Wales book a Grand Slam date
Wales will play Ireland in Cardiff for the Grand Slam after sweeping past Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday. The Welsh ran in six tries before the Scots mounted a spirited fightback -- but it was to no avail, as the Welsh ended the day with a 46-22 win under their belts.
It was a remarkable, entertaining, enterprising RBS Six Nations match at threadbare Murrayfield on Sunday afternoon. It was a match of many adjectives from brilliant to mystifying.
Brilliant!
Wales scored five tries in the first half against Scotland! It is such a simple statement but it tells nothing of the magic that surely must have the druids chortling with delight and set the poets and songsters looking for words and sounds adequate enough.
For years to come people will sing about this day in the valleys and old men will tell the little children with bright eyes.
Wales were simply astounding.
The five tries were not long in coming.
Scotland centre Hugo Southwell hoofed a meaningless kick downfield, but Wales, gratefully, counterattacked. Burly Ryan Jones burst straight through the Scottish locks and passed. Four pairs of hands later the ball came back to him and over he went for the first try. Stephen Jones converted. 7-0 after four minutes.
Already the crowd were singing Cwm Rhondda. After all some 40,000 Welshmen had made the popular Edinburgh trip, that Max Boyce sang about.
The future was writ big on the wall -- so it seemed.
Scotland wing Sean Lamont started a bullocking run. Scotland did all sorts of pick-'n-drive. They went right and came back left. Dan Parks through a long pass to skip two men. But he did not skip Rhys Williams who intercepted and ran 80 or so metres to score under the bar. Stephen Jones converted. 14-0 after ten minutes.
Wales fly-half Stephen Jones cut through and gave to Michael Owen who gave to Shane Williams who skipped through for a try at the posts. Stephen Jones made it 21-0 after 13 minutes.
Stephen Jones then kicked a penalty from in front. 24-0 after 18 minutes.
Scotland fullback Chris Paterson goaled a penalty to make it 24-3, which raised no excitement amongst the astounded Scots.
The referee was playing an advantage for Wales when Tom Shanklin forced a gap through Sean Lamont, and Kevin Morgan was on hand to score at the posts. Stephen Jones converted. 31-3.
The next try looked unlikely as Wales bounced a messy ball back, but Dwayne Peel went back and got it, sold a dummy and then broke clean through. He played inside to Morgan who scored at the posts. Stephen Jones converted. 38-3.
There was still time for the kick-off and an astounding passage of play which may have been a sign of what was to come in the second half as the Scots attacked and attacked and kept possession. The attack lasted nearly four minutes before the final whistle finally went.
When the old men and the druids and the bards tell of this match in the valley, hill and dale of Wales, they will tell about the first half.
Oh they had a moment in the second half when Peel caught Scotland napping. He tapped a penalty on the left, ran to the right and threw a wonderful pass to Rhys Williams, who scored in the corner. 43-3 with 31 minutes to play.
Those remaining 31 minutes belonged to Scotland. In that time all Wales managed was a pusillanimous penalty.
Suddenly Scotland started taking a leaf out of the Welsh book, passing quickly, keeping the ball going beyond the tackle and doing it with growing confidence. Like Wales they made the tackle-ball quick by having the tackled player place it well back from his body.
They attacked down the right and then came the width of the field to the left touch-line where Andy Craig went over in the corner. Paterson converted. 43-10 with 27 minutes to play.
Oh, well, one thought -- an hiatus in the Welsh blitz. But no. Scotland were the ones blitzing.
They went left, right, and left again with Mike Blair providing much of the spark with his lively running. Less than half a metre from the Scottish line, Brent Cockbain stepped in from the side to deny Scotland the ball and was sent to the sin bin.
The Scots came again and only a timely tackle by Tom Shanklin on Gordon Ross prevented the try.
But with 22 minutes to go the Scots played the width of the field, going left, then far right, then far left where Rory Lamont, the debutant right-wing, powered over -- through Shane Williams and Shanklin -- for a try in the corner. 43-15.
Wales attacked, but Haldane Luscombe, falling on a long, low pass, spilled the ball in the Scottish 22. Sean Lamont picked up and the Scots came bursting away. Southwell hoofed downfield and Paterson easily beat everybody to the ball. Carefully he went down to collect, threw a little dummy and sprinted over for the try at the posts. He converted. 43-22.
It was after this that Wales were awarded a penalty goal in front of the Scottish posts with five minutes left. Stephen Jones goaled it to the sound of booing. 46-22.
Back came the Scots with confident skill. They were right at the line and when Nathan Hines was close, the TMO decided that he could not see if the ball was grounded on the line and awarded a five-metre scrum. But still the Scots attacked.
Mystifying?
What happened in the second half? Did Wales switch off because the match was clearly won? Did the many changes have the desired effect for Scotland? Certainly they were smarter, sharper and more resolute in the second half, giving Wales no more presents.
Man of the Match: Scotland scum-half Mike Blair played only a half but was the spark that ignited the Scots. Burly Sean Lamont battled and battled with remarkable courage. Allister Hogg was creative and brave and Chris Paterson, as always, was everywhere for Scotland. For Wales there was relentless Martyn Williams, making Scottish opportunities into opportunities for Wales, bustling Ryan Jones who started the scoring, smooth Stephen Jones who did everything right, big Gethin Jenkins and our man-of-the-match scrum-half Dwayne Peel whose skill and judgement were unfailing.
Moment of the Match: There is that moment -- agonising if you are Scottish, delicious if you are Welsh -- when Rhys Williams intercepted, but for creativity our vote for moment of the match goes to Chris Paterson's try and everything that went before it and the spirit that it signified.
Villain of the Match: Nobody misbehaved, but who made the Welsh decision to kick at goal when 43-20 up and five minutes to play?
The Scorers:
For Scotland:
Tries: Craig, R Lamont, Paterson
Cons: Paterson 2
Pen: Paterson
For Wales:
Tries: R Jones, R Williams 2, S Williams, Morgan 2
Cons: S Jones 5
Pens: S Jones 2
The teams:
Scotland: 15 Chris Paterson, 14 Rory Lamont, 13 Andy Craig (Andrew Henderson, 76), 12 Hugo Southwell, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Dan Parks (Gordon Ross, 41), 9 Chris Cusiter (Mike Blair, 44), 8 Allister Hogg, 7 Jon Petrie, 6 Simon Taylor, 5 Scott Murray, 4 Stuart Grimes (Nathan Hines, 41), 3 Gavin Kerr (Bruce Douglas, 42) 2 Gordon Bulloch (captain), 1 Tom Smith.
Unused replacements: 16 Robbie Russell, 19 Jon Dunbar.
Wales: 15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Rhys Williams, 13 Tom Shanklin (Haldane Luscombe, 7-15), 12 Gavin Hanson (Ceri Sweeney, 76), 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 Michael Owen (captain), 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Ryan Jones, 5 Robert Sidoli, 4 Brent Cockbain (Jonathan Thomas, 71), 3 Adam Jones (John Yapp, 63), 2 Mefin Davies (Robin McBryde, 49), 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Unused replacements: 19 Robin Sowden-Taylor, 20 Mike Phillips.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Donal Courtney (Ireland), Christophe Berdos (France)
Assessor: Giovanni Romano (Italy)
Television match official: Eric Darrière (France)
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