Finn Russell insists Scotland should have had a try at the end of their frustrating defeat to France, but admits it shouldn’t have been left down to the referee to make the decisive call.

The Scotland captain cut a frustrated figure as he spoke after the match in a game where he will feel his side really should have won. France took the lead for the first time on 71 minutes and the second half had descended into a kicking contest that the fans weren’t enjoying but Scotland felt they had the ball grounded in the final play of the game.

Nic Berry made the call on field that it was held up and despite TV pictures appearing to show that it was grounded, TMO Brian MacNeice decided there was no conclusive evidence to overturn that and award the try and it ended in a 20-16 defeat for the home side and it was clear Russell didn’t agree on it, but he was proud of how his team performed overall.

READ MORE: Five things we learned from Scotland's defeat to France

He told BBC: "I think it was a tough second half. The whole game was an arm wrestle. France came out the winning side tonight, but for me that was a try at the end. That's not for me to decide, that's up to the referee. That's why he has the job.

"We've got to take this defeat on the chin and get better for England. We can't let the referee decide what happens in a game, that's up to us to play better and make these matches a victory.

"The way we got back into the game, and the way I believe we scored shows the character we've got. I'm proud of the boys for that performance and we will learn from it. I think we will chill out tonight and next week. Some of the boys will be training, everyone needs some time away from rugby.

"It's an intense competition and we'll come back and be ready for the England game. It's a different challenge from today but we need to be ready."