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Scotland won the £ 500,000 match, the financial difference between finishing fourth and fifth, after dominating the breakdown and with it the penalty score. It was Wales’ fifth consecutive loss, including last Saturday’s warm-up in Paris, and their worst championship campaign since 2007.
This was the sixth international game held in Llanelli and the first at the Scarlets’ home. Scotland can push for their 2022 match to be played here because they haven’t won at Principality Stadium since 2002. Wales needed a cheering crowd with Scotland forcing the game for most of the match, but the ground echoed.
It was not an adequate way to mark Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, who broke Richie McCaw’s record for the number of international matches, nor did Scotland have anyone to share their victory with.
Wales were forced to make a late change when Justin Tipuric retired with tonsillitis and was replaced on the wide side by James Davies. It was a seventh change from the team that had lost in Paris a week earlier and Wales started as if familiarity was a problem, making mistakes, conceding penalties and forced to absorb pressure.
Their defense held up, which was more than in their previous four games, all defeats, as Scotland struggled to get over the win line. They went ahead in the nine minutes on a Finn Russell penalty and it was one afternoon, when their forwards were knocked down in the inning time and again, that they needed the outside half to open their box of tricks.
It only lasted 30 minutes before suffering a groin strain. Wales had just scored the first try of the match after a lineout on Scotland’s 22nd. The visitors threw in the throw-in after Taulupe Faletau’s play on touch, but Fraser Brown went long off Scott Cummings and overcompensated for the wind.
Throwing was a hazard on a stormy afternoon when it was difficult to gauge the direction of the wind. Scotland won the toss and thought they were playing but sometimes it seemed like they were behind them. It made Faletau’s kick, which followed a rare period of home possession, even more astute.
Hooker Ryan Elias scooped the ball up behind his back and began a 10-phase play that, after Alun Wyn Jones and Will Rowlands stayed on the line, saw Rhys Carre break through to give Wales the lead against the run touch .
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Scotland worked some space in the outer-central channel, but was thwarted first by Dan Biggar, who put Chris Harris off after a pass exchange with Stuart Hogg, and then by Owen Watkin, who read Blair Kinghorn’s move in the middle. field and knocked it down. .
An Adam Hastings penalty cut Wales’ interval lead to one point and two minutes after the restart, Wales lost their half high. Dan Biggar stopped after converting Carre’s try and felt his right leg injured in Paris. He continued in distinct discomfort, but struggled as the pace picked up in second period.
Both teams tried harder on tackles, but Scotland, which had been the dominant team in the breakout in the first half, conceded two scrums in Wales’ 22 after getting caught on the tackle. Pivac was hired to sharpen Wales’ attacking game, but it was defense that kept them in touch here.
Until Hogg opted to kick to touch rather than to goal on time. Jonny Gray caught the ball in the middle of the lineout and Scotland started a rolling maul that worked its way down the line before building considerable momentum with Stuart McInally at its epicenter. Wales could do nothing to stop McInally from scoring.
Wales responded with a penalty from Leigh Halfpenny. Hastings left with a shoulder injury and Stuart Hogg became his outside third half of the afternoon. Far from defending their one-point lead, Scotland remained in the lead and had their payoff in the last minute when Jamie Ritchie’s perseverance in the break led to another penalty that Hogg converted into three points.
