England win 2016 Six Nations: Scotland's 29-18 triumph over France gifts England the title for the first time since 2011

After a grim winter, there is a sense of spring in the Edinburgh air and a discernible spring back in Scotland’s step. When Stuart Hogg executed an outrageous flick over his head to set up Tim Visser, the arch finisher, for Scotland’s third try, it gift-wrapped the title for England and, on the evidence of another ragged French performance, it will come with a Grand Slam attached.

Such lofty aspirations remain beyond Scotland but they are, as Vern Cotter has doggedly insisted, heading in the right direction and this was an admirable leap.

Cotter’s men shrugged off a slow start, when they should have found themselves 10 points down and did find themselves without Finn Russell, taken off after being kicked in the head by a team-mate, to produce as good a performance as they have managed under the New Zealander.

It was a victory built in a manner borrowed from the French playbook of old. Indeed there were times when anyone unaware the home side were in white and the visitors in blue could have been forgiven for thinking Scotland, with Hogg and Peter Horne creating merry mayhem in the visiting defence behind a dominant pack, were France and France, butchering chances with knock-ons and turnovers having bust a gut to get deep into opposition territory, were Scotland.

This was the Scotland that has been threatening to get out, the one that impressed in the World Cup before slipping back into bad habits against England in their previous game here. That was a seventh successive Six Nations home defeat. In the 133-year history of the Championships they have never lost eight and there were times when France threatened to extend that horrid run – in that opening 10 minutes and then when they closed the gap to 21-18 with a quarter remaining.

Yet Scotland held their nerve and took their chances – the major failings of the last two years. “We can think under pressure,” said Cotter. “The whole plan is to improve and these guys are developing. The players showed good character, as well as composure, at critical times.”

France dominated the opening period of the second half. They were flickering, with Maxime Machenaud taking control and Gaël Fickou threatening from midfield. This was one of those critical times and Scotland’s line held. It took 25 minutes for Scotland to get into France’s 22 for the first time in the half, and they came away with a try thanks to Hogg’s vision. Hogg was man of the match, with a try of his own and a howitzer of a penalty launched from inside his own half. He was, barring a missed tackle in France’s opening try, a blur of attacking dynamism and kicked mightily from hand in Russell’s absence.

But this was a victory forged from the front, beginning with WP Nel, the best prop in the tournament. Scotland forced penalty after penalty at the scrum. It allowed Greig Laidlaw to kick them ahead after Guilhem Guirado, his opposite number, had given France an early lead, finishing off a well-worked try out wide.

France looked better than the shapeless side beaten in Cardiff but it did not last and they were too often outwitted in attack and defence. They were turned over eight times.

Guy Novès suggested they have gone backwards from the opening three games, bemoaning too many errors. This was another curate’s oeuf of a performance. There might be a good side in there somewhere – Fickou justified his return with a neat try on the stroke of half-time – and they might just produce a performance against England. But the Grand Slam looks England’s to lose. “We will try to be better,” said Novès.

Scotland scored the first of their three tries just after the half-hour, with the Gray brothers heavily involved as they drove deep into French territory. Duncan Taylor featured three times and, as France ran out of numbers, Hogg demonstrated his finishing abilities by darting over to collect his 10th international try.

Four minutes later, Scotland tapped a penalty inside their own half and Taylor was away and crossed in the corner with a posse of French defenders trailing in his wake.

Scotland’s third scrum penalty saw Hogg tee up the ball inside his own half and welly it over to give the home side a nine-point lead with half an hour remaining. France chipped away, Machenaud kicking two penalties, and then brought the bigger men off the bench. They did not take their chances though. Scotland did.

“They tried to come and steamroller us,” said Laidlaw, “and we fronted up. It’s a big stepping stone for this team.”