Scotland, head to Wales for the first time in a while with expectation of a victory rather than hope. Yet I distinctively remember the last time Scotland travelled to Cardiff with such a feeling, and they were battered by 34-7.
However, this time Scotland are deservingly heading into this game as favourites. A magnificently clinical display against England, in what was a defiant defence display shows there are a side that can win on their day. The challenge for Scotland is to back it up.
This game will be won psychology and a lot of the onus is on both Gregor Townsend and Wayne Pivac to provide the right winning mentality. Scotland need to own the favourites tag and play with the confidence that they rightly deserve, they shouldn’t go into their shells and instead play their instinctive style of rugby. Wales on the other hand need to create a siege mentality in the camp. Everyone in Wales and the British Isles have written this side off, backs are against the wall, but as long as they can stay in the game, they can sneak a win just like Wales know how.
They let Ireland get off to an incredibly fast start last week with a try within 2 minutes, let that happen again on Saturday and it will be an all too familiar story. The challenge for Wales is not particularly in attack, (although that was severely lacking last week) but it is the need to put in a match winning a defensive display.
Recent Welsh sides of the past were built on the foundation of a gritty, explosive and hard-hitting defence. This was absolutely nowhere to be seen last week. Wales are likely to kick the ball away a lot on Saturday with the aerial threats we know they possess, and poor attacking go forward, but if they are to kick, they must back their defence to force Scotland into making errors. Get the Welsh crowd roaring, not with a fluent attacking display but with a defensive performance that shows you are up for the fight.
For some reason I simply back the Welsh this week. I think they can pull it out of the bag. A response is coming and Scotland, I feel, reached the pinnacle of their season last week and won’t be able to replicate the intensity of the performance, and intensity was core to their victory last week. Two sides are meeting that are in a very different place in both form and mindset but Wales and the whole Millennium crowd will be ready.
Prediction: Wales 19 – 15 Scotland
Image Source: BBC
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