That was easily the best game of the championship so far. Scotland were much improved on last week and played some wonderful exciting rugby. Who knows what might have happened had Stuart Hogg lasted longer than 20 minutes? Still, that’s a ninth defeat on the spin – their worst sequence since the Six Nations began.
Wales though deserved the win. They were the fitter team and, after staying in touch during Scotland’s first-hour blitz, pulled clear before Scotland scored their late try. Roberts was magnificent in defence and scored a try to boot, while George North had his best game in years too.
Do stick around for all the reports and reaction pieces, which, by the sounds of things, the sub-editors are busy getting ready now. I’ll be back tomorrow for Italy v England. Bye for now!
Full-time: Wales 27-23 Scotland
Or not. The clock is in the red as Priestland goes long and Swinson takes. Scotland recycle but immediately it’s spilled forward by Hardie!
Try! (Taylor 79 + Jackson con) Wales 27-23 Scotland
Er. Jackson comes around on the loop and with a lovely pop pass puts Taylor through a gap from 30 metres. Over he goes on the left and Jackson knocks over the extras. One last chance!
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78 min Weir finds touch just outside the Welsh 22 on the left. Swinson takes it in but the maul goes nowhere and Scotland are forced to recycle. Wales defence is buzzing on adrenaline now and giving as much quarter as Led Zeppelin.
77 min Again it goes into the hands of North but he’s chopped down by McInally. Back to Priestland who puts it high and chases well, tackling Lamont. Recycled to Jackson, who is tackled by Owens, but Wales don’t roll away. Hidalgo-Clyne replaces Laidlaw.
76 min Cowan takes it on but Roberts – today’s man of the match? – stops him in his tracks with a huge hit. The London Irish flanker is off for an HIA, so Barclay returns. Priestland comes on for Biggar on the Wales side. We’re restarting with a Scottish scrum but Wales push them off it and North looks to run down the short side.
75 min Biggar’s kick isn’t the best, fielded by Jackson on the full and he takes it back up into contact with Faletau and Roberts. Scotland are miles from the danger zone though.
Simon McMahon writes: “Don’t think I would have made it down to Guardian Towers before closing time anyway, Dan. I’ll have one for you, though. Probably just straight whisky. Let’s call it a Same Old.”
I had my hopes up Simon, I won’t lie.
74 min It’s messy ball but Scotland have it and send it left, Cowan taking it on but making no ground. Left again, then back right and Nel knocks on in midfield. You would think Biggar will smash this one miles downfield when it comes back to him and effectively stick a fork in this.
73 min Swinson takes the restart and Scotland move it right. Side entry at the ruck by Wales gives them a penalty and Weir kicks to touch inside the 22. Scotland need to score here to make a game of it.
Conversion (Biggar 72) Wales 27-16 Scotland
That, you would imagine, is that.
Try! (North 71) Wales 25-16 Scotland
Oh this is brilliant from the Northampton man. He comes flying off his wing into midfield, takes it at pace and steps once, twice, thrice, four times outside the Scottish tacklers. On goes the gas and he surges over on the right.
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70 min Scotland are blowing now. Richie Gray – sorry, it was Jonny who went off – and Nel are down receiving treatment before this scrum midway inside their own half. Francis on for Lee.
69 min Weir replaces Russell, Swinson is on for Richie Gray. Wales win the lineout and crash it up the middle, but then Gareth Davies offloads straight to Reid and Scotland can counter... oh no they knock it on.
68 min Wales get the penalty at the scrum, against McInally for driving at an angle. Biggar kicks to touch just outside the Scottish 22. “Scotland to lose narrowly? Didn’t see that coming,” writes Simon McMahon.
67 min It’s overthrown by Owens but Nel knocks it on at the back of the lineout.
66 min Load of Scottish changes as Wales run the kick-off back up to the 10m line. Cowan on for Barclay, McInally for Ford, Reid for Dickinson. Exchange of kicks and Jackson finds touch on the left on the Welsh 10 metre line.
Try! (Roberts 65 + Biggar con) Wales 20-16 Scotland
Wales get the nudge on but Scotland’s counter-shove is strong. Wales still have it but it’s slow ball. Bradley Davies drives on, they shift it left and Roberts is too strong running from deep – over he goes and Biggar knocks over the conversion!
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Here’s what you missed in the first half:
62 min Tipuric off, Lydiate on for Wales so Warburton goes to openside. Scrum is right under the posts and the players can barely hear the referee amid the Millennium Stadium noise.
61 min Roberts takes a forward-looking pass on the crash but he can’t quite get through. Left they go and Nel chops down Tipuric brilliantly! No advantage and Scotland are penalised for offside. That was brilliant from the prop. And Wales have declined the three points and gone for the scrum!
60 min That’s some roar from the Cardiff crowd. It’s a strong scrum... and George Clancy orders the reset.
The two games today are galaxies apart in excitement @DanLucas86. Yes, its error strewn, but this is barnstorming, frantic 6 Nations rugby.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) February 13, 2016
59 min Richie Gray taps down and Laidlaw fumbles it backwards. He’s forced to carry it back over his own line and Wales get a five-metre scrum.
58 min This time Richie Gray wins it and Hardie snipes down the blindside. His offload goes loose though and James intercepts before scorching 80 metres down the left! He’s stopped by a brilliant covering tackle by Taylor and Wales recycle. Biggar kicks across for North but Bennett disrupts and the ball bobbles into touch for a Scotland lineout.
57 min Davies returns, Russell kicks again and it’s charged down, but then Jenkins goes off his feet at the ruck on halfway. Russell kicks to touch on the right, just outside the Welsh 22.
56 min Deep this time from Biggar and Denton takes, carrying hard up to the edge of his own 22 whence Laidlaw clears. Liam Williams takes tight to the touchline and steps past the chasing Lamont, then Wales switch it left but turn it over. Back to Russell who wastes it by booting straight to Jonathan Davies.
Penalty (Laidlaw 55) Wales 13-16 Scotland
This is almost identical to Biggar’s last one. Over it goes and Scotland are back in front.
54 min Penalty Scotland! Wales penalised for not binding under pressure. This one will be a piece of cake for Laidlaw.
53 min Free-kick Scotland as the Welsh back row played the ball in the tunnell. “We’ll have another scrum, cheers,” says Greig Laidlaw.
52 min Scotland scrum, dead centre, 24 metres out.
51 min Taken in by Faletau and Davies chips over the top for North with the box kick. Laidlaw taps it back very nicely into the hands of Lamont and Scotland regather, with Laidlaw putting it up high. G Davies gathers now and they go left. Davies kicks ahead and Jackson returns, then Liam Williams fumbles the bobbling ball just outside his 22. The kicking has been dire in this half.
50 min Now Liam Williams has a kick charged down by Richie Gray and Scotland pile in. It’s retained by Wales though and Gareth Davies box kicks clear and Jackson collects, but puts one foot on the touchline to give Wales the lineout.
49 min Gareth Davies slices his box kick badly but makes up for that by regathering it on the full. They go left and Jon Davies’s kick is half charged down. James grubbers it ahead but straight into the hands of Jackson, who counters. Right via Russell to Bennett, but his kick ahead is no good.
48 min Biggar takes the restart inside the 22 and is wrapped up. Gareth Davies clears to touch on the 10 metre line on the right. Jenkins, Owens and Bradley Davies are on for Wales in place of Evans, Baldwin and Charteris. Jones steals the lineout once again – Wales are all over Scotland there.
Penalty (Biggar 47) Wales 13-13 Scotland
From the 22, straight in front, even I wouldn’t miss this. Dan Biggar does not either.
45 min North comes into midfield off his wing and embarks on a wonderful swerving run up to the 22. Charteris and Faletau carry on; the ball goes loose but there’s an offside against Richie Gray and Biggar will have an easy kick. What a run from North though.
“Is the real reason that Hogg has been replaced that he doesn’t have a good enough beard? Seems like it’s compulsory for the Scottish back 3,” asks James Austin.
44 min It’s stolen by Scotland but they closed the gap and concede a free-kick. Biggar clears long and Jackson puts it up high to Faletau, who goes on a charge. Back to Biggar and his kick is charged back into the hands of Baldwin. Another exchange of kicks ensues.
43 min Laidlaw pops it back to Ford from the lineout then Scotland go back inside, where Hardie is given a thankless pass and driven back over the 10 metre line. Right they go and Taylor stabs one low past Williams and into touch down the right. Wales lineout inside their own 22.
42 min Seymour has been so good in the air. Laidlaw plays a sharp box kick to touch in the bottom right-hand corner but Wales win the lineout and Biggar clears to touch halfway between his own 10m line and halfway on the right.
41 min Here we go again, Finn Russell getting the game back under way with a high, short kick that Tipuric takes brilliantly. Back to Biggar and he clears to Jackson, Russell returning to Liam Williams. Back to Jackson in the 22 and into touch just over halfway. Wales take it quickly and Biggar kicks to Seymour. High from him and yet again he regathers
Someone has changed their tune.
This really is the start of Scottish rugby's return. It is fantastic.
— Ewan Murray (@mrewanmurray) February 13, 2016
Penalty (Laidlaw 40) & half-time: Wales 10-13 Scotland
Through it goes and Scotland lead at the break! Told you these were the two best sides in the tournament.
40 min On they go and Samson Lee is lying all over it. Penalty Scotland and Laidlaw will have a go at giving his side the half-time lead from 40-odd metres.
39 min Wales spin it right out to North but he’s easily stopped so Gareth Davies box kicks clear. Scotland look to counter but Tipuric does well to wrap up Gray. Still Scotland carry it on though and make ground into the Welsh half.
38 min Slow ball and Lamont crashes it up over the 10 metre line off his wing. Wales are doing a good job of slowing Scotland down but Bennett slips through a tackle and very nearly into space. He’s dragged down though and the ball pings around out of the ruck, allowing Tom James to pinch the ball.
36 min Russell kicks to North and he wrestles his way out of the 22 and tries to get away down the right. He’s just about dragged into touch by Hardie and knocks on as he tries to offload. Scotland scrum wide on their left, 10 metres inside the Welsh half.
Penalty (Biggar 35) Wales 10-10 Scotland
A lovely clean strike and it’s all square again. That was a bit of a freebie for Wales.
Updated
34 min Wales get the penalty at the scrum this time as Dickinson bores in on the angle. It’s around 37 metres out and 15 to the right of the sticks. Biggar will have a crack.
33 min Wales steal the lineout again and go right, with Liam Williams coming up in support out wide. He looks for North outside of him but Bennett makes a perfectly timed tackle as the full-back looked to offload and it goes behind North into touch. This time Scotland win the lineout, but the maul is both static and held up by Charteris. Scrum Wales.
32 min The restart is shallow again and Laidlaw gathers the loose ball and pumps it into space. Biggar goes back into his 22 to collect it and fires an excellent return of his own, into touch on the left, 10 metres inside the Scottish half.
Penalty (Laidlaw 31) Wales 7-10 Scotland
That’s a very good strike and Scotland have the lead their territory deserves.
Updated
30 min Wales have it from a lineout on the right and Tipuric drives up in midfield. He hangs on to it though under pressure from Hardie and Scotland have a penalty 43 metres out, centralish.
29 min Left it goes and Russell again goes for the chip over the top as Roberts comes up out the line, but the dinked kick goes out on the full. Hogg is going off, which is a real shame as he’s been thrilling so far today. Ruardih Jackson, who has been playing well for Wasps this season, is on in his stead.
28 min Scotland engage early and Wales get the free-kick. Biggar clears long and Seymour, diving athletically, somehow keeps it in play. Inside it comes to Hogg, who puts it up high and Seymour chases and collects that, but then loses it. Cleared and Hogg takes 12 metres inside the Welsh half. He’s hurting now.
26 min That’s a very good scrum from Scotland and they look to have the nudge on Wales. George Clancy opts for the reset, which is probably fair, much as the Scots don’t like it.
25 min Another well-defended maul, Jones this time the man to hold it up off the ground as the maul crabbed infield. Scrum Wales, 15 out from their own line.
24 min Russell goes to touch again from the Welsh 10 metre line. He had no angle so only just gets it inside the 22. Hogg is hobbling. Jonny Gray takes and Scotland drive with Hardy carrying the ball at the back.
23 min Davies clears from the lineout and Scotland get a penalty on the 10 metre line. It looks like Warburton failing to roll away from a ruck.
22 min Now Wales go through the phases in midfield for just about the first time in this match. This is good defence from Scotland so Biggar is forced to kick and Seymour takes it well. An offload inside and Barclay surges away upfield! Up to halfway and he has Hogg inside, but kicks ahead into touch instead!
21 min Roberts crashes through Russell from the lineout and Baldwin carries it on.
20 min Jonny Gray takes, Laidlaw goes high and Seymour wins it. Inside to Russell and he kicks across to the left, forcing North to turn and kick. Hogg counters, bursting down the left but his pass inside is straight to Tipuric who kicks into space. Russell gets back and clears well to touch, just inside his own half. Whew.
19 min Stolen by Jones and they go left. Jonathan Davies stabs a kick ahead and into touch when he should have kept it in hand. In fairness, he was very good with those grubber kicks last week but that was a second bad decision from the Welsh centres.
18 min That’s better from Scotland, who were smashed at the last scrum. The ball comes squirting out and Biggar is under huge pressure on his own line after Davies failed to control it. That’s a great clearance though, despite being tackled by Russell, and it finds touch on the 10 metre line.
17 min An alternative Lions team (see MBMs passim)
.@DanLucas86 LIONS: Teague; Teague, Teague, Teague, Teague; Teague, Teague; Teague, Teague, Teague, Teague, Teague, Teague, Skinner, Teague.
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) February 13, 2016
16 min Russell kicks very well, finding touch on the Scotland left 15 metres from the Welsh line. This has been a brilliant start.
This is the game of the tournament after less than 15 minutes. Finally some invention, some ambition and some quality. #WALvSCO #6Nations
— Nakul Pande (@NakulMPande) February 13, 2016
Richie Gray takes the lineout and they drive the maul, but it’s very well defended by Charteris who holds up the ball carrier and earns his side a scrum.
15 min Laidlaw clears from the restart to Williams, who passes inside to Biggar. The No10 puts it up, chases and regathers ahead of Laidlaw, but then Lloyd Williams comes into the ensuing ruck and plays it off his feet. Penalty Scotland.
Conversion (Laidlaw 14) Wales 7-7 Scotland
What a kick! Laidlaw brings it round beautifully from wide on the right to level the scores.
Updated
Try! (Seymour 13) Wales 7-5 Scotland
Laidlaw is very nearly away, darting through a gap and just stopped by a tap tackle from Charteris. Nel carries on. 19 phases and they’re up to within five metres. Right again and Russell goes for a shallow chip of his own, out wide and Seymour is unmarked and able to gather and dot down in the right-hand corner! James was too narrow and that’s an excellent decision from Russell, spotting that James was too tight.
Updated
11 min Now through the phases go Scotland, carrying into the 22 through Hardie and Jonny Gray. Left now and Bennett steps round a tackle, but he’s stopped and Wales slow it down well.
10 min Ford finds Richie Gray and Scotland form the maul on halfway on the right, but can’t make any ground so they go left. Bennett makes a half break but can’t get away an offload to Hogg, so Laidlaw has a dart.
9 min Biggar takes the restart and is driven back, so G Davies boxes clear to Hogg on halfway. Russell looks to stab a kick through and it’s deflected, so nearly into the hands of Tom James. He can’t gather, there’s an exchange of kicks and Hogg is very nearly through from halfway. Russell kicks to touch in the 22 and Gareth Davies takes it quickly. He kicks to touch near halfway.
Conversion (Biggar 8) Wales 7-0 Scotland
Biggar squeezes it inside the near post from wide on the left. This has been a brilliant, exciting start from the Welsh.
Yep it's good
Roberts tapped it back away from Taylor and Davies was alert to gather the loose ball first. It was a lovely chip from Biggar too when most 10s would have gone for the garryowen.
Try? (G Davies 7) Wales 5-0 Scotland
Faletau takes it well under pressure from Denton. Biggar puts a shallow kick over the top and it’s tapped back into the hands of Gareth Davies in space. He puts on the afterburners and heads for the line, veering to the left and sliding over in the corner from 45 metres. What a finish! Ah we’re going to check for a knock-on earlier in the move.
Updated
6 min Free-kick to Scotland for an early engagement by Rob Evans. Hogg smacks it miles upfield, finding touch dead on halfway on the Scottish right.
5 min Jones takes it 10 metres out and Wales get the driving maul going at some pace. It goes to ground a couple of metres out and Roberts crashes it up when he should send it through the hands. Still they carry on but Jones knocks on in front of the posts. Looked to go backwards to me but Clancy disagrees. That’s a bad miss from Wales.
4 min That’s a massive scrum from the Welsh and they get the penalty as Scotland stand up under immense pressure. Biggar kicks it to touch down the right, getting into the 22 despite having no room to work with. Excellent kick from the fly-half.
3 min Wales scrum on halfway, wide on their right.
2 min Davies goes high after Wales win the lineout and Lamont knocks on under the high ball under pressure from Biggar. My dad reckons Biggar was wincing during the warm-up.
Peeeeeep! So goes George Clancy’s whistle and Dan Biggar gets us going. Expect to see him showed on to his left ankle today. It’s a shallow kick and Faletau wins it, Liam Williams entering the line and carrying up towards the 22 down the left. Wales go back right with Scotland coming up fast in defence. It’s knocked on though and Richie Gray sends Hogg away, flying down the left, but Gareth Davies makes the tackle.
Incidentally Wales were led out by Jonathan Davies. He wins his 50th cap today.
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Anthems watch
The Scots are in fine voice for Flower of Scotland. It’s no La Marseillaise, but a hell of a good anthem in its own right. If Scotland could play with that kind of gusto they wouldn’t have lost their last eight Six Nations matches.
Wales sound similarly impassioned, as you’d expect under a closed roof at the Millennium. Not that much louder than the Scots, but Wales have edged it nonetheless.
“Afternoon Dan.” Afternoon, Simon McMahon. “I see a theme developing here, but cocktails are on me if Scotland win. And we’re talking proper cocktails - Manhattans, Martinis and Mint Juleps, not some fruit juice and coconut nonsense. In fact, this email could be a metaphor for the Scotland rugby team. Or maybe even Northern Hemisphere rugby. All Sex on the Beach and Pina Colada’s compared to Australia and New Zealand’s Gimlet’s and Whisky Sours. And never having to deliver on promises. Or something like that.”
Change to the Scotland team
Sean Maitland is out injured, so Sean Lamont starts. Ruardih Jackson makes the trip up from Coventry to take the No23 shirt.
Afternoon folks. Round two of the 2016 Six Nations continues with two sides who have a point to prove. The two best European sides of the World Cup go toe-to-toe, head-to-head in Cardiff in a match that some pundits* might have had down as a championship decider pre-tournament.
Scotland were the most exciting Six Nations team last autumn, running Australia close and mentioned by a couple of commentators as a team that could win this whole bloody Six Nations thing. They were incisive and inventive and – in a development wholly uncharacteristic of Scottish sides passim – clinical in attack. Their side is young and well-rounded, playing with the abandon of youth and in possession of the most dangerous back division in the hemisphere. Then they were, Stuart Hogg aside, rubbish against England, making nary a line-break between them.
Also making zero line-breaks were Wales against a depleted Ireland. The “other” most exciting side in the northern hemisphere at one point went through 28 phases without gaining a metre: something that borders on embarrassing for a side whose entire game plan is based on gainline dominance.
The good news for Wales is that Dan Biggar is, somehow, fit for this one. Rhys Priestland made a dodgy start against Ireland after coming on in the 14th minute but settled very well to have a cracking game, but Biggar’s skill in the kick-chase is such a potent weapon. His miraculous recovery means that Wales are unchanged, with Liam Williams starting at full-back. On the bench, Gareth Anscombe is fit to replace Alex Cuthbert – something that will please any Welsh fan who has seen Cuthbert play in the last couple of years.
Scotland make just the one change and it’s an injury-enforced one. Matt Scott, the promising-but-disappointing-last-week centre, is out injured so Saracens’ Duncan Taylor plays at No12. His place on the bench goes to – bloody hell is Sean Lamont still playing? – Sean Lamont.
Kick-off at what is damn well called the Millennium Stadium is 4.50pm GMT. The teams line up as follows:
Wales
Liam Williams (Scarlets); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Harlequins), T James (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets); R Evans (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing), AW Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements K Owens (Scarlets), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), T Francis (Exeter), B Davies (Wasps), D Lydiate (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Priestland (Bath), G Anscombe (Cardiff Blues).
Scotland
S Hogg (Glasgow); S Maitland (London Irish), M Bennett (Glasgow), D Taylor (Saracens), T Seymour (Glasgow); F Russell (Glasgow), G Laidlaw (Gloucester, capt); A Dickinson (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), WP Nel (Edinburgh), R Gray (Toulouse), J Gray (Glasgow), J Barclay (Scarlets), J Hardie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Bath).
Replacements S McInally (Edinburgh), G Reid (Glasgow), Z Fagerson (Glasgow), T Swinson (Glasgow), B Cowan (London Irish), S Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh), D Weir (Glasgow), S Lamont (Glasgow).
*OK, me.
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