Dan Biggar described Wales’s win over Scotland in Cardiff as “one of the best victories I’ve had in a Welsh shirt”. The fly-half, captaining his country in his 100th Test, slotted the game-winning drop-goal with 11 minutes left to secure a victory seven days after the embarrassment of the 29-7 defeat in Ireland.
“We didn’t get it right last week and, when you don’t get it right, especially in this country, you get a fair bit of flak for it,” Biggar said. “But for me it was a brilliant day. My family was here, my little boy could come out on the pitch afterwards and it doesn’t get much better than that. Just a really special day.”
Wales’s improved performance was built on an impressive display from the back row – Ross Moriarty and the pair of 22-year-olds, Taine Basham and Jac Morgan – as well as an improved tight five that contested well in the lineout and set up a rolling-maul try for Tomas Francis.
“The boys put in a lot of work during the week,” Wayne Pivac, the coach, said. “That was the Wales team that we know.”
Scotland’s wait for a first win in Cardiff since 2002 continues and, after their victory over England last week, they will lament their inability to put in another convincing display. Their captain, Stuart Hogg, told the BBC: “We’re bitterly disappointed. The stuff that we’re in control of, when we’re on the front foot, we’re really dangerous … We’re a lot better than what we showed.
“You have to take your opportunities or you get on the wrong end of scorelines. We gave away penalties and Wales cheap field position, easy avenues into the game, and that’s the frustrating part. It’s a horrible feeling right now but that’s Test match rugby.”
The decisive score came from a drop-goal when Wales had a man advantage and could have gone for a try. “It proved to be the right decision,” Biggar said. “What it enabled us to do in the last 10 minutes was play without the ball. If you’re chasing the game or didn’t quite get what you wanted, then you force something and give up a cheap turnover or a breakdown penalty and all of a sudden you have to chase the game again. So it enabled us to play a territory-based game rather than a possession game, which suited us.”
No one would argue with him. This hero of Wales capped off a fairytale evening. His coach was gushing in his praise for his No 10, who also finished the match nursing an injured right knee. “Dan epitomises what you want in a rugby team,” Pivac said. “That is somebody who is prepared to fight for every last inch.”
How fitting, then, that it was his blow that proved decisive.
