Scotland v Wales 6N Championship Saturday 11th February 2023

Scotland v Wales
6 Nations Championship
Saturday 11th February 2023

BT Murrayfield Stadium
Edinburgh

KO 16.45


So here we are after the first week of the 6N. Scotland on a bit of a high after beating England at Twickenham and Wales not in the best of places following a poor loss to Ireland at home.

So a nice easy win for Scotland at home in round 2 you would predict?

History would suggest it is never that simple though. Scotland have a poor record of backing up good wins and Wales, especially under a certain Mr Warren Gatland have a habit of bouncing back from poor displays, especially against Scotland!

What crumbs of comfort Gatland can take from the Wales performance, for which he largely selected his old guard, will be around the performance of his newer younger players, like Jac Morgan, who managed to steady the ship somewhat in the second half. So how will he see this game, a chance for redemption or a chance to bring on more youngsters with the WC in mind? You might imagine he will have a bit of a free pass with little or no expectation for this game. This is Wales however and expectation and rugby go very much hand in hand and expectation will always be there, especially against Scotland, who they have had the hex on for many many years.

So can Scotland finally become the team they have threatened to be for many a year now. Is this the year where one good win (usually against England) is enough to count for a good season. You sense that the players, the coaches and the fans want a bit more than that now and as the Toonie era maybe draws to a close and the international careers of a few of the senior players come towards the end, you do sense that it may be now or never.

Let's not pretend otherwise, this is a game Scotland should win, but will they be able to deal with the pressure of that and you can guarantee that the Welsh side that comes up to Scotland will be hurting badly and will certainly be a lot more competitive in the second game of the series than they were in the first. make no mistake, this is going to be a live game that both sides will fancy.

Another absorbing weekend in the 6 nations!


My guess for the Scotland team, I don't think there will be many changes:

1. Schoeman
2. Turner
3. Nel
4. Gray R
5. Gilchrist
6. Ritchie (capt)
7. Crosbie
8. Fagerson M
9. White
10. Russell
11. DVDM
12. Tuipolotu
13. Jones
14. Steyn
15. Kinghorn

Bhatti
Brown
Fagerson Z
Gray J
Dempsey
Horne
Healy
Harris/Redpath - Heart says Redpath, Head says Harris


Hoggy did not look fully fit to me and played like it. Let him have a week off and then go and play for Exeter in the break week. He will make his 100 caps, there is no rush

An even bigger week of selection decisions to be made for this game. Can you really drop any of the players who beat England at Twickenham?

I think the obvious one is bring Fagerson back in, although I'd be tempted to bench him as he would bring a lot of impact, and he's not played for a while to start a game (with the first 30 minutes of a test being the most brutal).

I actually wonder if Watson will come back in. Crosbie put in a huge Poopie in defence (20 tackle in 60 minutes) but International sport is a tough place to be and if Townsend thinks Watson is fit I can see him coming in.

Other than that....I personally don't think Gray is much of an impact sub but wouldn't lose sleep if he was retained on the bench.

I really hope the team don't overthink the Wales/Gatland effect and desire to back up a test with another win, knowing the previous failures we've had - it is obviously a motivating factor but could easily add a layer of extra pressure that becomes a distraction.

It was a good result vs England, however we did not make enough for our extra lineout jumpers, got beaten in the kicking game and struggled in the scrums after Nel went off.

I think we stick with Nel to start and have Zander come on at half/50 minutes to up the work around the pitch. 30 minutes, a start for Glasgow the following week and he may be in a position to start against France. If he is not ready to go, Sebastian deserves a shot.

Crosbie was not an effective carrier and I am not sure he delivered enough beyond his tackling to keep Watson out of the team. Could go either way.

The kicking element might necessitate a change in how we line up after kicks have gone up. It is clear we put Russell under huge pressure with quite an empty backfield and not dropping White back to help out during the kicking contests. An alternative would be to drop Steyn for Smith, Kinghorn or Maitland to offer a third boot. Any of those three would offer a kicking option though each offers drawbacks to exchange that with.

So probably what that means is Watson and Zander in for Steyn (assuming a 6-2 split with Kinghorn starting) and Berghan. Maybe Ashman for Brown as well?

Bit nervous for this one. The two teams I hate watching Scotland play are Wales and Ireland. Ireland because they have our number every time, Wales because even when we should win we don't!

I'd hope after so many years of failure to back a result up we may have finally learnt how to get over the line.

If the score ends 10-9 I don't care as long as we win!

Agree largely with the changes above, I'd be tempted to rotate the locks so maybe skinner benching. I think if we get the rotations right we'll hopefully shake off the Welsh hoodoo.

Also, re openside, crosbie did a lot of the quiet work. I think that was a game that was hard to stand out as a flanker as it was so defense oriented and neither team really went for turnovers much. If I was bringing Watson in it'd be as an impact sub and go with a 6-2 split on the bench.

Heard a stat after Saturday that surprised me. If you beat Wales this will be the 1st time you've ever been 2 from 2 in the 6Ns.

I don't recall Toonie ever going 6:2, so probably unlikely in this game. I don't think the Welsh will have the kind of juggernaut pack that will dominate us to justify it either.

If Kinghorn starts, it might be the opportunity to blood Healy or bring Redpath to show some of his skills.

I think the blueprint of the Scotland team is attack minded now. That is how we are going to win games.

NeilyBroon wrote:Also, re openside, crosbie did a lot of the quiet work. I think that was a game that was hard to stand out as a flanker as it was so defense oriented and neither team really went for turnovers much. If I was bringing Watson in it'd be as an impact sub and go with a 6-2 split on the bench.

Agree on this - it's harsh to judge a forward on their carrying in a game where they barely had the ball!

RDW wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:Also, re openside, crosbie did a lot of the quiet work. I think that was a game that was hard to stand out as a flanker as it was so defense oriented and neither team really went for turnovers much. If I was bringing Watson in it'd be as an impact sub and go with a 6-2 split on the bench.

Agree on this - it's harsh to judge a  forward on their carrying in a game where they barely had the ball!

Crosbie made 20 tackles and a couple of turnovers which is a huge amount of work. You cannot drop a player whose coalface shift was key to the other side not scoring.

Seems perfectly sensible that Watson benches for his and comes on with 25 to go.

BigGee wrote:I don't recall Toonie ever going 6:2, so probably unlikely in this game. I don't think the Welsh will have the kind of juggernaut pack that will dominate us to justify it either.

If Kinghorn starts, it might be the opportunity to blood Healy or bring Redpath to show some of his skills.

I think the blueprint of the Scotland team is attack minded now. That is how we are going to win games.

So bench looking like:
Bhatti
Brown
Fagerson
Skinner (gray or Gilchrist to start)
Watson
Horne
Healy
Smith? I'd argue if we're using blairhorn as utility too he could cover centre, or Finn moves to 12 and Healy comes on. Redpath isn't on great form at the moment and hasn't done anything of note for bath. Either that or we look at lord Stafford

I think I remember this match last time and Scotland were in complete control before Wales pulled off a remarkable turn around including a Rees-Zammit wonder try. I think there is now a real gap between the sides and you won't see Scotland slip up this time. A hard fought but comfortable victory for the men in blue.

hugehandoff wrote:I think I remember this match last time and Scotland were in complete control before Wales pulled off a remarkable turn around including a Rees-Zammit wonder try. I think there is now a real gap between the sides and you won't see Scotland slip up this time. A hard fought but comfortable victory for the men in blue.

Don't.

Every time you say that a point goes to Wales.

It definitely could still go either way!

Wales will be forced into at least one change up front. AWJ failed his HIA and will definitely miss the game, he will likely to be replaced by the young giant lock, Dafyyd Jenkins, at Exeter who looked good when he came on. Tommy Francis is doubtful with a calf injury, so Dillon Lewis is likely to start.

I suspect Tipuric, who was anonymous, might be replaced by Reffell, which would make their back row much more competitive at the breakdown.

Wales made an appalling start and looked shell shocked after 25 minutes. however, they were a bit more competitive in the second half so I am sure the Scotland coaching staff won't be taking them lightly.

George Carlin wrote:

RDW wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:Also, re openside, crosbie did a lot of the quiet work. I think that was a game that was hard to stand out as a flanker as it was so defense oriented and neither team really went for turnovers much. If I was bringing Watson in it'd be as an impact sub and go with a 6-2 split on the bench.

Agree on this - it's harsh to judge a  forward on their carrying in a game where they barely had the ball!

Crosbie made 20 tackles and a couple of turnovers which is a huge amount of work. You cannot drop a player whose coalface shift was key to the other side not scoring.

Seems perfectly sensible that Watson benches for his and comes on with 25 to go.

I was pretty happy with Dempsey when he came on. Got over the gain line plenty and just one poor pass. Tough to drop him but we all know Watson is class.

bsando wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:Also, re openside, crosbie did a lot of the quiet work. I think that was a game that was hard to stand out as a flanker as it was so defense oriented and neither team really went for turnovers much. If I was bringing Watson in it'd be as an impact sub and go with a 6-2 split on the bench.

Agree on this - it's harsh to judge a  forward on their carrying in a game where they barely had the ball!

Crosbie made 20 tackles and a couple of turnovers which is a huge amount of work. You cannot drop a player whose coalface shift was key to the other side not scoring.

Seems perfectly sensible that Watson benches for his and comes on with 25 to go.

I was pretty happy with Dempsey when he came on. Got over the gain line plenty and just one poor pass. Tough to drop him but we all know Watson is class.

This is why I suggested that perhaps 6-2 would be the way to go but realise this would potentially shaft us in the backs. It's a good dilemma to have.

sensisball wrote:Wales will be forced into at least one change up front. AWJ failed his HIA and will definitely miss the game, he will likely to be replaced by the young giant lock, Dafyyd Jenkins, at Exeter who looked good when he came on.  Tommy Francis is doubtful with a calf injury, so Dillon Lewis is likely to start.

I suspect Tipuric, who was anonymous,  might be replaced by Reffell, which would make their back row much more competitive at the breakdown.

Wales made an appalling start and looked shell shocked after 25 minutes. however, they were a bit more competitive in the second half so I am sure the Scotland coaching staff won't be taking them lightly.

Gatland has some huge decisions to make, but has been saved one by AWJ's HIA. I suspect it will be Jenkins, but would like to see Rhys Davies start.

He has a big decision to make on Faletau, who was very poor. I suspect he will go again, as will Tipuric. I would certainly start Reffell next week.

I also think I would have Bradley Roberts on the bench, as Captain Ken wasn't great and Baldwin also missed at least one dart when he came on too. I think Roberts could really make a big impact, if he was allowed to. Seeing as Gatland didn't really use Carre effectively as a carrier though, I won't hold out too much hope.

Anyway, I will be there. Hope the weather and result is more like 09 than 07 for me .

RiscaGame wrote:

sensisball wrote:Wales will be forced into at least one change up front. AWJ failed his HIA and will definitely miss the game, he will likely to be replaced by the young giant lock, Dafyyd Jenkins, at Exeter who looked good when he came on.  Tommy Francis is doubtful with a calf injury, so Dillon Lewis is likely to start.

I suspect Tipuric, who was anonymous,  might be replaced by Reffell, which would make their back row much more competitive at the breakdown.

Wales made an appalling start and looked shell shocked after 25 minutes. however, they were a bit more competitive in the second half so I am sure the Scotland coaching staff won't be taking them lightly.

Gatland has some huge decisions to make, but has been saved one by AWJ's HIA. I suspect it will be Jenkins, but would like to see Rhys Davies start.

He has a big decision to make on Faletau, who was very poor. I suspect he will go again, as will Tipuric. I would certainly start Reffell next week.

I
Anyway, I will be there. Hope the weather and result is more like 09 than 07 for me .

The shocking thing for me was the non-performances: Faletau, AWJ, Tipuric and North. Not one of them made any real impact on the game. We know AWJ will be missing but you've got to wonder about the other three, especially Tipuric as there is a pretty damning image of him on Twitter; he has what looks like at least two fingers in direct contact with an Irish player's eye socket at the bottom of a ruck. It's a still and these can often be very misleading but I wouldn't be surprised if he was cited.
However, if Toonie decides that the Non Contesting At Rucks policy is to be adhered to then we could be waiting at least another year for a win against Wales.
Also, I don't think we should concern ourselves overly with who plays, or doesn't, for Wales. The outcome will depend purely on what frame of mind the Scotland players are in when the whistle blows. We've self sabotaged too many times when on the point of taking the Big Step. Saturday is One Small Step For Wales: One Giant Leap For Richie Gray (and his mates).

This game genuinely terrifies me. Gatland against Scotland terrifies me. Part of me wants the team to throw caution to the wind and treat this Welsh side like the rabble they were against Ireland. The other part wants to grab Russell by the collar and scream "just dont do anything stupid" in his face.

I think BigGee has it right. Apart from the question mark over Hogg's fitness, I wouldn't change the side. Crosbie will well suit the sort of Gatland-ball we'll face, and I'd keep Dempsey on the bench. No rush on Watson in my view. Zander obviously comes back, but again fine to start Nel who did a fine job on Genge.

This will ne am interesting game. Wales hoping to win AND and kick on to maybe better result at the end of the 6nations,
Scotland hoping to win to make 2 game in a row which they have ot done in the 6nations.

I remember a few things about the last time we played Wales at home after winning away against England.  Blade Thomson knocked out in the first ten minutes and Gary Graham as replacement.  Graham cost us many points and momentum and we were still winning well.  We do not have the same weak links with the whole 23 being first class players.

cameljunior wrote:I remember a few things about the last time we played Wales at home after winning away against England.  Blade Thomson knocked out in the first ten minutes and Gary Graham as replacement.  Graham cost us many points and momentum and we were still winning well.  We do not have the same weak links with the whole 23 being first class players.

See?

There you have it. The only thing that can beat us is....ourselves. Or wurrsell, as Wee Shona's granny would say.

Yes we got a great result at Twickers.
Yes Wales were as shambolic as Liz Truss' economic policies.
Yes we showed real grit and determination against a side who set out to bully us.
Yes Wales were as limp as Rishi Sunak telling us he's vewwy, vewwy cwoss.
Yes we had some moments of sublime attacking rugby; tries ,one two and four.
Yes Wales seemed to be maintaining a safe social distance from any suspected carriers. (ball rather than covid).

None of this means we will win on Saturday.

Possibly one of the worst matches I have ever seen. Ever. Was Wales at Murrayfield. The year has been blanked out of my memory as I try to avoid reliving the trauma. Scotland went into it on form and our biggest advantage looked to be the scrum. Ryan Grant was probably the NH's best prop at the time. What occurred ? A whole rugby match without one single scrum completed. Scotland captain and hooker, Ross Ford was almost in tears (I heard him on the ref mike) after being penalised for yet another early engagement. Stevie Wonder could see that the Welsh pack were stepping back just before the engagement every time. In fact they did an excellent job of ensuring that at no point in the game did they ever have to actually scrummage against a better pack. Oh, and Wales won.
It was either Gatlandball at its finest or 80 minutes of one side avoiding playing any rugby and the other too nonplussed to figure out how to get the game started.

You know that right now in a disused mine shaft in Wrexham Gatz is mainlining strychnine and Brains while watching videos of Scotland and working out how to stop any rugby being played on Saturday afternoon.

The NHS will be funded properly before Gatland gives us the chance to play proper rugby.

I am worried about Saturday.

Something's gotta give Jimbo, it's been too long even by Scottish losing streak standards. I think we'll win it by a point and it'll be horrible to watch... But we'll grind it out.

Wales were pretty devoid of ideas in attack on Saturday, I don't think our defence will be too worried provided we stick to our systems. As long as we don't fall into the trap like we did with the England tries we can soak up the pressure.

This group are older and wiser, this is one of the recurring issues that has needed resolving, I think it will be sorted this year.

Neily, by teatime on Thursday i will be up to high doh, as the cool kids say, but for now...we're doomed.

I've never been more happy that this game will happen while I'm sleeping and I can wake up and see the score!

I can see it being stressful

RDW wrote:I've never been more happy that this game will happen while I'm sleeping and I can wake up and see the score!

I can see it being stressful

Stressful as in Scotland may not get a big score against the worst team in the comp and thus might lose the Championship on points difference?

Otherwise, I think you guys will be okay

RiscaGame wrote:

RDW wrote:I've never been more happy that this game will happen while I'm sleeping and I can wake up and see the score!

I can see it being stressful

Stressful as in Scotland may not get a big score against the worst team in the comp and thus might lose the Championship on points difference?

Otherwise, I think you guys will be okay

Listen risca, we're not relaxed unless we've been on the receiving end of a traditional week one drubbing and expectations are reset to where they should be!

Also Wales, being Wales, still find a way to win against us, so much so that just hearing "gwald" causes palpitations for most Scottish fans. I still shudder over 2010, that other year fagerson got carded, that year Geoff cross got carded, that year Scott Murray got carded. The only team I enjoy watching us play less is Ireland.

Squad update from Scotland

Andy Christie returns to Sarries with an unspecified injury

Scott Cummings comes into the squad to train as his foot injury recovery nears completion. He is not going to be involved this weekend surely but you would imagine he will be getting a run out for Glasgow in their next game against Ulster the following week.

I'd rather see Cummings back at club for now, he's had a bad run of injury so it will be difficult to get back into the club game let alone international. Also with the 6ns it's a great opportunity for him to get gametime with less pressure. Sure he can touch base with the squad but I don't think announcing him as a part of it makes sense unless we're struggling at second row. Let the lad get back to Glasgow first!!

I get why your nervous/worried etc @FunnyExiled but trust me, Captain fantastic will have them hyped and also, they'll want to do it for Doddie imho.

Imho this game is about us, not Wales as has been mentioned here so if we play to our strengths and attack more then we SHOULD have too much for Wales, who remember, are without their speedster LRZ. I was impressed with Steyn though he only really had one last run down his wing which was the winning try so I'd like to see more of his rampaging runs :P.

Imho if we score the first 2 tries to go 14pts ahead then it would be hard to see us throw it away if we manage the game properly which we didn't last year when getting ahead.

Oh and a final point, please BBC, DON'T have Jiffy on commentary he's so biased and grumpy, I thought Brian Moore or Nasser Hussain(Cricket pundit) were grumpy but Jiffy outdoes both them.

Edited to add the post about Cummings replacing Christie; I was listening to The Thistle Scottish podcast last night and they say Darge is rumoured to be available for France :O :O :O.

Seemingly AWJ is now available. I reckon old Gats will go same again then

Highland Shaun wrote:I get why your nervous/worried etc @FunnyExiled He's worried because Suella won't cancel the restraining order and Pritti refuses to send back the "candid" selfies the two of them took while "attending a seminar" in Davos.

Edited to add the post about Cummings replacing Christie; I was listening to The Thistle Scottish podcast last night and they say Darge is rumoured to be available for France :O :O :O.

Against Il Azzuri whenever Les Blues got quick ruck ball they galloped through the phases and looked well nigh unstoppable. I think slowing their ball down will be the fist thing we need to do. Mish and Darge are our two main weapons in that respect. Also, Darge is probably a lovely guy in real life but on a rugby field he is all cyborg or maybe an upgraded Nexus 7. If he says he's fit for the France match then he's wearing the 7 jersey. Or whichever one he damn well wants.

I agree that Cummings may get 20 minutes against Ulster and might appear in the 23 against Ireland or Italy.

Totally disagree that the Wales match is done and dusted.

jimbopip wrote:

Highland Shaun wrote:I get why your nervous/worried etc @FunnyExiled He's worried because Suella won't cancel the restraining order and Pritti refuses to send back the "candid" selfies the two of them took while "attending a seminar" in Davos.

Edited to add the post about Cummings replacing Christie; I was listening to The Thistle Scottish podcast last night and they say Darge is rumoured to be available for France :O :O :O.

Against Il Azzuri whenever Les Blues got quick ruck ball they galloped through the phases and looked well nigh unstoppable. I think slowing their ball down will be the fist thing we need to do. Mish and Darge are our two main weapons in that respect. Also, Darge is probably a lovely guy in real life but on a rugby field he is all cyborg or maybe an upgraded Nexus 7. If he says he's fit for the France match then he's wearing the 7 jersey. Or whichever one he damn well wants.

I agree that Cummings may get 20 minutes against Ulster and might appear in the 23 against Ireland or Italy.

Totally disagree that the Wales match is done and dusted.

We, Wales, had virtually no pillars in position when Ireland got quick ball on Saturday hence why they got so much yardage going forward.

RiscaGame wrote:Seemingly AWJ is now available. I reckon old Gats will go same again then

If this is true Riscagame you've just made my day.

I know that there's an argument that they can't play as badly as they did on Saturday and that their pride will demand they redeem themselves ....but they were as lost and ineffectual as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest.

p.s. Is there any truth in the rumour that Goldie Looking Chain have issued an updated version of "Guns Don't Kill People: Rappers Do" to commemorate Gatland's return and entitled it "Drills Don't Bore People. Warren Does"?

Cummings should be getting ready for his comeback against Ulster in two weeks, then a quick jaunt to SA and a home game against Zebre to build up to the Ireland game. He has been out since mid-October and our lock rotation is pretty good unless we get two or three injuries between now and the French game.

Shame about Christie and hopefully it is short term. Probably does not effect our selection for Wales or France though

If Gatland does start with Alun Wyn, Tipuric, Faletau, and says it's because he wants to 'give them another chance to prove themselves' or something like that, I hope the press don't accept that as an explanation. They've been around for years, they've proved themselves plenty of times already. It would be a bullsh!t reason for selecting them again.

Just to say, I thought Scotland were really good over the ball against England, and should have been rewarded a lot more often than they were - but they listened to the referee. Scotland's discipline was so much better than ours.

Nel has been hinted at rotating to the bench by devilliers. Makes sense, he's put in a big shift.

Pretty concerned about this one, I was never concerned before Pivac. Scotland’s backs just looked so good against England, the forwards strong and very well drilled too. Wales look the complete opposite. If Gats selects the same team then we can expect a similar result. The game’s moved on, Wales needs different players and a different back-row.

mikey_dragon wrote:Pretty concerned about this one, I was never concerned before Pivac. Scotland’s backs just looked so good against England, the forwards strong and very well drilled too. Wales look the complete opposite. If Gats selects the same team then we can expect a similar result. The game’s moved on, Wales needs different players and a different back-row.

Mikey what are the odds of Garland selecting the same team as last week?

majesticimperialman wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Pretty concerned about this one, I was never concerned before Pivac. Scotland’s backs just looked so good against England, the forwards strong and very well drilled too. Wales look the complete opposite. If Gats selects the same team then we can expect a similar result. The game’s moved on, Wales needs different players and a different back-row.

Mikey what are the odds  of Garland selecting the same team as last decade?

Fixed that for you.

Apparently only 1 change from the England game for Scotland- Fagerson Sr to start, Nel to bench

A good settled team then, it would have been tough to make any changes after a performance like that

BigGee wrote:A good settled team then, it would have been tough to make any changes after a performance like that

Absolutely agree, it’s the right choice and what is needed to give the team the opportunity to back up the performance against England.

Still though, I’m firmly in the camp of not believing we’re going to beat Wales until the final whistle has gone and the scoreboard shows us having more points than them. Toonie is so used to the sight of Warren merrily walking off with his lunch money come 6 nations time by this point that he must have recurring nightmares about it! It’s about as effective a case study as you’ll find of one team having another’s number at international level over a long period of time, so until I see evidence of us finding a way to beat a Gatland Wales side, you’ll find me in my familiar spot behind the sofa!

I'm hoping that the boys will do it for doddie this year. Forget everything else, that's motivation enough!

One thing the Scots will have to sort out is getting so narrow in defense - I think it was Duhan who got caught twice too narrow leading to tries and if he does that Biggar will have a field day with those cross field kicks

Part of me will be feel bad if we stop Scotland making it two from two on Saturday. It's that extra step you know the players are well capable of making, they just need to do it now. As a Dragons supporter, I know all about the deflation that comes when you think you've turned a corner and it turns out you haven't turned a corner at all.

Wales: L Williams; Adams, North, Hawkins, Dyer; Biggar, T Williams; W Jones, Owens (capt), Lewis, Jenkins, Beard, Tshiunza, Reffell, Morgan.

Replacements: Baldwin, Carre, Brown, Davies, Faletau, Webb, Patchell, Cuthbert.

Wales really have nothing to lose here. Their team looks much better than the one that struggled against Ireland and I’m expecting them to be pretty abrasive. Saying that, Scotland are settled, playing well and should have the answers to prevent this welsh team walking away with an away win. Another very intriguing match coming up this weekend!

Rhys Davies on the bench is progress, but I would have started him, I think Jenkins coming off the bench makes more sense. But I do like that back row.

bsando wrote:Wales: L Williams; Adams, North, Hawkins, Dyer; Biggar, T Williams; W Jones, Owens (capt), Lewis, Jenkins, Beard, Tshiunza, Reffell, Morgan.

Replacements: Baldwin, Carre, Brown, Davies, Faletau, Webb, Patchell, Cuthbert.

On paper at least it seems like a much stronger team than last week, particularly worried about that backrow - lots of physicality and skill in there.

EST wrote:

bsando wrote:Wales: L Williams; Adams, North, Hawkins, Dyer; Biggar, T Williams; W Jones, Owens (capt), Lewis, Jenkins, Beard, Tshiunza, Reffell, Morgan.

Replacements: Baldwin, Carre, Brown, Davies, Faletau, Webb, Patchell, Cuthbert.

On paper at least it seems like a much stronger team than last week, particularly worried about that backrow - lots of physicality and skill in there.

Would be interested to know the caps and ages of some of those welsh players. Seems like a very new side. Isn’t Jenkins only 20?