Report: Wales 19-24 Scotland

While this was not a vintage performance from Scotland, character overflowed to find a way to win, with Chloe Rollie and Shona Campbell scoring opportunistic tries before Lucia Scott added a fabulous third.

Wales reduced the deficit to five points with six minutes left, and Scotland were forced to defend through to the 86th minute as the hosts probed for a score that would bring them level with a conversion to win it, but the defence was resolute, calm and unrelenting to eventually seal the victory.

Two minutes in to her 50^th cap, Leah Bartlett won Scotland a scrum penalty inside Welsh territory, which was kicked out in the 22 by Helen Nelson. But Scotland’s first foray into that region proved fruitless when the lineout was stolen and the home side exited.

The second one ended in seven points. Inside her own 10, Emma Orr grabbed the ball when it came loose in a tackle and tore up the middle, finding Meryl Smith with the looping pass to her right. Smith in turn found Rhona Lloyd on the wing, and she put the ball back inside to Chloe Rollie who ran round under the posts. Nelson converted. (0-7, 9 mins)

From the restart Scotland faltered as the forwards were offside from Nelson’s clearance. The ball went into the right corner, and Wales found momentum in the maul. It was stopped illegally inches short but Kelsey Jones was there to grab the ball from the base of the ruck and dive over before Scotland were set. Keira Bevan equalised, and Bartlett was sent to the sin bin. (7-7, 13 mins)

From a high kick from Nelson, Wales gathered well and Lleucu George kicked in between, finding touch just outside Scotland’s 22 on Wales’ left flank. The lineout was messy again from Scotland, and Crabb won the jackal penalty on the floor when it was recovered. The ball went into the left corner and it looked like a second try was inevitable, but Elis Martin got hand to ball and dislodged it forward millimetres above the floor. The hosts had penalty advantage though, and when the resulting lineout was overthrown it worked out perfectly for Sisilia Tuipulotu who grabbed it from the sky and dived over. The conversion came back off the post. (12-7, 20 mins)

Wales’ forwards were getting rewards for their tenacity in the breakdown and Crabb won another jackal penalty which was kicked to touch in Scotland’s 22, but Coubrough pinched the lineout astutely on her debut and Nelson was able to clear.

With penalty advantage, Nelson chipped over the top inside her own half and found space that Emma Orr looked to race into, but the retreating Seren Singleton got there first. Referee Ella Cox went back for the penalty, which Nelson kicked to touch around 30m from Wales’ line. Scotland won the lineout and Campbell half-broke through the middle and found Alex Stewart with the offload who was felled in the 22. Two phases later Jorja Aiono illegally handled in the ruck, and Nelson slotted the resulting penalty from in front of the posts. (12-10, 34 mins)

Scotland had momentum and broke down the left when Nelson’s looping pass found Rollie who found Campbell on the wing, but her inside pass was dropped forward by Lloyd. Scotland’s forwards then won the penalty at the scrum, but after it was kicked to the corner, Lana Skeldon was deemed to have dummied the throw at the lineout and Wales could easily escape, kicking the penalty to touch and then kicking out after the lineout to end the half.

Half time: Wales 12-10 Scotland

A knock on from a lineout by Skeldon at the start of the second half was compounded when Campbell dropped a high kick and Leia Brebner-Holden picked it up from an offside position. Wales kicked the penalty into Scotland’s 22, but Alex Stewart and Elliann Clarke wrapped up Bevan in midfield and won the scrum.

George at stand-off for Wales had used the boot well, and she fired a cross-field kick across to Lisa Neumann, but it was only her fingertips that could reach the ball and it went forward. Nelson stuck the high ball up after the scrum, and it eluded the Welsh back three, bouncing twice before the rapid Campbell pounced and raced in for an opportunistic score which was converted by Nelson. (12-17, 52 mins)

Scotland had began to look for some territory, with Nelson and Wills both finding touch with smart boots in behind. When they did run it, Lloyd thought she was away down the right but the final pass to her was deemed to have gone forward. At that point TMO Graham Cooper intervened, having spotted a head contact on Coubrough by Bryonie King that resulted in the Wales number 8 going to the sin bin.

The penalty was kicked into Wales’ 22, finding touch on the left, and Scotland’s forwards went to work fighting phase by phase, but Holland Bogan on debut lost the ball forward after a strong carry up the middle.

Possession was changing hands non-stop as play began to get frantic. Smith’s attempted chip over the top was blocked and Reardon took the loose ball, but Lloyd read her miss-pass fantastically to intercept. Scotland recycled from right to left, and Smith’s next kick was world class, finding replacement Lucia Scott on the left wing, who stepped inside Powell and galloped under the posts on Grand National Saturday. Nelson converted again. (12-24, 66 mins)

Wales looked to reply quickly and Powell made a half-break into Scotland’s 22, but from the next phase Bogan and Rachel Malcolm made a strong double-hit and Bogan continued her effort by winning the jackal penalty.

The comeback try did come though. Seren Lockwood burst through, and was felled by Rollie five metres and as the forwards worked for the final metres it was the home side’s captain, Kate Williams who got over beneath the posts. George converted. (19-24, 74 mins)

Both sides emptied their tanks in the final moments, as Wales tried to run from deep. George had one kick charged down before she got one away to Scotland’s right wing, and when Lloyd returned it for a split second it looked like her kick from her own 10m line would go dead, but it stopped in Wales’ dead ball area and George tapped down for a goal line dropout.

The drop kick found touch after a couple bounces just inside Wales’ 10, and Scotland won the lineout and went through the phases. Georgia Evans grabbed the ball from a formed ruck and Scotland got the penalty, which Nelson kicked at goal from around 40 metres with the clock in the red, but the kick didn’t go over or out of play and Wales began building the phases from behind their own line.

Well over 85 minutes had been played, and George’s cross-field kick had got Wales to halfway when Smith caused a spill at the breakdown and Brebner-Holden kicked off the field. But the TMO jumped in before the full-time whistle went, spotting head contact from Demi Swann. The replacement prop was sent to the sin bin and George kicked the penalty to touch, but the lineout went all wrong for Wales with the ball going forward and then into touch, and Scotland had held on to win an almighty battle in Cardiff.

Full time: Wales 19-24 Scotland

Wales: 15. Kayleigh Powell 14. Seren Singleton 13. Carys Cox 12. Courtney Keight 11. Lisa Neumann 10. Lleucu George 9. Keira Bevan 1. Gwenllian Pyrs 2. Kelsey Jones 3. Sisilia Tuipulotu 4. Jorja Aiono 5. Gwen Crabb 6. Bethan Lewis 7. Kate Williams CAPTAIN 8. Bryonie King

Replacements: 16. Molly Reardon 17. Maisie Davies 18. Donna Rose 19. Alaw Pyrs 20. Georgia Evans 21. Branwen Metcalfe 22. Seren Lockwood 23. Hannah Dallavalle

Scotland: 15. Chloe Rollie 14. Rhona Lloyd 13. Emma Orr 12. Meryl Smith 11. Shona Campbell 10. Helen Nelson 9. Leia Brebner-Holden 1. Leah Bartlett 2. Lana Skeldon 3. Elliann Clarke 4. Emma Wassell 5. Hollie Cunningham 6. Rachel Malcolm 7. Alex Stewart 8. Emily Coubrough

Replacements: 16. Elis Martin (for Skeldon, 72 mins) 17. Demi Swann (for Bartlett 64 mins) 18. Molly Poolman (for Clarke 72 mins) 19. Holland Bogan (for Cunningham 57 mins) 20. Eva Donaldson (for Stewart 72 mins) 21. Rianna Darroch 22. Evie Wills (for Orr 54 mins) 23. Lucia Scott (for Campbell 64 mins)

Referee: Ella Goldsmith Assistant Referees: Precious Pazani & Alexandra Ferre TMO: Graham Cooper FPRO: Paulo Duarte

Player of the Match: Helen Nelson (Scotland)

Attendance: 10,569

NEXT UP: Scotland v England at Scottish Gas Murrayfield this Saturday 18 April (kick-off 1.30pm). Already the biggest ever crowd for a standalone sporting event in Scotland, to join the fun at this historic game, tickets are still available at £21.50 (adults), £11.50 (U18s) and £6.50 (U12). Buy tickets.

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