Well done Wales. That’s it for this blog today. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and keep up with France v Ireland here –
It’s all kicking off in Paris. France scored a very early try through Antoine Dupont ... and Mack Hansen has just hit back with a lovely piece of opportunism for Ireland. It’s 10-7 right now. Join Lee Calvert:
Updated
So Wales not quite as bad as we thought; Scotland still not nearly as consistent as they would like. After opening weekends of contrasting fortunes the two played out a thriller, the sort of edgy, imperfect, dramatic event on which this championship prides itself.
Updated
Ryan Elias has a chat with the BBC: “We needed a big reaction from last week. We just didn’t turn up last week, physically, or in a lot of aspects of the game. We didn’t fire enough shots. That’s something we spoke about in the week and we really needed to see a reaction, especially for the crowd here today.”
What made the difference today? “Just being physical, connecting as a team ... that spirit, that never-say-die attitude, just keep on coming, keep getting up, and as I say keep getting them shots in ... We had a long hard look at ourselves during the week.”
Updated
The losing captain, Stuart Hogg, has a chat with the BBC: “We’re bitterly disappointed ... there was stuff we were in control of, we were on the front foot ... when we get ourselves into good positions, we’re really dangerous, but at times we weren’t allowed to do that. And it’s really quite frustrating for us because we know we’re a lot better than what we showed at times. But look, that’s test match rugby. You have to take your opportunities and if you don’t you’re on the wrong end of the scoreline like we are today.
“That’s us in a nutshell, like for us, we want to be in a position to score tries, get ourselves in good positions. We were carrying with intent, we were carrying to score, and we got the outcomes we were looking for ... just at times we didn’t back it up, at times we didn’t get into the right positions. Look, credit to Wales, they were fairly good at times.
“When you compound error on error, that’s when it gets a bit frustrating. That gave Wales field position and easy avenues into the game. That’s the frustrating part because we know we’re better than that. For us, we didn’t get too carried away with ourselves [after the win against England] ... it’s bitterly disappointing at the moment ... we’ll look to get better. It’s a horrible feeling right now but that’s test match rugby.”
Updated
“For me, this is one of my best victories in a Welsh shirt,” Dan Biggar tells Sonja McLaughlan of the BBC. There is a huge roar from the jubilant crowd in Cardiff. “I think that says it all, Sonja. It’s been a really difficult week. We’ve had to put up with a lot of flak and rightly so. But to come back here, with this crowd, and just grind a result out, just roll our sleeves up ... it’s one of my best victories in my 100 [caps].
McLaughlan points out that perhaps Liam Williams, during the match, thought the winning drop goal was the wrong option with space out wide: “Quite possibly, but I couldn’t care less at the minute ... just so glad to have scored more points than them. We put a huge shift in defensively, our forwards fronted up ... The maul was excellent, and it laid a really solid foundation for us. Absolutely thrilled ... really pleased for the team, for myself, and for Jon Davies who was on the 100 as well.”
Biggar’s assessment of the forwards’ display? “Immense. The rolling maul was a huge thing for us all day. Got us out of trouble, allowed us to gain territory and gain easy yards ... this team, if it’s anything, it’s resilient and it knows how to hit back.”
Updated
Cheers Lee. Enjoy France v Ireland, which should be an absolute cracker ...
Dan Biggar has just said that is one of the best wins in his 100 caps for Wales. Full quotes to follow ...
I’m off to cover France vs Ireland. I leave you in Luke McLaughlin’s capable hands.
Updated
FULL TIME! Wales 20 - 17 Scotland
PEEEEP! The twenty year drought continues for Scotland
WALES DEFEAT SCOTLAND!
83 mins. And still Scotland cannot get into the Wales half. The ball goes left and right but it’s laboured and lateral that allows Wales onto the ball in the ruck to win a penalty and end the match!
Updated
82 mins. Ten phases for Scotland but they remain in their own half as Wales spread across the field and tackle for their lives.
81 mins. Gilchrist wins the lineout, but Scotland are still in their own half as Ben White gets them moving forward.
Cameron Redpath is on for Duhan Van Der Merwe.
80 mins. Somehow, Sam Skinner got amongst the maul to nick the ball for Scotland and they will have a penalty to gain better field position to attack from with the clock in the red.
Updated
79 mins. Wales have a solid catch and drive from the lineout.
78 mins. The ball is back in blue hands on halfway after a wonderful open pasture carry from Schoeman, but Wales are again tenacious in defence and Dillon Lewis clamps on the ball to win what looks like the decisive penalty on halfway.
Finn Russell has rejoined us.
Callum Sheedy replaces a limping Dan Biggar after the Wales captain finds touch deep in Scotland territory.
76 mins. A horrible period of play from Scotland here. The lineout possession was scrappy, then from a scrum the ball is lost in the next possession allowing Wales to clear. On the next attack Van Der Merwe fumbles it forward then a penalty is given away for offside at the breakdown.
The upshot of all this is that Wales have the ball in the Scotland half, three points up, with four minutes left.
Updated
72 mins. Blair Kinghorn is on for Tuipolotu. He will play stand-off in Russell’s absence.
71 mins. How important a decision will that be from Biggar? Scotland’s defence was pretty ragged and Wales looked well set for a try, but he’s gone the bird in hand approach.
Scotland have a lineout just outside the Wales 22 to attempt a strike back.
DROP-GOAL! Wales 20 - 17 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
69 mins. It’s a catch and drive which Dewi Lake carries from the back of the maul but he’s stopped inches short. After a couple of frantic phases Dan Biggar decides all this agitation is not for him, demands the ball and slots the three-pointer.
YELLOW CARD! Finn Russell
68 mins. It was deliberate and the Scotland 10 is off for ten. Dan Biggar puts the ball in the corner and the next few minutes will be very important indeed for both teams
67 mins. A couple of phases later, Russell runs out of the line and knocks he ball on. On the advantage Cuthbert goes for the corner and the crowd go wild as he grounds it, but he’s in touch!
The TMO and ref and now deciding whether Russell’s knock-on was deliberate.
Updated
MISSED PENALTY! Wales 17 - 17 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
66 mins. Scotland again infringe when Wales put it through phases and Biggar bangs in goalward from the edge of his range. It’s looking in line but bounces back off the crossbar, Cuthbert gathers it and Wales are on the ball in the Scottish 22!
65 mins. Subs for Wales
Dewi Lake and Gareth Thomas replace Ryan Elias and Wyn Jones in the front row.
64 mins. Another Wales attack is repelled on the Scotland 22 so Dan Biggar decides to mix it up and floats a cross-kick to a wing-lurking Jac Morgan. However, Darcy Graham is pergfectly positioned and drives the Wales back-row into touch.
undefined
Updated
62 mins. The replacements for Wales appear to have put a spring in the defensive line-speed and this leads to Chris Harris having the ball bounced out of his grip in the tackle of halfway.
Subs for Scotland:
Rory Sutherland is injured and so Schoeman is back on
Ben White replaces Ali Price
Rory Darge is on for Johnny Gray, Sam Skinner moves to lock.
59 mins. Scotland are back in the Wales half, but a combination of Ali Price labouring a bit when getting the ball away and Russell being too keen on the miss-pass means that the Welsh defence can shut it down easily and also win a breakdown penalty. Biggar clears to touch.
Dillon Lewis replaces Tomas Francis for Wales.
PENALTY! Wales 17 - 17 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
57 mins. Some solid carries that make some metres from Wales, firstly Ross Moriarty goes before Tomos Williams snipes up the short side. The ball comes right to Jac Morgan who strikes into the Scotland 22 and on a penalty advantage Cuthbert chases a grubber into the corner, but is held up as he gathers it.
Biggar levels from the tee.
Aaron Wainwright replaces Ross Moriarty.
Updated
53 mins. Much of this half thus far has involved lateral possession on halfway before kicking it away. This continues and Dan Biggar’s latest kick has him grimacing and limping at the same time as Liam Williams has sat himself down in some pain also.
They are both back on their feet and running it off.
PENALTY! Wales 14 - 17 Scotland (Finn Russell)
49 mins. Graham has a muscular carry from the base of the ruck after a pervious huge Tuipulotu run as the Scotland attack gathers mass in the wales 22. But it’s a bit scruffy afterwards and breaks down and Ref Berry brings us back to an Adam Beard hands in the ruck penalty.
Russell tees it up and slots it.
Updated
46 mins. Clearly the instructions at half time from both coaches was, “kick everything, please” as the opening minutes of this half have been boot leather on ball leather from all concerned. The latest of which sees Owen Watkin slice one out on the full and into the middle of next week. He kicked that so hard that if he’d caught it with his laces it would’ve landed in Kidwelly.
44 mins. Liam Williams claims a towering Russell kick, but again the attack goes nowhere and Biggar kicks it away. Hogg fields it, spots an open pasture of space on the right of Wales 22, booms a wonderful spiral towards it and... puts it out on the full.
Scotland replace their front row: George Turner, Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson are on for Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally and WP Nel.
42 mins. Wales can do nothing of note and some kicking back and forth commences, ultimately ending with a Scotland lineout on the Wales 10m line.
Second Half!
40 mins. Dan Biggar chips the ball into the damp Cardiff air to restart the match and Rees-Zammit is first to it, slapping it back to put his team on the attack.
Half-time musings
Wales much improved from Dublin, particularly around the breakdown. To give Pivac his due, he did pick more of ruck focused backrow and it’s paying off thus far. Owen Watkin is also showing up well in the 13 shirt.
That said, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that if Scotland can just secure possession more consistently this is their game. The visitors’ attacks, like against England last week, are more incisive, particularly on first phase. Finn Russell needs to kick for territory and bit more and let the Scottish defence contain Wales in their own half, if that happens Townsend’s men should end the 20-year Cardiff hoodoo.
Half Time! Wales 14 - 14 Scotland
40+2 mins. After a couple of resets, the ball is out of the scrum and off the field to end the half.
39 mins. Some phases for Scotland in the Wales half with Russell throwing a few long passes, but it’s slippy out there and Harris fumbles an attempted offload forward. Wales will have a scrum that should take us to half-time.
37 mins. The Welsh breakdown is approximately a million times better than last week and once again they disrupt Scotland possession and turn it over, this time it’s Basham with the good work.
Anything Wales can do, Scotland to do and two phases later Bradbury is into the breakdown to rip it back.
Scotland were penalised in the maul in the build up to the try, but the ref has not taken any card action after the advantage resulted in a try despite his previous warning about persistent infringement. Wales have a reasonable argument that they should be playing against 14 men. How important will this be in the whole complexion of the game?
Updated
TRY! Wales 14 - 14 Scotland (Tomas Francis)
34 mins. Biggar makes the big call of going to the corner and from the lineout it’s a solid catch, drive, score for Tomas Francis forcing and flopping over at the back of the maul.
Biggar misses the conversation.
Updated
32 mins. Wales are up to ten phases, moving left and right and left again in the Scotland 22, but once again the blue defence contains it before they are again penalised for being on the wrong side in the ruck. Ref Berry has told Stuart Hogg that the next penalty like this will be a card.
Magnus Bradbury replaces Matt Fagerson.
30 mins. It’s a 50:22! Liam Williams booms a cracker of a kick from inside his own half, one bounce and into touch in the Scotland 22. Wales have the attacking lineout, which they successfully catch and drive before sending the ball out to the backs.
PENALTY! Wales 9 - 14 Scotland (Finn Russell)
28 mins. Tuipolotu has his first bump and carry of the match and this allows Russell to drive an angled kick into the Wales corner. The lineout possession is scrappy from the home forwards and Scotland win a penalty near the posts for Wales holding on.
Finn Russell makes no mistake.
PENALTY! Wales 9 - 11 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
25 mins. Wales are in the Scotland 22, but the attack is very lateral and allows the blue tackle line to drift left and right to cover. But, in the midst of the Scotland tackling there’s a penalty given away when Gilchrist falls the wrong side of the ruck.
Dan Biggar calls for the tee again and reduces the Scotland lead.
22 mins. They may be down, but Wales will be taking some heart that when they have the ball they look 127% better than last week and are getting over the gainline with regularity. They are also winning their fair share of breakdown penalties, the latest of which gives them a lineout in the Scotland half.
PENALTY! Wales 6 - 11 Scotland (Finn Russell)
20 mins. It’s a catch and drive from the Scotland pack and the maul is sucking in the Wales defence like a navy blue singularity. In the end Will Rowlands creeps around the side and is penalised. It’s very kickable and Russell gobbles it up.
Updated
18 mins. Wales win their first lineout of the game cleanly and with little nonsense content. Although it’s notable that Scotland put no-one up against Will Rowlands’ jump. However, Schoeman gets hands on the ball at a subsequent ruck to win a penalty and Scotland have a lineout of their own on the Wales 22.
PENALTY! Wales 6 - 8 Scotland (Finn Russell)
16 mins. And just like that, Scotland are in front.
15 mins. Russell makes his second mistake of the game from the boot under no pressure. This time he misses touch with a penalty punt, but Jac Morgan lets him off the hook by moving forward from an offside position on the kick return.
TRY! Wales 6 - 5 Scotland (Darcy Graham)
13 mins. After some forwards drives under the posts, Finn Russell loops around Tuipulotu and fires a long pass to Graham who drives through Rees-Zammit to touch down in the corner. Great, strong finish from the Scottish winger.
Russell misses the conversion from way out left
Updated
10 mins. Ali Price fizzes a miss pass to Van Der Merwe who gets around the outside of the Wales defence and bears down on Liam Williams. The Wales fullback is up to stopping the big winger, but the ball is recycled and Scotland are working phases on the Welsh 5m line.
PENALTY! Wales 6 - 0 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
8 mins. On a penalty advantage for not rolling away, Wales are once again attacking in the Scotland half. After a few phases the ball is fumbled on the 22, but the ref takes us back for the original infringement and Biggar wastes not time in converting it to three points.
6 mins. Finn Russell compounds Scotland’s poor couple of minutes by booting the restart out on the full. Wales run from possession won on the resulting scrum on half way
PENALTY! Wales 3 - 0 Scotland (Dan Biggar)
4 mins. Wyn Jones went to work on WP Nel and the Scotland prop couldn’t hold his side up in the scrum. Penalty Wales which Dan Biggar slots from 35 metres.
3 mins. Scotland look lively straight away, with a big Matt Fagerson carry setting up some phased play that has the visitors up in the Wales 22. Darcy Graham comes off his wing but Liam Williams snaffles the ball at the ruck and immediately Wales go wide in their own territory to Owen Watkin who steps and runs forty metres.
A few passes later in the Scotland half it breaks down but it looks like it was caused by a deliberate knock-on by Hogg. The ref doesn’t agree and Wales have a scrum on the Scotland 10m line.
Updated
Kick Off!
1 min. Finn Russell drop-punts us underway and Owen Watking fields the ball early allowing Tomos Williams to box kick it clear.
AnthemWatch
Scotland look calm and collected during Flower of Scotland before Wales give it the full pasty for Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, as per.
Updated
Here come the teams.
Grant Gilchrist is out first on the day of his 50th Scotland camp, followed by his cantering team-mate. Wales are held in the tunnel while loads of dry-ice, flame throwers and Metallica are pumped into the stadium.
“Off to never-never land” might a lyric the WRU and their team are far too familiar with come the final whistle.
Updated
John Barclay pre-match is chatting about Wales’s potential lineout issues stating that the new backrow of Morgan, Basham & Moriarty doesn’t give them a back-row jumping option. This is in comparison to Scotland who have brought in Sam Skinner, who most definitely is a back-row lineout option.
As always with Barclay, this is a good point. However, I think Moriarty can be used as an option, we’ll see.
Pre-match reading
Scotland captain, Stuart Hogg, has much to trouble him regarding trips to Cardiff with his team. Read all about how he’s dealing with it here...
So much for Wales fans to worry about today, and perhaps for Scotland as well as they must comfortably wear the heavy crown of favourites. You can let me know your view on these matters and others by email or on Twitter
Teams
Wayne Pivac is shorn of (deep breath) Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau, Justin Tipuric, Josh Navidi, Ken Owens, Josh Adams, Uilisi Halaholo and Leigh Halfpenny to name a non-exhaustive list of those injured at present.
In the backs, Owen Watkin and Alex Cuthbert return, while the pack sees a debut for Osprey Jac Morgan at 6 and Ross Moriarty replaces Aaron Wainwright at No 8. Centurion-cap man Jonathan Davies returns on the bench.
Gregor Townsend surprisingly makes five changes to the team that beat England. Sam Johnson is jettisoned out of the 12 shirt and the squad entire, replaced by fellow Glasgow Warrior, Sione Tuipulotu. In the pack, there’s an entirely new front row with Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally and WP Nel swapping places from the bench with Rory Sutherland, George Turner and Zander Fagerson. Sam Skinner replaces the injured Jamie Ritchie in the back row.
It says much for Scotland’s forwards depth that such changes register a barely negligible drop in quality.
Wales: Liam Williams; Alex Cuthbert, Owen Watkin, Nick Tompkins, Louis Rees-Zammit; Dan Biggar (captain), Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Ryan Elias, Tomas Francis, Will Rowlands, Adam Beard, Taine Basham, Jac Morgan, Ross Moriarty.
Replacements: Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Dillon Lewis, Seb Davies, Aaron Wainwright, Gareth Davies, Callum Sheedy, Jonathan Davies.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (captain); Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, WP Nel, Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist, Sam Skinner, Hamish Watson, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: George Turner, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson, Magnus Bradbury, Rory Darge, Ben White, Blair Kinghorn, Cameron Redpath.
Preamble
Welcome to Cardiff, everyone.
Let’s get the good news for Wales in early: Scotland have not won in Cardiff since 2002.
Moreover, since 2000 Wales have outscored today’s visitors by 36 tries to 14 in matches in the Welsh capital for a very comfortable average winning margin of 14 points. Even in Edinburgh the picture is not much better for Scotland, with the only win since 2007 for the boys is blue coming at Murrayfield in 2017 - the year Rob Howley was interim Wales coach with Warren Gatland on Lions duty.
Given this, why do so many Wales fans have sad trombone music playing in their heads when they cogitate on today’s match? Probably because instead of reading historical stats, they are using their eyes and their minds to consider the evidence of the previous week and recent months on the pitch. Unlike in the numbers, there is little succour to be found there.
Scotland arrive after a far more comfortable win against England than the scoreboard suggested with a settled and quality squad, while Wales were absolutely battered by Ireland in Dublin and have huge absences. Sure, Ireland look in very decent order at present, but leaving that aside there wasn’t much for Wales to focus in terms of positives as they looked lightweight and disorganised.
But, Wayne Pivac has defied expectations before - his Scarlets team made the Pro14 final, and don’t forget he currently holds the Six Nations and Triple Crown trophies. This, plus whatever it is that Cardiff does to Scotland’s collective mentality maybe, maybe, enough to see an against form victory.
