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THE BIGGEST international in world rugby has admitted he was surprised by Scotland's aggression in the Stade de France on Saturday and compared Vern Cotter's side to South Africa.

Uini Atonio, who stands 6ft 5in tall and weighs in at 24 stones, came off the bench for France in the second half and helped them close out a 15-8 victory over the Scots in the opening weekend of the RBS Six Nations Championship.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Record Rugby Show, the 24-year-old New Zealander, with Samoan heritage, says he expected to dominate the Scottish pack "easily" and was taken aback by the level of physicality and aggression he faced.

He termed Scotland "the South Africa of the north" and insisted that the game "could have gone either way".

Watch the full interview and also hear France captain Thierry Dusautoir's comments on the Scotland team - he believes France won because they were the more physically dominant side.

Follow the best online coverage of Scotland and their opponents in the RBS Six Nations Championship every day at: www.dailyrecord.co.uk/rugby .