2017-02-25

Scotland grabbed their first win over Wales at Murrayfield in a decade during Round 3 of the 2017 Six Nations, running out to a 29-13 victory on Saturday.

Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser led the comeback with tries after the Welsh took a first-half lead through a Liam Williams score. Finn Russell was on point from the tee, winning the battle against Leigh Halfpenny.

The win momentarily moves Scotland into second place in the Six Nations standings, with England, Ireland and France yet to play in Round 3.

Wales earned a penalty almost from the opening whistle, with the hosts setting the tone for a difficult first half by wandering offside. The Welsh couldn't avoid a handful of mistakes, either, and Russell gave the Scots the lead after just six minutes with a penalty.



The visitors were the better team early, dominating set pieces and putting plenty of pressure on the centre of the Scottish defence. A turnover at the ruck gave Wales excellent position, and after a smart move from Rhys Webb, Halfpenny was able to tie things up with a penalty of his own.

Russell couldn't kick into touch after yet another penalty, and just as things looked up for the hosts, Visser was punished for taking out Dan Biggar in the air.

George North earned his team a scrum, and it led to Webb beautifully setting up Williams for the first try midway through the half. Welsh Rugby Union loved it:



Hamish Watson replaced John Hardie shortly after, with the latter suffering an injury to his leg.

Wales almost scored a second try after Williams gained ground. The TMO confirmed Webb committed a penalty in the buildup, however.

After great pressure from Stuart Hogg, the Scots earned another look at the posts in Welsh territory, and, once again, Russell was on point to reduce the gap to four points.

But just four minutes later―and after a bit of shoving between the two teams―Halfpenny reclaimed the seven-point lead with a strong kick of his own.

Halfpenny missed a kick from a promising position and Scotland ended the half on a high, with Hogg chipping through Seymour. Huw Jones was tackled just metres from the line, and the Scots came back right after the clearance to earn another penalty. Russell converted, and at half-time the score was 13-9.

ESPN Scrum's Tom Hamilton thought the two Welsh flankers made the difference in the first half:

The Scots started the second half with a bang thanks to a mistake from Halfpenny, who missed a clean catch and gave the hosts great position to start their attack. The ball was eventually worked to Seymour, who went over. The TMO was needed to confirm he grounded the ball, but after a lengthy review, the try was given.

Per OptaJonny, the 28-year-old has been a prolific try-scorer over the years:

Russell's conversion gave the Scots a three-point lead, their first advantage in a while.

Alex Dunbar entertained the crowd with a backwards kick that had everyone scratching their heads, before Russell added yet another kick to expand the lead.

Webb thought he had scored a sure try only to be denied by a spectacular tackle from Visser, with the TMO confirming he never touched down. Scottish Rugby Blog couldn't believe it:

A poor clearance from Hogg gave the Welsh momentum in the Scottish half, and Luke Charteris made his way into the 22, causing a mild panic. Charteris knocked-on, however, allowing the hosts to clear.

A Welsh scrum resulted in another Scotland penalty shortly after, and some nifty footwork from Visser led the 29-year-old to score himself, seemingly ending the match. BBC Sport's Dan Walker credited Hogg with the stunning pass:

Watson won a penalty from the ruck, as momentum was now completely with the hosts. Russell added three more points from the tee, pushing the lead to 16 points with just seven minutes left to play.

Scotland dominated the final minutes, running down the clock to earn a famous win.

Wales will host Ireland in Round 4, while Scotland visit hated rivals England.

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