Six Nations 2023: Scotland 35-7 Wales - Townsend's men earn bonus point

1 year ago 57
Scotland 35 (13)
Try: Turner, Steyn 2, Kinghorn, M Fagerson Cons: Russell 2 Pens: Russell 2
Wales 7 (7)
Try: Owens Cons: Biggar

A Finn Russell-inspired Scotland earned a grounds location triumph against Wales to proceed a stunning commencement to their Six Nations.

Two Russell penalties and a converted George Turner effort saw Gregor Townsend's broadside contention into a 13-0 lead, earlier Wales deed backmost done Ken Owens.

Kyle Steyn crossed doubly successful the 2nd half, earlier Blair Kinghorn's superb people and Matt Fagerson's precocious effort guaranteed Scotland extremity their Warren Gatland hoodoo.

Wales had their chances to people successful the opening half, but failed to instrumentality vantage of each their possession and each their territory. And however they suffered for it. This wasn't conscionable an extremity to Warren Gatland's dominance implicit Scotland going backmost 11 Tests, it was an utter deconstruction, principally successful a 2nd fractional wherever Scotland attacked successful devastating question aft devastating wave.

They took a portion to find their ruthlessness, but erstwhile they deed their stride, guided by the mesmeric Russell, they stormed distant to triumph and are present 2 wins from 2 for the archetypal clip successful the past of the Six Nations. France to travel successful Paris successful a fortnight. Scotland volition judge that thing is imaginable close now.

They had a 6-0 pb aboriginal connected done 2 Russell penalties, but for overmuch of the opening 40 it was Wales who were successful control. Behind connected the scoreboard, but connected apical successful beauteous overmuch each different sense.

They were undone by their ain deficiency of accuracy and by Scotland's hopeless scrambling. They had a lineout 5 metres from the location enactment but the towering Richie Gray pinched it, they had a scrum 5 metres retired but their backline came up offside and the accidental went.

Dan Biggar had a changeable astatine goal. A agelong mode out, for sure, but however galore times has helium nailed specified kicks? He missed. They had different attacking lineout aft Russell's restart went connected the full, but erstwhile they looked menacing, Jamie Ritchie pilfered it connected the floor. Then, of course, Wales conceded. All those promising moments but it was Scotland who landed the archetypal dense blow.

It was Turner who drove powerfully done the Welsh screen disconnected a lineout maul, a thumping decorativeness from a hooker increasing each week successful stature. Russell's conversion made it 13-0, but determination was play to travel straight after.

Scotland messed up astatine the restart, Wales attacked and Turner came steaming successful a small precocious connected George North. He got binned and successful his absence, Owens piled implicit from close-range for a people that Wales intelligibly deserved.

The fractional didn't extremity without different bout of achy Welsh profligacy erstwhile Rio Dyer spilled it connected the near helping with the Scottish enactment astatine his mercy. They had 70% territory successful that opening fractional and had done astir of the attacking, but trailed by six astatine the break.

Scotland turned second-half screw

They were to wage for their wastefulness due to the fact that Scotland came retired with a antithetic mindset. They survived the remaining minutes of the Turner yellowish and past went aft their visitors. Kinghorn, who had travel connected aboriginal aft a Stuart Hogg HIA, came into it. Duhan van der Merwe, hushed to this point, started to occurrence up his engines.

Turner came wrong a whisker of scoring his second, but Scotland didn't person to hold for long.

Piling unit on, and forcing penalties, they enactment Wales wherever they didn't privation to be. When the adjacent accidental came, Russell's half-break done the spread and his sumptuous offload adjacent to the close helping enactment Steyn in. A glorious infinitesimal from the fly-half, who past walloped implicit the conversion from the touchline.

They turned the screw from there. More unit and a yellowish paper for Liam Williams for persistent offending. They could person taken a elemental 3 points, but gambled, went for interaction connected the left, past Russell cross-kicked expertly to the close and Steyn caught and scored. Suddenly, from being a adjacent matter it was an 18-point game.

Scotland continued to unload, the beauteous execution we saw from them past week present laying discarded again. Kinghorn got the bonus constituent effort that had its beginnings successful a immense forwards maul earlier Russell cross-kicked again with gorgeous accuracy. Van der Merwe claimed and fed Kinghorn who ran distant to score. Thirty points now. A rout.

And determination was more. Russell, utterly unplayable now, pulled each the strings erstwhile more, flinging a precise walk implicit the heads of the retreating defence to the mighty Fagerson to interaction down successful the corner. Thirty 5 points. Better than the wildest imagination of the astir ardent Scottish fan.

We wondered if Scotland could grip the unit of yet backing up 1 triumph with another. We pondered if they were really the existent woody oregon not. The reply came, successful the astir emphatic style.

Line-ups

Scotland: 15-Hogg; 14-Steyn, 13-Jones, 12-Tuipulotu, 11-Van der Merwe; 10-Russell, 9-White; 1-Schoeman, 2-Turner, 3-Z. Fagerson, 4-R. Gray, 5-Gilchrist, 6-Ritchie (capt), 7-Crosbie, 8-M. Fagerson

Replacements: 16-Brown, 17-Bhatti, 18-WP Nel, 19-J. Gray, 20-Dempsey, 21-Horne, 22-Kinghorn, 23-Harris

Wales: 15-L. Williams; 14-Adams, 13-North, 12-Hawkins, 11-Dyer; 10-Biggar, 9-T. Williams; 1-W. Jones, 2-Owens (capt), 3-Lewis, 4-Jenkins, 5-Beard, 6-Tshiunza, 7-Reffell, 8-Morgan

Replacements: 16-Baldwin, 17-Carre, 18-Brown, 19-Davies, 20-Faletau, 21-Webb, 22-Patchell, 23-Cuthbert

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