Something to cheer for Scots with win in Wales
STAND-OFF Nathan Chamberlain led the way with three tries and 17 points (without a miss) from the boot as Scotland Under-20 recorded their biggest ever points haul in a Six Nations match on a night when the game was able to recapture centre stage after a day of confusion caused by the impact Covid-19.
With the senior match called off earlier in the afternoon, there had been serious doubts about whether this contest at Stadium Zip World would – or should – go ahead.
It was the second time in this campaign that a game involving Scotland was played without the paying public being allowed in, and while the women’s team lost 53-0 to England at an almost empty Murrayfield, this time it was a far more gratifying experience for the team in blue.
“A lot of these players have been together a while,” said triumphant head coach Sean Lineen. “We’ve been competitive in every game – we could have won the England game – and just to be consistent is something that Scottish teams strive to be, and we’ve certainly got that with this group.”
The Scots fired out of the blocks to take the lead within four minutes when Rufus McLean tidied up an overthrown line-out and sniffed out a gap that he had more than enough gas to exploit. Chamberlain fired home the tricky conversion, then added a penalty, and then weighed in with a well taken try.
The hosts did strike first in the second half when a powerful line-out drive from 22 metres out surged over the whitewash for the appropriately named Morgan Strong to get the downward pressure.
That was the prompt for a flurry of tries. The Scots bounced back when flanker Connor Boyle started and finished a slick handling move, Welsh centre Bradley Roderick streaked home for his team’s second try, Chamberlain gathered his own chip ahead and stepped past the last defender to score again, and then Welsh hooker Dom Booth showed a remarkable turn of pace when outstripping replacement Scots wing Jack Blain to chase down a kick-ahead as it bounced over the Scottish try line.
Finally, Scotland grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck with Chamberlain snatching his hat-trick, before full-back Ollie Smith and centre Robbie McCallum eased the score past the half century mark.
Scotland O Smith; R McLean, M Currie (C Scott 75), R McCallum, J Henry (J Blain 60); N Chamberlain, R Frostwick
(K McGhie 70); T Lambert, E Ashman, M Wilson (G Breese 70), K Watt (J Campbell 50), C Henderson, J Hill (G Brown 58), C Boyle, R Darge.
Wales I Lloyd; F Jones (L Scully 48), B Roderick (J Hawkins 65), A Owen, M Grady; S Costelow, E Evan (D Buckland 60); T Bavacqua, D Booth (W Griffiths 65), B Warren (H O’Connor 51), J Fender, B Carter, I Davies, J Morgan, M Strong.
Referee Chris Busby