Rugby, more than ever, is a 23-man game.
The bench, and how it is used at Test level, is becoming increasingly important, which is why we’ve seen an emergence of words like ‘finishers’ instead of simply ‘replacements’.
Whether a new moniker makes too much difference is up for debate, but it does signify a change in mindset towards those coming on as substitutes.
Former England captain Chris Robshaw recently explained how his side’s replacements used to be involved in leadership meetings as they were the ones on the field at the end of the match, when the game is usually won and lost.
And so to the Principality Stadium on Saturday, where the Welsh bench was unloaded by Wayne Pivac as the game hung in the balance in the closing stages.
Pivac was desperate to see an impact from those coming on, looking for Wales' position in the game to be consolidated.
And he got it. The new players on the field stood up with vital interventions in the last 15 minutes. In isolation they may not be viewed as defining moments but, collectively, they were match-winning.
One of Dillon Lewis’ first acts after coming onto the field was to dislodge the ball from Richie Gray’s grasp with a thundering hit. Given the front five’s physicality had been questioned all week, it felt significant.
It also meant that another Scottish attack was ended before it ever really got going, adding to their frustration.
Five minutes later came the start of a huge period for replacement hooker Dewi Lake. The Ospreys youngster is being tipped as a World Cup candidate, provided he can sort his throwing out.
He’s an absolute menace around the field and offers more than most in the loose but his arrows are a concern. With the scores at 17-17, this was a huge moment for him.
After Finn Russell’s yellow card on 68 minutes, Wales kicked to the corner twice. Fresh on the field, Lake nailed both throws.
Had either of those lineouts gone astray, it would have sucked the momentum out of Wales and things could have turned out differently.
Instead, they laid the foundation for Dan Biggar’s match-winning drop goal.
The next moment will go unnoticed but is worthy of plaudits. Scotland break down the left hand side with nine minutes to go and Ben White chips in behind.
Liam Williams covers across but is isolated when he’s met by Scottish defenders. Replacement tight-head Lewis races back to help his full-back out and secures crucial ball at the ruck with Rory Darge all over him.
A Scotland penalty there, deep in Wales’ 22, could have been disastrous. Instead, Wales clear their lines.
Next up, centurion Jonathan Davies comes to the fore.
With Russell off the field, Scotland launch Duhan van der Merwe straight into Dan Biggar off a scrum 30 metres out from the Welsh line.
Davies joins the collision to add his bulk - on commentary Sam Warburton calls it ‘meeting muscle with muscle’ - and he rips the ball from the Scottish winger’s grasp.
A real momentum killer for Scotland.
Wales eventually clear into Scotland’s half, where Lake nails another lineout. Again, a mistake here lets the visitors off the hook but Lake is accurate.
Two minutes from time, with the foundations of the Principality Stadium rocking, tension at its highest, Lewis stepped up with another vital intervention.
The tight-head gets in over the ball and survives the clearout attempts of two Scottish players to win a crucial penalty around the halfway line.
Another big moment. It added the sense that Scotland were being smothered and led to them eventually running out of ideas. Conversely, it gave red jerseys a huge lift.
Biggar kicked to touch deep in the Scotland 22 and that should have been enough to win the game, but a mistake at the ensuing maul gave the visitors one more chance.
The final passage of play was a real group effort. Scotland hammered away for 20 phases on the halfway line but were shunted back by an unrelenting Welsh defence.
Replacements Lake and Gareth Thomas were heavily involved in stopping navy jerseys behind the gainline.
Aaron Wainwright, who had replaced Ross Moriarty, and Jonathan Davies were involved on multiple occasions too, thwarting Scotland at every turn.
Owen Watkin, who had a good game from the start, made the final cover tackle on Stuart Hogg before replacements Jonathan Davies, Seb Davies and Wainwright led the counter-ruck that won the final penalty.
It summed up the effort of the Welsh bench.
Wainwright was superb throughout his cameo. He may not have produced show-stopping moments but his cumulative effort - seven tackles in 23 minutes, was praiseworthy.
He was almost always near the ball in the final quarter and was a nuisance at the ruck. Loose-head prop Thomas also warrants a mention, making some useful tackles behind the gain line.
In tight games, you need players coming onto the field to make positive impacts, to keep winning the big moments.
That's what this Welsh bench did and, ultimately, it got them over the line in the tightest of Test matches.
