Scotland’s long drought in Cardiff continues after they were outfought by a dogged Wales side in an indisciplined and scrappy game at the Principality.
The Scots have never won back to back matches to start a Six Nations and despite all the talk of backing up last week’s Calcutta Cup win, they didn’t certainly deserve to win this one. Their ball retention in admittedly tough and wet conditions simply wasn’t good enough.
Welsh forwards win the physical battle
SGÔR TERFYNOL | FULL TIME
THAT'S IT!!! What a finish, and that's why we love the #GuinnessSixNations.
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— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 12, 2022
Without the absent Jamie Ritchie they struggled at the breakdown where the Welsh disrupted ball at will. The smaller Welsh forwards definitely had the better of the close physical exchanges.
This was definitely a huge missed chance for Scotland with Wales reeling from a rout in Dublin and losing 600 caps-worth of experience to injury. Wales had little threat with attacking ball all day, but neither did Scotland really make their few breaks count.
Just as an intentional knock on swung a close game in Scotland’s at Murrayfield last week, the same scenario went against them in Cardiff.
Finn Russell induced last week’s and the yellow card against England, but he was the culprit this time. He reached out with one hand to deflect a pass and clearly stop Wales as they pressured set to score.
The Scots had seemed to get off the hook when a Dan Biggar penalty form near halfway hit the post. But no-one in blue claimed the loose ball and somehow Alex Cuthbert was allowed to regather.
Russell’s knock and yellow card
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— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 12, 2022
The former Lions wing almost got in at the corner after Russell’s intervention, but referee Nic Berry went back to the TMO to spot the offence.
Berry had a long look at the replays but it was always certain they’d see Russell’s intervention as illegal.
Scotland kept Wales out for two penalty kicks to the corner, but Biggar eventually kicked the drop goal that ultimately won the game.
The Scots led by five twice at separate points in the first half, and either time you felt another score of any sort might take them clear. But Wales chipped away when they had the chances, and Tomas Francis’ try just before half-time levelled the scores.
The Scots had rebounded after conceding two early penalties with a well worked Darcy Graham try, and Russell kicked four good penalties. But the stand-off had at best a mixed game, and his absence for ten minutes at the end was to prove crucial when the Scots were chasing the game.
Att: 73,782
The Teams
Wales: Liam Williams (Scarlets); Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys), Owen Watkin (Ospreys), Nick Tompkins (Saracens), Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester); Dan Biggar (Northampton), Tomos Williams (Cardiff); Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Ospreys); Will Rowlands (Dragons), Adam Beard (Ospreys); Taine Basham (Dragons), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Dragons).
Replacements: Dewi Lake (Ospreys for Elias 65), Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff for Francis 60), Seb Davies (Cardiff for Rowlands 76), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons for Moriarty 58), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Callum Sheedy (Bristol for Biggar 79), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets for Tompkins 68)).
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs); Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester); Finn Russell (Racing 92), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh); Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh); Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: George Turner (Glasgow Warriors for McInally 45), Rory Sutherland (Worcester for Schoeman 45), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors for Nel 45), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh for M Fagerson 32), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors for Gray 63), Ben White (London Irish for Price 63), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh for Tuipulotu 70), Cameron Redpath (Bath for van der Merwe 75)
Ref: Nic Berry (Rugby Australia)