Here’s the match report
Gregor Townsend
“We have to make sure we don’t give France momentum. We didn’t build on our first half here and we’ll have the learnings from this year and take it forward.”
Finn Russell is not very happy
“For 50 minutes we played well, but took our foot off the gas. Great to get the win, but in France we need an 80 minute performance which tonight we didn’t do. We have to be better than that, we should not have let Wales get that bonus point try. It’s tough, you work hard in training but the 80 minute performance is more the mindset. We’ll watch this back and see we could have been more ruthless. Hopefully we can go over to France and win, we know the challenge but hopefully we’ll get over the line.”
Hard to disagree with much of that.
A much needed win for Scotland, but nothing in it gave any convincing evidence that their core issues are solved. They remain a wonderfully talented side, but stuggle to manage games in the way a top side should, especially in games they are dominating in a way they were here.
Wales are in a period where another win remains but a dream, and they will be asked by Sheratt to goldfish the first half and take all that was good from the second. Their defence in particular was heroic, but there’s no way back from 28 points down at this level.
FULL TIME! SCOTLAND WIN AT MURRAYFIELD
PEEEEEP! The eventful closing period finally comes to a close with a Scotland victory.
TRY! Scotland 35 - 29 Wales (Max Llewellyn)
83 mins. Scotland were offside in the midst of that attack and from the lineout the ball is moved to Llewellyn who rams over.
Evans converts for a losing bonus point.
Updated
82 mins. Everyone looks like they want this game to end, but Joe Roberts nabs a turnover and legs it 7o metres before he’s stopped. He was desperately looking for support but his team mates are all on their phones in backfield asking him to send a send a “what three words” location so they can find him.
80 mins. The home side are on the ball and have worked back to the Wales 22. The defence has slowed them up but the close in carries continue and we’re up to 10 phase but not moving forward much.
79 mins. Still Scotland come and still Wales defend with heart, holding the ball up once again over the line.
78 mins. Tom Jordan finds space in the 22 and as he angles towards the corner flag to score Joe Roberts drops him with a fabulous covering tackle.
76 mins. Murray darts and jinks his way out with the ball and he get away and running before finding Faletau on a support run who gallops in from 25 metres. A proper nostalgia trip of a finish from the Number 8.
But hang on, there’s suspicion Murray may jumped over a tackle earlier in the move. The TMO calls the ref to have a look and Mr Piardi agrees. No try!
74 mins. Wales repel the attack and manage to boot the ball clear. Kinghorn returns it and Huw Jenes is nearly away on the touchline but spills the ball forward.
72 mins. For the first time in a while Scotland have the ball and it doesn’t take them long to work into the Wales 22. The defence is desperate but holding as Scotland hit in excess of 15 phases, battering the line. Ashman finally crosses the whitewash but he’s held up! What an effort from a retreating Wales, but Scotland squandered men and spaces out wide, it should be noted.
Updated
69 mins. Surely this can’t be on for Wales, can it?
TRY! Scotland 35 - 22 Wales (Teddy Williams)
68 mins. Gilchrist is penalised for playing Faletau’s arm in the lineout and from the next one Lake finds Jenkins in the middle to set the attack. The forwards fold around the corner and the Williams carries over the line.
Evans converts.
Updated
65 mins. Wales are having a bit more of the match and the latest scrum of theirs results in a penalty as they are getting a nudge on there. Dewi Lake is on and making a difference.
TRY! Scotland 35 - 15 Wales (Ben Thomas)
61 mins. Some nifty work on the left touchline from Llewellyn and Roberts in virtually no space takes Wales into the 22 and as the ball comes to the right Jarrod Evans finds Thomas on the angle to cross.
Updated
58 mins. Kinghorn chases and very nearly claims his own kick but knocks on. He’ll be disappointed as he was pretty free from pressure as he rose to claim it. He’s largely having things his own way in this department (claiming kicks, not knock-ons).
56 mins. The lineout comes to nowt but a knock-on after a few phases and Scotland kick clear.
54 mins. The novelty of some go-forward ball from Wales catches Scotland off guard. Faletau has a rolling back the years carry that runs over Ben White and as the ball comes right it’s kicked to the corner where van der Merwe is in all sorts of bother but manages to diffuse it by grounding the ball first.
But there was an advantage for offside, so Wales will have a lineout in the 22.
51 mins. More possession for Wales in a nothing position just in their own half which instead of kicking to reset they keep working to the point of diminishing returns. The final insult is Ritchie winning a turnover at the ruck with negative metres made.
TRY! Scotland 35 - 8 Wales (Blair Kinghorn)
48 mins. From the lineout Scotland are within metres of the line with every forward having a go before Russell decides he’s had enough of this, calls for the ball and finds Jones to Kinghorn who canters in.
Russell converts.
Updated
46 mins. Joe Roberts is caught by Matt Fagerson deep and this is compounded with a massive Scottish counter-ruck that wins a penalty.
44 mins. The penalty leads to some possession for Wales in the Scots half, but the passing and alignment is pedestrian and easy for the blue defence to contain. Eventually John muffs the ball on a simple pass to cede possession back to the home team.
Does anyone personify the hope to misery narrative of two comparative Wales performances more than poor WillGriff?
42 mins. Dempsey receives WIlliams’s clearing kick and runs a full 35 metres back before he’s stopped. The ball finds van der Merwe who is bundled into touch before Wales have a penalty on the next possession.
Second Half!
WillGriff John has rejoined us to be part of Wales receiving the restart to get the match back underway.
Scotland are considerably the better team, that was true before the match and has been underlined with a level of vehemence in the performance. Wales have not helped themselves, but even ruling out that daft defensive cross-kick they do not look in any way like they can keep Scotland out.
This could be a sobering second half for the visitors.
Updated
Half Time!
40+2 mins. Some poor passing has Kinghorn losing the ball, Wales think about having an attack but Tomos Williams decides it’s time to have a break and sends the ball off the field.
40 mins. Matt Fagerson wins a turnover that gives a lineout platform deep in the Wales half and the clock in the red. The ball is won and sent into midfield as they home side make the red defence work beyond the forty minutes.
38 mins. The game is a little ramshackle as both sides take a turn in throwing passes to ground and taking momentum and interest out of their attack. Wales are lucky that Scotland infringe in the ruck after Llewellyn chucks a pass to no-one.
36 mins. The ball is fumbled on a Scotland attack in the 22 and Wales get the ball out of the scrum for Murray to hammer a kick 50 metres to touch.
TRY! Scotland 28 - 8 Wales (Tom Jordan)
32 mins. Some all-time stupidity stuff from Wales here. First there’s a cross-kick in their own 22 to Murray who is nearly in touch, then he decides to fling it back infield blind to Ben Thomas who fumbles the ball by his toes that Jordan picks up and runs in.
Updated
YELLOW CARD! WillGriff John (Wales)
31 mins. Scotland waste no time in getting up the other end and in the scramble John cynically obstructs in the ruck. He’s off for 10.
29 mins. An Anscombe kick ends up in a contest in the air between Murray and Kinghorn, which is a bit like a high jump competition between a bassett hound and an antelope. Murray slaps at his opposite number’s arm in the air and it’s a penalty to Scotland.
TRY! Scotland 21 - 8 Wales (Darcy Graham)
27 mins. Jordan chases and claims a Russell kick, climbing above Murray to put his side back on the attack on the Wales 22. Three phases later Russell calls the ball right, dummies a pass then finds Graham who scores Scotland’s third.
Updated
TRY! Scotland 14 - 8 Wales (Blair Murray)
24 mins. That intervention from Morgan leads to a Wales attack, with Faletau to the fore with strong run on the left before the ball is moved to Anscombe who tickles a delightful chip over the top for Murray to run onto and ground.
Anscombe misses the conversion.
Updated
22 mins. To prove what I know, Jac Morgan has just done exactly the same thing. He’s like a one man cavalry charge, a remarkable player.
Updated
20 mins. Every time Scotland attack Wales simply cannot stop them making ground and it devolves into a frenetic scramble for the visiting defence very quickly. The latest problematic situation is rescued by Morgan gettign his hands on at the breakdown. It’s fantastic work from the captain but it’s not a sound defensive strategy in the long run.
17 mins. Some ball near the 22 for Wales very nearly has Ben Thomas in behind after hitting the line on a great angle, but the shrill pitch of the ref’s whistle brings him to a halt. The pop pass to him was forward.
The TMO then chimes in as Thomas’s fend on van der Merwe had his hand and fingers mithering at the Scottish winger’s face and, more worrying, near his eyes.
Ref Piardi takes a view and decides that it was all accidental and looked worse that it actually was. Essentially, his hand bumped up and flapped about a bit and there was nothing in it according to the ref.
I’m sure there’ll be no debate about this afterwards at all.
13 mins. Wales are trying to get amongst the Scotland breakdown, but Dee is too keen this time and is penalised for being off his feet. It was a tight one, but that’s no matter as the upshot is Scotland on the attack in red territory again but it comes to little as the Welsh energy in defence is good once more.
TRY! Scotland 14 - 3 Wales (Tom Jordan)
10 mins. Ellis Mee is sucked in on van der Merwe who fends him and finds Huw Jones on the touchline. The centre races up and finds his partner on the inside who canters over.
Russell converts.
Updated
8 mins. It’s the turn of Wales to have some phases, mostly around halfway with the ball finding its way through the hands of most of the team. It doesn’t make much ground and eventually Schoeman clamps on in the ruck to win a penalty.
Joe Roberts has replaced Tom Rogers who is injured early.
Updated
TRY! Scotland 7 - 3 Wales (Blair Kinghorn)
5 mins. Gray gets half a chargedown on a Tomos Williams box kick and this is enough to put Scotland on the attack in the Wales half. The pattern takes a familiar shape; lots of rhythm and width with the ball kept alive via offloads. They work it up to fourteen phases and on the the final one it’s flown left to Kinghorn who is over in the corner.
Russell strokes a great conversion from the left touchline.
Updated
PENALTY! Scotland 0 - 3 Wales (Gareth Anscombe)
2 mins. Scotland receive the kick off and exit with very little fuss, but from the resulting Wales lineout Ritchie is pinged for jumping across and making contact in the air. Anscombe, calm as always, beckons the tee onto the field and opens the scoring.
Kick Off!
Ben Thomas kicks us underway
Updated
The officials today.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (Australia) and Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Television Match Official (TMO): Eric Gauzins (France)
The teams are out into a sunny late afternoon in Edinburgh. The anthems are to be completed, then it’s time for rugby.
I’m open to all correspondence on the email or you could use Bluesky if that’s a thing you do.
Teams
There’s a welcome return to the Scotland XV for Darcy Graham after his sickening clash of heads vs Ireland. Rory Sutherland is on the bench after recovering from a back spasm.
Matt Sherratt goes with the same starting lineup that put a small scare on Ireland. There’s huge return to the bench for Dewi Lake as Wales have missed his carrying and grunt at hooker.
Scotland
Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell (co-captain), Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Dave Cherry, Zander Fagerson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge (co-captain), Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Will Hurd, Gregor Brown, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe.
Wales
Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Ellis Mee; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, WillGriff John, Will Rowlands; Dafydd Jenkins; Jac Morgan (captain), Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas, Keiron Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Rhodri Williams, Jarrod Evans, Joe Roberts.
Preamble
The saying goes that if you’re not going to be here for a long time then you might as well be here for a good time. The coaches today are at opposite plots of the long time/good time axis.
Matt Sherratt has already told his employers this is a four week contract. The immediate improvement prior to the Ireland match transformed the mood and vim of his side like he’d told them three weeks of digging trenches is over and they are off to Cyprus for ten days, all inclusive. They still lost of course (that’s fifteen on the bounce) but the decent time being had was palpable, and sometimes improvement starts with not despising where you work. It’s fascinating to contemplate what a further fortnight under his direction Wales can deliver on the pitch.
Scotland’s Gregor Townsend has been around far longer, and is anyone having a good time any more? The results suggest not as the return from the talented bunch at his disposal have been consistently middling with a few highs along the way. The product on the field is lovely to watch, but there’s only for so long that can be enough in elite sport.
This match, inconsequential to the Championship outcome as it now is, has importance for both teams. Scotland have to win to be in with even a distant shout of the top two places come Super Saturday, while Wales are seeking to avoid a winless tournament – something of a miracle given what went before.
Of greater consequence is what a loss today would mean for Townsend’s tenure as coach. Being around for a long time and having a crap time is not good for anyone.
