Wales? Brilliant but beaten, losers on the day but with so much to build on – and a little bit to complain about, too. If that Turner try ended up being the decisive moment in the game there was another moment, on 64 minutes, that could have filled that slot.
Wales were ahead 23-19 at the time. Into the Scotland 22 they went and won a penalty. They could have backheeled it over, had it stood, which it didn’t. The TMO got involved and a call was made against Tomos Williams for a croc roll on Rory Darge that didn’t look like a croc roll.
Penalty reversed. A shot for 26-19 gone. Turner drove over soon after and that was that. Back from the cliff edge Scotland stepped and into the coming weeks they go with France to play at home and Ireland away.
A formidable finale to their tournament, but at least they’re alive and not without hope of achieving something tangible. Whatever happens against France they will be playing for a Triple Crown in Dublin. They haven’t won it since 1990.
What is it about this fixture that produces such hair-raisers? What is it about those Scotland jerseys that makes the Welsh believe in themselves?
From the get-go, they were terrific. Scotland forced things and got found out. They tried to go wide at every turn, but got smashed. Even when Joe Hawkins was binned after five minutes Wales grew stronger. Carre scored while they were down to 14. Those awful Welsh starts in so many recent Test matches? Forget it.
Scotland coughed up chances, then scored one, then conceded another. They had little composure and no control. Wales would not allow it. Sam Costelow made it 17-5 after half an hour. Red flags all over the place now.
Townsend didn’t hang about. Thirty-five minutes played and he hauled off Nathan McBeth, his loosehead, and Max Williamson, one of his locks. Fortunes did not change, not immediately. Scotland’s looseness carried on. So did the Welsh scoring; 20-5 now.
Fatalism kicks in at that point. Here we go again. Another Cardiff catastrophe. Jungle drums beating. Townsend must go. Everybody must go.
Huw Jones, one of the most formidable attackers in the history of the Scotland team, dropped a ball with the try-line close at hand. When the likes of Jones are making a mess of things you start to fear the worst. You crank up the obits.
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