Wasn’t that fun? The Six Nations is well and truly back. Thanks for reading and see you next time.
“An incredible game”, says the WRU on Twitter, along with a video of the players applauding each other off the field.
An incredible game
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 3, 2024
🤝 Diolch @Scotlandteam pic.twitter.com/a1YwT8rUxA
Scotland won in Cardiff for the first time in 22 years, but rarely can such a seemingly historic opening phrase fall so far short of adequately describing what actually happened. Here was yet another extraordinary display of breathless drama and skill in a sport seemingly overflowing with them.
A tribute to the late Doddie Weir on Scottish Rugby’s social media:
Back-to-back wins for Doddie 💙💛#AsOne pic.twitter.com/JKJzwpkrbq
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) February 3, 2024
Warren Gatland speaks to the BBC. Did he think the comeback was possible from 27-0 down? “Well, that was the message at half time. It was such a disappointing first half. I thought we were absolutely terrible. Our discipline was poor … the lineouts, we had no tempo.
“I wanted to go in the game with some pace and to play some rugby. So the message was, we created a lot of that stuff. Half time, it was: ‘Let’s go out there and play some rugby and play with a bit of tempo.’ Fortunately we were able to do that second half. We got ourselves back into the game, and we were probably a bit unlucky at the end.
“We were just so slow in that first half. It’s a bit hard in terms of the speed, and cleaning rucks, and getting in position. I said at half time, the ball is so slow, the only thing we can do at the moment is kick it. Which we did do. I said: ‘We need to go and play some rugby.’ That’s the way we’d been working hard in training. Whether we gave Scotland too much respect in that first half, I’m not sure.
“A game like that, you can sort of throw the towel in, lick your wounds and think about next week. But the boys showed some character.
“It’ll be massive [for this young Wales team]. They [Scotland] were fully loaded. They were probably at their strongest. So I think we’ll learn a lot from today, and hopefully it’s a good stepping stone for those young players.”
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Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, speaks to the BBC. What are his emotions, asks Sonja McLaughlan: “It’s a fine one … A lot of the boys are disappointed. We’re trying to say to them: this is a really important win. An important win for the next few weeks of the championship, but also in terms of not winning here for so long.
“But we were disappointed with the game getting so close at the end, and it could have gone either way, with the momentum that Wales had in that second half.”
What went wrong? “The penalty count got against us. That was clearly the case. I think it was 16 penalties to four. Wales weren’t penalised once in the second half … So that pressure will tell. It’ll tell with territory … and then we were down to 14 men on two occasions. Look, there’s more to it than that, but that put the pressure on us. Within that period we maybe didn’t make the best decisions, more in defence, because we didn’t have much of the ball.
“And Wales also played really well. I thought they were very good in the close-quarter exchanges and in the maul. And they got very close to winning the game.
“The atmosphere was tremendous. You heard lots of Scots in that first half. And they were willing us on in that last two minutes, when we were on the Wales try-line. But the Wales crowd was amazing when Wales got back into the game.”
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Dafydd Jenkins, the Wales captain, has a chat with the BBC: “Obviously it’s an extremely disappointing result, but we had a lot of boys on debut, so I’m also extremely proud of the performance in that second half. We could have given up, but we stuck in the fight.
“We said at half time, we haven’t played any rugby in that first half. Second half we sped up the ball a bit and that allowed us to play a bit more. But in terms of having a young team, there’s no fear, and we’ll be looking to build on this.
“It [the recovery] makes us extremely confident, because this Scotland team is one of the best, but yes, extremely disappointed.”
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The Scotland captain, Finn Russell, speaks to the BBC: “Probably a little bit disappointed, to be honest. The win’s brilliant but that second half was nowhere near where we need to be. First half, we played really well, we controlled the game. Second half, discipline was poor, two yellow cards, and that allowed them back into the game. As happy as we are to win, that’s not the performance that we need, especially that second half.
“I think when we scored that try early second half, we probably got a little bit complacent, to be honest. We thought the game was done. But there’s still a long way to go, especially away from home …
“Fair play to Wales, they came back and put us under a lot of pressure. I suppose the pleasing thing is at the end of the game we managed to hold them out and win by a point. They had some ball in our half, and we were disciplined at that point. We managed to get the ball back and win the game. There are a lot of positives, but we need to be a lot better.
“The frustrating thing is the points I was making weren’t being listened to. One of the main points was: leave the ruck. And we kept going into the ruck, and we got a yellow card for going into the ruck too many times, and we got a yellow card for offside. That’s something we’ll have to review as a team …
“If the message is ‘leave the ball’ [in rucks], and players are still going for it, those individuals need to look at their game and what they’re doing. Because it was putting us under a lot of pressure.”
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Our match report will be coming up soon … plus lots more reaction.
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The player of the match, Aaron Wainwright, speaks to the BBC: “We left ourselves with too much to do … we came out a little bit better in the second half.
“We were just inaccurate [in the first half]. A lot of their ball came from our own errors.
“We believed, 100 per cent. Maybe another five minutes at the end, and we probably would have done the job.”
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Well, that delivered on every level. Wales trailed by 27 points after Scotland’s try soon after half-time. The introduction of the scrum-half, Tomos Williams, made all the difference for Wales, plus the abandoning of a very poor kicking game that characterised their efforts before half time. Warren Gatland’s young side so nearly pulled it off: incredible.
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Full time! Wales 26-27 Scotland
Wales nearly pull one of the greatest comebacks in Six Nations history from 27-0 down … but Scotland cling on for a one-point win! What a match.
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80 min: The ball is held up. No try.
80 min: Van der Merwe dives for the corner! He’s nearly over … but the game is over regardless! The TMO is going to check it. On-field decision is no try. But it looks like Scotland have edged home … They still had penalty advantage, I believe. But Wales kept them out.
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79 min: Scotland break down the left! They are nearly over the try-line for the winner! They are camped on the Wales line after a speedy break by Steyn! But Wales scramble back, and manage to hold them out … Gregor Townsend’s men want the attacking bonus point!
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79 min: The scrum is reset. Under two minutes to go.
78 min: Wales have the ball, but there’s a forward pass by Lloyd around halfway! Scrum to Scotland! Oh, how important is that going to be? It was a little pop pass in midfield and it went marginally but clearly forward. O’Keeffe spotted it. Scrum to Scotland. Two minutes left …
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77 min: Now Scotland make an absolute mess of their own lineout – it goes long and drops into Welsh hands! But they don’t have much in the way of field position – they are around halfway, and Scotland are well set in defence.
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76 min: Wales mess up the lineout. They are running out of time! They really needed that. But still it’s a one-point game. Can Scotland cling on?
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74 min: Back from the sin bin, Tuipulotu crashes into contact yet again for Scotland on the left-hand side. The ball is worked back into the middle – Russell tries a grubber kick – but Reffell reads it, blocks it, and Wales win a penalty from the resulting contest for the loose ball! Scotland have coughed up a remarkable 14 penalties in a row. Great read by Reffell, poor option by Russell.
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73 min: Scotland have the ball, for once, and work through some phases into the Wales half.
72 min: Willem Dafoe, the A-list Hollywood actor, is pictured in the crowd. He picked a good match, presuming he doesn’t have a season ticket.
72 min: Dempsey and Hepburn are on for Scotland. Crosbie needs treatment after what looks a high hit by Assiratti. O’Keeffe, again, has a look at the replay and says no foul play. There’s a sudden lull due to the injury after a manic 20 minutes or so of action. Scotland will be grateful for a break, and a chance to gather their thoughts …
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70 min: The home crowd in full voice. Scotland look shocked. But can they get anything going in attack? A test for Russell’s leadership, that’s for sure.
Try! 68 min: Wales 26-27 Scotland (Mann)
Oh my word. This is happening! The maul breaks up quickly after the lineout, but Wales are moving forward and Mann snipes for a try from close range. The celebrations are riotous. Crazy, crazy stuff! Wales are on the verge of one of the great comebacks. But can Scotland, at some point, get down the other end and score? Lloyd converts. It’s a one-point game with a little over 10 minutes to play. Wow!
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67 min: Dyer embarks on a mazy run down the Wales left. He runs out of space, changes direction, finds some more space … The ball is worked across the field out to the right. Dyer then pops up there, on the opposite wing … O’Keeffe takes it back for a penalty. The crowd is baying for more! Wales have had 69 per cent possession after the break.
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66 min: Tuipulotu remains in the sin bin. He was a massive reason for Scotland’s dominance in the first half.
64 min: Oh my, we really do have a game on now. A chip-kick goes over the Scotland defence into the 22. Rowe gathers, then passes … Scotland run it out from deep and space opens up. The threat of a sucker punch is there for Wales but Huw Jones is tackled by a desperate home defender … The volume under the closed roof at the Principality Stadium is turned up.
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63 min: “If they score again, it’s real game on,” says Davies of Wales on the BBC. I think it’s game on now …
62 min: Wales were 27 points behind. They are now eight points behind. And Wainwright goes on the rampage down the left wing …
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Try! 61 min: Wales 19-27 Scotland (Wainwright)
Wainwright reaches for the line! Lloyd converts and it’s an eight-point game!
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60 min: Yellow card for Scotland! Tuipulotu
Offside, twice, says Ben O’Keeffe.
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60 min: Wales camped in the Scotland 22 … The crowd is going wild. Wales are probing for another try, and trying to reduce the deficit to fewer than 10.
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58 min: Wales have the ball. Suddenly they are attacking with precision and speed. Passes are sticking. O’Keeffe warns the Scotland captain, Finn Russell, that the next penalty conceded by the visitors will be a yellow card. “Shall I tell the boys now?” he asks. “Yes please,” says O’Keeffe. Russell is bending over backwards to stay onside with the referee …
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57 min: A good chip kick by Lloyd over the top this time, behind the defensive cover. The bouncing ball is a horrible one for the Scotland full-back, Rowe. But he does extremely well to dive on it and prevent Wales from having a run to the try-line. The home crowd is certainly noisy and up for this …
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56 min: Wales surge forward again, down the right wing. Josh Adams sends a poor kick ahead – Russell calmly calls for the mark.
This is good stuff from Wales, considering how they didn’t have a sniff in the first half. The prompting of Williams at scrum-half is key as they move towards the try-line, and then a looping pass finds Dyer in space on the left wing. Game on? There are 15 points still in it.
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Try! 52 min: Wales 12-27 Scotland (Dyer)
Rio Dyer in the corner!
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51 min: A test for Scotland now. Wales rumble another powerful maul over the try-line. Penalty advantage for Wales …
50 min: Ashman comes on in the front row for Scotland, Crosbie off, in the absence of the sin-binned Turner. Wales win a penalty at the scrum. Despite his team leading by 22 points, Gregor Townsend suddenly looks a bit concerned in his seat up in the stand.
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47 min: Yellow card for Scotland! (Turner)
It’s a yellow card for collapsing the maul during the try-scoring attack. “You don’t often see a referee give a yellow card when a team have scored, but that was so cynical, you have to deal with it,” says the former referee Owens on the BBC.
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Try! 47 min: Wales 5-27 Scotland (Botham)
Really well worked by Wales. Lineout, drive, Scotland have no answer to the power and co-ordination of the move … and get a yellow card for their trouble. Lloyd misses the conversion.
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46 min: Wales have got to find something. They kick a penalty for the corner from midfield … then rumble a maul into the Scotland 22. Scotland cough up another penalty, Zander Fagerson for not rolling away. O’Keeffe is good with announcing why he’s given a penalty. Why don’t all referees do that?
Try! 42 min: Wales 0-27 Scotland (Van der Merwe)
Another shocking Welsh kick gives Scotland time and space to run it back. But even then it’s too easy: Russell takes the ball to the line, dummies one defender and feeds Van der Merwe. It’s a fantastic finish from distance from Van der Merwe who runs beyond a despairing dive by Tomos Williams, who has just come on. Russell converts.
Dee and Assiratti are both on for Wales along with Lloyd and Williams. Elias, Brown, Davies and Costelow are all off.
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41 min: Costelow failed his HIA, so Lloyd is on permanently at No 10 for Wales.
Second half kick-off!
Here we go. A one-sided thrashing or the mother of all comebacks?
“Can someone tell the BBC to keep Nigel Owens for ALL games!,” emails Dave, of the former referee’s efforts on the mic.
Why not also read Robert Kitson’s report from Rome, following England’s earlier win against an impressive Italy:
Half time! Wales 0-20 Scotland
Tompkins knocks on with Wales on the attack and that’s half time tea and oranges. That couldn’t have gone much better for Scotland, or indeed much worse for Wales. Perhaps it’s time to revisit Michael Aylwin’s match preview:
“Bookies are cold-hearted, boring stattos. They generally ignore the hysterical whims of the rest of us, which is why they are so rich. So when they overlook a run of defeats stretching back more than 20 years, when they stick their necks out to say a side are likely to win despite all that, we know something must be afoot.”
37 min: Wales win a penalty inside the Scots’ 22 and kick for the corner. A converted try here and it’s game on for the second half. But Wales muck up the attacking lineout yet again! What a shocker. It was Wainwright jumping in the lineout, and a decent throw, but it slipped through his hands. Set-pieces win and lose you games, as Graham Taylor used to say.
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36 min: Scotland’s Luke Crosbie is under scrutiny from O’Keeffe and the TMO for a clear-out that resulted in Costelow getting a bang to the head. O’Keeffe says no foul play. Nigel Owens, on the mic for the BBC, says he thinks the decision is “spot on”.
35 min: Wales, unwisely, send the lineout long and it’s overthrown. Scotland mop up the loose ball, but Rowe is soon charged down after Russell finds him out on the left wing. Wales suddenly have ball in hand in the Scots 22, but a knock-on is spotted by O’Keeffe. Now, the TMO is looking for a head contact by a Scotland player on Costelow.
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33 min: Scotland are snaffling everything Wales are sending their way in terms of high kicks. However, Wales win a penalty for offside, kick for the corner, and they have an attacking platform late in the first half.
Try! 30 min: Wales 0-20 Scotland (Van der Merwe)
Oh, that’s good from Russell, and a simple finish from Van der Merwe, who is smiling broadly as he trots over under the posts. Costelow is the last man standing in the Wales defensive line, but he’s hopelessly exposed after more strong work down the middle by Tuipulotu. Russell bangs over the conversion and this is looking like a tough, tough day at the office for Gatland and his young captain Jenkins.
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29 min: Another phenomenal clearing kick from hand by Russell takes the pressure off Scotland’s defence again, following a cheap turnover from Wales.
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28 min: Can Reffell be both a Tiger and a groundhog? Yeah, let’s go with it.
25 min: Wales attack with ball in hand, which feels like a bit of a turn-up for the books. Davies nearly fumbles it, but manages to cling on, but the ball suddenly appears in Scottish hands a second or two later. When Scotland attack – Russell flings a trademark pass off his left hand to Rowe on the right wing – Reffell gets involved and turns the ball over for Wales. Fine work by the Leicester Tigers groundhog.
24 min: Costelow launches a garryowen up high from inside the Wales half. The Scotland full-back Rowe tries to gather it, but knocks on at the second attempt, and Wales will have the put-in at another scrum.
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Penalty! 22 min: Wales 0-13 Scotland (Russell)
Russell knocks over another straightforward kick, and Wales need to get on the board sharpish.
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21 min: I said Wales were looking to run the ball after one early counter, but in fact, they are looking to kick almost everything now. A poor kick from deep, down Russell’s throat, allows the fly-half to find touch with a fine 50:22 – and Wales immediately are penalised for, perhaps, a bit of chat to the referee.
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20 min: A quarter of the match gone and Scotland have been dominant. They have another scrum put-in now, but this time it’s just outside their 22. They win a free-kick for an early engagement by Wales.
18 min: Tuipulotu has started this match like a runaway train, and his latest strong carry helps to relieve the pressure on the Scotland defence. He soaks up a couple of tacklers and creates space and time for a clearing kick after Scotland’s defensive scrum put-in.
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16 min: A smooth lineout from Wales has multiple runners heading for the Scotland line in the visitors’ 22. But Jenkins, the captain, spills the ball forward in contact and it’s a defensive scrum for Scotland instead of sustained attacking pressure for Wales. It’s reset at the first time of asking.
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15 min: Rowe, the Scots full-back, is penalised for a high hit on his opposite number, Winnett. Wales kick for the corner.
12 min: On commentary, Jonathan Davies thinks he’s spotted crossing by Scotland on replay leading up to the try. “He doesn’t take anybody out. You’re clinging to a little bit of hope there, I think,” says Nigel Owens, the former referee.
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Try! 10 min: Wales 0-10 Scotland (Schoeman)
It’s all Scotland. Their impressive continuity in attack leads to a try for the front-rower under the posts. The TMO checks the grounding – on-field decision is try – and indeed, the score is confirmed. An easy conversion for Russell, whose prompting for the likes of Van der Merwe was key to that score.
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9 min: Domachowski of Wales needs treatment after taking a blow to his head in trying to execute a tackle in that latest Scotland attack. He appears to be fine to carry on …
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9 min: From the lineout, again it’s Tuipulotu causing massive problems for Wales with a muscular carry up the middle. But Zander Fagerson is driven back in the tackle, then penalised for a double movement with the try-line beckoning.
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8 min: Wales concede their third penalty for offside. O’Keeffe, the referee, tells Jenkins the next one will be a yellow card. Russell hammers a fine touch-finder for the corner.
Penalty! 6 min: Wales 0-3 Scotland (Russell)
On the board.
5 min: Good from Scotland, who get a lineout right and then rumble a maul up the middle … Tuipulotu then makes a dent with a typically strong carry. Russell tries a reverse cross-kick but it’s overhit. The referee was playing advantage and brings it back for a penalty.
3 min: Scotland get their first chance to attack, but an errant pass ends the move down the right, and Wales instantly look to counter with Josh Adams and then the scrum-half Gareth Davies. It’s an encouraging start from both teams in terms of their willingness to attack with ball in hand.
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2 min: Scotland claim the kick-off and eventually box kick to the Wales full-back, Winnett. He immediately looks dangerous trying to run the ball back into traffic in midfield.
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First half kick-off!
Go!
OK, OK, Wales actually won the anthems 3-1. The young Wales captain, Jenkins, is pictured in close-up as he emotionally belts out the final line.
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“Hi Luke. The bookies know everything, right?” emails Simon McMahon.
“Which makes me extremely confident about Scotland’s chances absolutely terrified that we will blow it this afternoon.”
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The teams are out, and we’re ready for a creditable 1-1 draw in the battle of the national anthems.
George North is kept out by a shoulder injury today, but you should definitely read Donald McRae’s interview with him regardless:
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“Take your points,” chips in Martin Johnson on pundit duty. “You can have all the possession and territory, but take your points.” Wise words.
“At international level, you’ve got to concentrate,” says Alun Wyn Jones on the BBC.
Teams
The 21-year-old Cameron Winnett of Cardiff debuts at full-back for Wales: for Scotland, there is also a debutant at full-back in the shape of Kyle Rowe of Glasgow Warriors. Sam Costelow makes his Six Nations debut for Wales at No 10.
Wales: Winnett; Dyer, Watkin, Tompkins, Adams; Costelow, G Davies; Domachowski, Elias, Brown, Jenkins (capt), Beard, Botham, Reffell, Wainwright. Replacements: Dee, Mathias, Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Mann, Tomos Williams, Lloyd, Grady.
Scotland: Rowe, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell, White; Schoeman, Turner, Z Fagerson, R Gray, Cummings, Crosbie, Ritchie, M Fagerson. Replacements: Ashman, Hepburn, Millar-Mills, Skinner, Dempsey, Horne, Healy, Redpath.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZL)
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Warren Gatland has a chat with the BBC: “It’s the greatest tournament in the world. It’s not a game of rugby, it’s an occasion. You get a real buzz from the Six Nations.
“I’m excited. We’ve got a group of youngsters with no fear … we’ve got to think about the Six Nations, but we’ve got to think about the future as well.
“[Captain] Jenkins is tough. He’s a great professional. He gives 100 per cent. Probably if you compare him, he’s a young Alun Wyn Jones … Sam [Warburton] was similar.”
On the BBC, Martin Johnson compares Finn Russell to Austin Healey. As a player, that is.
The bookies make Scotland favourites to beat Wales in Cardiff. And that is saying something, given Scotland have not won there since 2002.
“He won’t change the way he plays,” Gregor Townsend says of his new captain, Finn Russell. They’ve come a long way since that little falling out they had …
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Preamble
Scotland were far from the only team to return from last year’s Rugby World Cup with an overwhelming sense of frustration; and they were undoubtedly unfortunate to find themselves in a pool with South Africa and Ireland.
There can be no complaints about unfavourable draws in the Six Nations, though, so the next several weeks will be another important marker of progress being made under Gregor Townsend – plus a test of the leadership skills of their new captain, the fly-half Finn Russell, who is thoroughly enjoying club rugby at his new home in Bath.
Russell lines up against another new international captain, the 21-year-old Dafydd Jenkins, who today becomes the second-youngest man lead Wales after the great Sir Gareth Edwards. Cameron Winnett makes his debut at full-back for Wales while Warren Gatland, who took his team tantalisingly close to another World Cup semi-final just a few months ago, is overseeing yet another rebuild and getting another crack at Europe’s biggest rugby competition. This could even be fun.
Kick-off: 4.45pm GMT
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