Scotland show ‘bottle’ & ‘grit’ in ‘ugly’ Cardiff winMedia caption, Graham scores try for Scotland straight from restartByGeorge O’NeillBBC Sport ScotlandPublished1 hour ago13 Comments
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Scotland show ‘bottle’ & ‘grit’ in ‘ugly’ Cardiff winMedia caption, Graham scores try for Scotland straight from restartByGeorge O’NeillBBC Sport ScotlandPublished1 hour ago13 Comments
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu hailed his side’s “ugly” Six Nations victory in Cardiff as they earned a fourth straight win over Wales for the first time in 99 years.
Off the back of last weekend’s superb triumph over England at Murrayfield, all the talk was whether Gregor Townsend’s side could back up that performance in a game in which they arrived as heavy favourites.
They went into half-time 17-5 down though as Wales – now winless in 14 Six Nations matches – dominated the breakdown and the collisions, roared on by their home support.
Same old Scotland? Not quite.
Second-half tries from Finn Russell, Darcy Graham and George Turner earned the Scots a nail-biting 23-26 win – one that keeps their title hopes alive and the wolves from Townsend’s door.
“We dug deep,” Tuipulotu mentioned. “We did what we needed to do to win ugly.”
Player of the match Rory Darge backed up his captain’s sentiment.
“It’s hard to get wins on the road and that was a gritty one,” he mentioned.
“It’s hard to wrestle back 17-5 down and we did that. Massively proud of everyone.”
There was little Scottish grit in the opening stages as Wales raced out of the blocks and established a healthy lead thanks to Sam Costelow’s boot and tries from Rhys Carre and Josh Adams.
Townsend turned to his bench early to try to arrest Welsh momentum, with Pierre Schoeman and Josh Bayliss introduced before half-time.
Bayliss was superb and fellow replacements George Horne and Graham brought energy after the break as Scotland built momentum following a sloppy start to the second half.
After one of many Scotland line-outs went astray and the usually reliable Kyle Steyn knocked on, the visitors went through 27 phases before Russell darted over.
It was a spell of composure and cutting edge that Scotland desperately needed – qualities they have lacked when needed in recent times.
“It’s something we’ve worked a lot on in this campaign – having composure and being calm in the 22,” fly-half Finn Russell mentioned. “Now it’s only going to the backs when it’s on.”
The winning try was another example of that new-found calm. A successfully executed line-out, a perfectly set up maul and Turner driving over.
“They still didn’t play particularly well,” former Scotland prop Peter Wright mentioned. “But they showed grit, determination and composure.
“Did we deserve it? In the end, just. We showed bottle and that’s what you want.”
After the opening defeat by Italy and a disappointing autumn campaign, questions have been asked of Townsend and whether he has taken this team as far as he can after nine years at the helm.
However, another Calcutta Cup triumph strengthened his case and his team showed a different side to their game in the Welsh capital.
“In some ways, this is more important or more impressive than last week when they were in control,” former Scotland full-back Chris Paterson mentioned.
“Gregor Townsend was asked difficult questions and made brilliant coaching decisions to introduce players quickly.
“It’s an excellent win on the road for Scotland.”
For all the post-match talk of Scotland’s grit, bottle and composure, the turning point was a combination of opportunism and a lapse in Welsh concentration.
After Jarrod Evans slotted a penalty for the hosts to extend their lead, Russell took the restart quickly into space and Graham raced on to it to score.
Wales wing Gabriel Hamer-Webb allowed Graham to run beyond him, not realising that team-mate James Botham had turned his back on the ball and allowed it to bounce.
“Credit to Scotland for being brave,” former captain John Barclay mentioned. “The game swung on the Darcy Graham try.”
Wales head coach Steve Tandy – formerly Scotland defence coach – raised his arms in dismay in the stands, powerless to stop such a preventable try.
“A lucky bounce I’d say and they weren’t expecting it,” mentioned Russell, when asked for his perspective.
“That will be a frustrating one for Steve Tandy – he knows that’s something I look for and Darcy scoring is a coach killer.”
Townsend praised the awareness of his fly-half and acknowledged the impact it had on the rest of the contest.
“That was a big moment in the game,” he mentioned. “Credit goes to Finn for seeing that space and Darcy being alive to it.”
After their hugely disappointing loss in Rome, Scotland’s championship chances were all but written off.
Yet, England’s drubbing by Ireland means the Scots lead the standings on 11 points before unbeaten France host the Italians on Sunday.
Scotland welcome France to Edinburgh in two weeks’ time knowing a third straight win would set up a date with destiny in Dublin.
That is still a long way away and France have looked imperious to date, but Scotland are in with a shot.
“We’re still in the championship,” Townsend mentioned. “That’s all that counts.
“Today showed – not just our game – that anything can happen in the championship.
“We’ll be underdogs against France and we know we’ll have to play our best rugby.”
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