Wales to end Six Nations in style against Scotland

Colin Newboult

Wales' Liam Williams (top) and Scotland's WP Nel contest a high ball during the Guinness Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh.

A disrupted 2020 Six Nations Championship will play its final game for potentially several months when Wales face Scotland at the Principality Stadium.

The tournament was supposed to conclude on ‘Super Saturday’ but the coronavirus means that three matches have been postponed with no new date set. It leaves the competition in a state of flux where a winner will not be determined until those encounters have been finished.

Interestingly, the only clash taking place is between two countries who are not in the running for the title, leaving this weekend a rather downbeat affair. You also have to question as to whether letting this tie be played is the right thing to do, given the disruption this outbreak has caused.

Go ahead it will, however, with the relevant authorities not viewing it as a major risk, despite 75,000 people packing into the Principality Stadium.

They will at least get to see captain Alun Wyn Jones make history when the 34-year-old runs out for the 148th time at Test level, equalling Richie McCaw’s cap record. At the other end of the spectrum, Sale Sharks’ WillGriff John will make his debut at tighthead prop having impressed in the Premiership over the past two years.

There is still no Louis Rees-Zammit, though, as head coach Wayne Pivac remains cautious about bringing in the teenager too early, particularly with the hosts desperate for a win.

In Pivac’s first campaign in charge, Wales have succumbed to three successive defeats – their worst run in the competition since 2007 – and another loss would represent a pretty awful couple of months.

Although there has been some positive signs, with their attacking game impressing at times against France and England, they have been far too fallible in other areas.

Scotland will hope to exploit that as they head to Cardiff with plenty of confidence. Gregor Townsend’s men were excellent in defeating France, irrespective of the first-half red card handed out to visiting tighthead Mohamed Haouas.

The Scots played with intelligence, patience and creativity, while they were also strong in the set-piece, as they overcame the French 28-17. Adam Hastings showed plenty of patience at fly-half and they have the capabilities to challenge the hosts on Saturday.

Townsend’s charges will need to overcome their abysmal record in Cardiff, however, having not claimed an away victory over the Welsh since 2002.

Players to watch:

For Wales: Their work at the scrum has not been top-drawer over the course of the Six Nations, which means that WillGriff John is handed an opportunity to impress. The prop is a key part of Sale’s team and is renowned as being technically proficient in the set-piece. John does not offer too much as a ball-carrier, although his work rate is exemplary, but he should provide some stability for the backs to show their quality. That is where scrum-half Rhys Webb, who will make his first start in almost three years, comes into play. Webb impressed off the bench against England last weekend and will look to bring that high tempo game to the encounter on Saturday as he attempts to move ahead of Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies in the pecking order.

For Scotland: Gregor Townsend has largely stuck with the same team that defeated France, but the inclusion of Sam Skinner is an interesting one. The Exeter second-row missed the start of the tournament through injury but, having returned to full fitness, he is named in the XV. He can play at either blindside or at lock with his all-round skill set allowing him to move between the positions seamlessly. Slightly surprisingly, one of Scotland’s stars of the Six Nations, Scott Cummings, has made way for Skinner, but the Chiefs man will not let his team down.

Head-to-head: We are very much looking forward to the battle at flanker where Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty go head-to-head with Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie. All the players offer something unique, whether it be Tipuric’s ability in the wider channels compared to Watson’s efforts in the tighter exchanges, or Moriarty’s dominant tackling against Ritchie’s breakdown work and impressive support play. There is a lot to admire about all four individuals and the winner of their duel will ultimately be victorious in Cardiff on Saturday.

Previous results:

2019: Wales won 18-11 in Edinburgh
2018: Wales won 21-10 in Cardiff
2018: Wales won 34-7 in Cardiff
2017: Scotland won 29-13 in Edinburgh
2016: Wales won 27-23 in Cardiff
2015: Wales won 26-23 in Edinburgh
2014: Wales won 51-3 in Cardiff
2013: Wales won 28-18 in Edinburgh
2012: Wales won 27-13 in Cardiff
2011: Wales won 24-6 in Edinburgh

Prediction: Scotland played well against France but they struggle away from home and over the past two decades have rarely tested the Welsh in Cardiff. Wales by 8.

The teams:

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Liam Williams, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 8 Josh Navidi, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (c), 4 Cory Hill, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rhys Carre, 18 Leon Brown, 19 Will Rowlands, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Johnny McNicholl

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Willem Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 George Horne, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Kyle Steyn

Date: Saturday, March 14
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)

 

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