EDINBURGH – Wales moved one step closer to a Six Nations grand slam and extended a national record winning streak to 13 matches on Saturday, beating Scotland 18-11 thanks to tries from Josh Adams and Jonathan Davies.
The win means Wales sit on top of the Six Nations table with 16 points, but face a tough test to clinch the tournament when they host Ireland in Cardiff on March 16.
Defeat in that fixture would open the door for England to take the title if, as expected, they beat Italy and Scotland in their final two games at Twickenham.
After dominating the first half against an injury-hit and error-prone Scotland, Wales had to survive a stirring second-half comeback as the hosts brought a previously subdued Murrayfield crowd to their feet with a score from Darcy Graham.
The electric wing skipped over after Byron McGuigan sliced through a gap created by a slick inside ball from the returning flyhalf Finn Russell.
Replacement Hamish Watson was to the fore in the Scottish comeback, bringing some of the carrying power that Scotland had lacked in the first half with a series of bruising charges.
But Scotland spurned several opportunities to kick for goal in pursuit of a second try that never came, leaving Wales to breathe a sigh of relief at narrowly closing out a game they had earlier threatened to steamroll.
The visiting side led 15-6 at halftime, with the score-line not reflecting their overall dominance as an injury-disrupted Scotland struggled to cope with Wales’ mix of crushing phase-based attack play and sharp finishing.
Scotland were hit by a string of first-half injuries that added to an already lengthy pre-game roster of absent players, with the back-three duo of Tommy Seymour and Blair Kinghorn going off early.
Wales fullback Liam Williams also left in the second half, right arm slung in his shirt.
Bloodied but unbowed, a heavily-bandaged Hadleigh Parkes - our #GuinnessSixNations Man of the Match - sums up how brutal today's Test match was at Murrayfield. #SCOvWAL pic.twitter.com/Kpw1K3282F
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) March 9, 2019
Wales are on track to win a first grand slam since 2012 after they turned over the tournament’s early frontrunners England on February 23 with a 21-13 win in Cardiff.
Scotland, meanwhile, face the prospect of ending a disappointing campaign with a solitary win unless they can inflict a shock defeat against England in their final fixture.
Points-Scorers
Scotland 11 – Try: Darcy Graham. Penalties: Finn Russell (2).
Wales 18 – Tries: Josh Adams, Jonathan Davies. Conversion: Anscombe (1). Penalties: Anscombe (2).