skipper Bryan Redpath to mark his 50th cap but his team had no answer to France's power up front or their incisive play behind the scrum.

French fly-half Francois Gelez, handed the number 10 shirt after Gerard Merceron's below-par effort against England last weekend, fully justified his inclusion in the side with a towering display.

Winning only his sixth cap, the Agen playmaker showed an assured touch and rarely took the wrong option, capping his afternoon's work with a 18-point haul courtesy of a near-flawless kicking display.

Fabien Pelous, Clement Poitrenaud, Damien Traille and Aurelien Rougerie all touched down for tries but the real hero of the day was number eight Imanol Harinordoquy who led France's domination up front.

The Pau forward, his side's most effective ball carrier, was always in the thick of the action and he had a hand in France's first points of the afternoon.

The Scots' lone score was a long-range penalty by Chris Paterson.