Read Paul Rees’s match report from the Principality:
All the reaction from Cardiff will be upon us shortly, but until then, join me for France v Ireland in Paris:
Full-time: Wales 34-7 Scotland
Stunning from Wales and Scotland’s bubble is well and truly burst in Cardiff.
Conversion! Wales 34-7 Scotland
No shutout for Wales but this was nothing but a garbage time score.
Try! Scotland 34-5 Scotland
78 mins Scotland string together their longest spell of pressure in the game. Peter Horn runs it in after some 17 phases. Too little, too late.
I believe you are referring to Paul Rees’s preview. In fairness, I doubt many would have predicted this.
@Tbassam what was it you were saying re Wales needing 'a reboot '? 27 - 0. Teehee... we may have just scored or 4th try ( it's gone to review... nah, couldn't see a clear grounding). I'm hoping Scotland aren't whitewashed, but it's looking likely...
— Kaz Alexander #NHSLove (@WarphobblerKaz) February 3, 2018
Conversion! Wales 34-0 Scotland
74 mins Halfpenny continues his flawless day with the boot from out wide.
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Try! Wales 32-0 Scotland
73 mins Steff Evans with a fabulous one-handed finish after being released down the left by Parkes. Great play from Shingler in the build-up too. The referee wanted Evans’ dive for the line checked with the TMO but did not look at the pass beforehand which had a hint of forward about it, never mind.
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68 mins Wales happy to eat up the clock with a series of scrums on the Scottish five metre line.
Oh and Murray McCallum is on for Scotland.
There has been a load of replacements: Gareth Anscombe and Elliot Dee replace Rhys Patchell and Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric replaces Ross Moriarty and somewhere amongst that Bradley Davies replaced Cory Hill too.
Review... no try
66 mins Wyn Jones makes a great pick up and bulls over Hogg and looks to have scored but after a TMO review is adjudged to have been held up. Still a Welsh put in five metres out.
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Conversion! Wales 27-0 Scotland
The full back adds the extras and this is becoming a rout.
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Try! Wales 25-0 Scotland
61 mins Wales in full command of this now and Halfpenny, after so long without a try, has two in one game.
In the build-up, Patchell follows up his own kick to drag Greig Laidlaw into touch. A smooth throw from Ken Owens to Alun Wyn Jones sets up a driving maul before the Welsh work it right and Halfpenny gets the easy finish.
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Agreed, Guy. But how Six Nations is it for the first game to completely flip the script?
For all the challenges of winning away from home, this is still a pretty unexpected scoreline @Tbassam. Wales have really pressured Scotland though, and it's leading to mistakes and penalties. This is in danger of being a real blowout. The 6 Nations, tougher than ever.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) February 3, 2018
57 mins Steff Evans has lovely dancing feet on the wing as twice in quick succession in cuts in from the left to beat his man. Finally Patchell gets Wales inside the Scottish five metre line but their push for the try line is held up, Scotland defensive scrum.
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55 mins More Scottish changes as Grant Gilchrist, Peter Horne and Sean Maitland all come on. Gregor Townsend desperate for a spark.
53 mins Josh Adams continues to enjoy his debut as he is released through a gaping Scottish hole and takes Wales into scoring territory but there’s no-one in support. Adams does well not to concede the penalty as help finally arrives.
51 mins A couple of Welsh changes: Tomos Francis and Wyn Jones come into the front row as Rob Evans and Samson Lee make way.
51 mins Ali Price, who has been poor, is hauled off and Greig Laidlaw comes on to replace him at scrum-half. Cornell Du Preez and Gordon Reid are also off, replaced by Ryan Wilson and Jamie Bhatti. Again Scotland are immediately penalised at the scrum as Wales continue to dominate.
Like their male counterparts, England women’s Six Nations campaign gets underway tomorrow
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Penalty! Wales 20-0 Scotland
Halfpenny knocks a kick from distance over to stretch the Welsh lead further after John Barclay conceded a needless penalty.
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46 mins Adams is enjoying an impressive debut in the Welsh back three as he sees a dangerous Russell kick into touch and allows his side to clear.
Penalty! Wales 17-0 Scotland
44 mins Halfpenny makes no mistake with the boot, arrowing his kick through the uprights.
42 mins Wales get an early shot at the posts as Navidi, Gareth Davies and Steff Evans exchange passes and kicks down the flank. Scotland are forced into a penalty in the ruck.
Restart
Patchell gets the second half underway with a deep kick.
Simon McMahon makes a good point: Is there any other type of Scot than the ‘long suffering’ one that Martin Turnbull describes? He should count himself lucky he’s not a Dundee United fan. Mind you, my brother in law supports Cowdenbeath. He must have been very bad in a previous life.
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10 - Gareth Davies has scored 10 Test tries since the beginning of the Rugby World Cup, more than any other international scrum half in that time. Lethal. pic.twitter.com/hVCi6fy5me
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 3, 2018
A break, mercifully.
Half-time: Wales 14-0 Scotland
Scotland may have dominated possession but Wales have punished their countless mistakes.
36 mins Unsurprisingly another Scotland turnover eases the pressure. The work the scrum well enough but Harris cannot hold the ball in contact and knocks on. The Welsh scrum allows them to run from deep and Hadleigh Parkes’ superb kick up the sideline takes his side all the way down the other end of the pitch.
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35 mins Halfpenny does well to collect a kick through near his own try line but is tackled back over it and Scotland, from nowhere, have a five-metre scrum.
31 mins Scotland win a penalty in their own as Adams is pinged for holding on. Another great kick from Russell sets up Scotland in a good position and whilst they secure the lineout Josh Navidi wraps up the ball carrier and again Wales turn the ball over via a penalty.
29 mins Another Scottish wasted chance. A Russell kick from a penalty finds touch in good position inside the Welsh half but the lineout throw is not straight and Wales get another let off.
26 mins Scotland are wasting too many opportunities at the moment through turnovers. Huw Jones offloads to his centre-partner Chris Harris, but he’s hit hard by Steff Evans in the tackle.
Still with Scotland though, but they’re not making any ground here and Stuart McInally knocks on. Sloppy.
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24 mins Wales are looking so strong in defence now. They turn the ball over and force a scrum upfield. Holding on in the tackle by Adams sees Wales penalised but Russell fails to find touch with his kick.
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21mins This time it’s Wales who err at the scrum and Scotland now have the put in.
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20 mins Scotland work the ball to their right from the scrum and a kick goes through along the ground and into touch. Wales under pressure inside their own five and do well to clear. A fumble from Harris relieves the pressure the pressure and chance for all to catch their breath, including me.
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17 mins Wales try to run it through Patchell and Halfpenny from deep but Samson Lee is put under pressure by a poor pass and knocks on. Scotland attacking scrum from just outside the 22.
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Conversion! Wales 14-0 Scotland
12 mins The try scorer adds the extras.
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Try! Wales 12-0 Scotland
11 mins Leigh Halfpenny extends the lead! This is breathless stuff, Aaron Shingler darts through a gap in the Scotland midfield and trundles into the visitor’s half. He finds Cory Hill who in turn offloads to Alun Wyn Jones on the inside, but the captain’s pass to Steff Evans is slightly behind the winger. Scotland fail to put the ball in straight at the ensuing scrum and Wales make the most of the mistake to work it wide from the free-kick where Halfpenny takes advantage of numbers to go over.
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Conversion! Wales 7-0 Scotland
7 mins Halfpenny puts it through the posts.
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Try! Wales 5-0 Scotland
6 mins Gareth Davies intercepts Ali Price’s delayed pass, the scrum half gambling and being rewarded. He out-sprints Chris Harris and goes 60 metres for the score. What a start!
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6 mins This is so open. A Welsh break looks like setting something up before a turnover sees it come back the other way and put Scotland on the front foot. They are thumping away in Welsh territory.
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3 mins Jonny Gray darts through a gap in the Welsh defence and looks like he’s rumbling towards the line before a tackle sets up the Scots inside the Welsh 10. However, stout defence turns the ball over in the ruck and win a penalty. Still, it has been a flying start by the visitors.
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Kick off
Finn Russell kicks us off and Alun Wyn-Jones makes a fantastic grab but Gareth Davies kicks it out on the full to give Scotland some early territory from a line-out.
Rousing renditions of the anthems but a disappointing lack of tears during Land of my Fathers from the Welsh side. Only Josh Adams turned on the waterworks.
There are already fireworks at the Principality, a huge pyro display accompanies the teams as they make there way on to the pitch. With the roof closed that might not be so welcome for those in the stands .
After ‘ruck-gate’ and Wales’s 100-minute try, fans are wondering what controversies lie in store this year, while a host of post-Lions injuries may mean France get off to another flyer...
Just under 15 until kick-off. The atmosphere is certainly building in Cardiff and I am a personal fever pitch. Forgive my overt enthusiasm but is there a better international tournament in sport? A concentration of high quality teams in a tournament when virtually every game carries huge significance.
Martin Turnbull writes: As a long suffering Scot, looking forward to the match. Not confident of course but hopefully a ripper game.
For my sins, I also support Partick Thistle, so you can kinda understand my need for a win.
Come on, Martin. Surely now is Scotland’s time?
Teams
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell; 9 Gareth Davies; 1 Rob Evans, 2 Ken Owens, 3 Samson Lee, 4 Cory Hill, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (C), 6 Aaron Shingler, 7 Josh Navidi, 8 Ross Moriarty.
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Owen Watkin.
Scotland:15 Stuart Hogg, 14Tommy Seymour, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Huw Jones, 11 Byron McGuigan, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 1 Gordon Reid, 2 Stuart McInally, 3 Jon Welsh, 4 Ben Toolis, 5 Jonny Gray, 6 John Barclay (C), 7 Hamish Watson, 8 Cornell du Preez
Replacements: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Grant Gilchrist, 20 Ryan Wilson, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Pete Horne, 23 Sean Maitland
As Warren Gatland, who is pitting his wits against his 19th Six Nations opposite number in Gregor Townsend, prepares for resurgent Scotland, he is facing his most demanding time since he arrived in Cardiff at the end of 2007.
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Preamble
So to get us underway for the latest edition of the Six Nations is an intriguing domestic power struggle and a potential changing of the guard. Gregor Townsend and his Glasgow-dominated Scotland side arrive at the Principality as the team on the up, buoyed by a strong showing in the Autumn. For Warren Gatland there are some new faces and Rhys Patchell is being given a shot at fly-half but a lot of the changes are enforced. Dan Biggar, Jonathan Davies, Sam Warburton, Rhys Webb, George North and Taulupe Faletau are all missing through injury, with the unavailability of players like Liam Williams, Rhys Priestland, Jake Ball and Dan Lydiate only darkening the clouds further in Cardiff.
What does it mean? Well for the Scots a win gives them an excellent chance of repeating and bettering their fourth-placed finish last year, which came ahead of Wales. The hosts will be hoping that the 10 Scarlets in the side can carry their excellent form in the Pro14 up to the international stage and prove talk of their national team’s demise is premature. On the face of it the Six Nations opener is the game of the weekend.
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