WELSH WIZARD KING LOUIS LEFT HOGG AND CO IN THE SHADE AT MURRAYFIELD
Captain’s heroics aren’t enough for Scots as Rees-Zammit steals the show for Wales
ON A day when Scotland somehow managed to summon rain clouds from a clear-blue sky, Wales looked towards the heavens and saw that a new star had been born. His name is Louis Rees-Zammit. If his try against Ireland on the opening weekend of this year’s Six Nations offered a glimpse of his ability, here was confirmation of an electric young talent.
The scorer of two superb tries, his was a match-winning contribution. The winger, who only turned 20 at the start of this month, stepped on the gas and left Scotland choking on his exhaust fumes.
A touch of Rees lightning, you might say. Certainly for Scotland, the game must have felt like it was over in a flash after a chaotic period shortly after half-time.
In little more than the blink of an eye, and whilst they were 17-8 ahead, the Scots somehow conspired to throw this game away and press the self-destruct button.
Between them, Scott Cummings and Gary Graham made a hash of what ought to have been a straightforward chance on the Welsh try-line.
They were penalised for crossing, and needlessly so. Wales then scored two tries from Liam Williams and Wyn Jones, which sandwiched the red card to Zander Fagerson. All of this happened within the space of seven minutes. It was kamikaze rugby and, despite their previous good work, Scotland had only themselves to blame.
Yet, despite the nature of it all, they might still have snatched victory at the end had Duhan van der Merwe not been cut down in full stride by a magnificent tap tackle from Wales centre Owen Watkin.
Scotland captain Stuart Hogg was adamant that, despite their numerical disadvantage, it was still a game that his team should have won.
They did have chances and were repelled in the end by a magnificent collective effort from the Welsh.
‘I think it’s easy always to look at the negatives that have happened within the game,’ said Hogg, who played brilliantly and scored two tries of his own.
‘That’s two little occasions you’re looking at there. For large periods of the game, we were very much in control. I wouldn’t say we’ve thrown it away. I think we just lacked at times a clinical edge. On another day, Gary Graham probably goes across for that try and the game’s probably put to bed.
‘It’s a massive part of the game (that chance). We were very close to scoring seven points there. Unfortunately we’ve ended up conceding (shortly after).
‘It’s little things that are costing us. But the pleasing thing is we know exactly where we’re going wrong.
‘There have been times in the past where we’ve made mistakes and keep making them, whereas now I believe that’s a one-off in our ill-discipline.’
Pressed on whether he felt his side could still have won it with 14 men, Hogg said: ‘Yeah, one hundred per cent. Going into the last 25 minutes after Wales had just scored, we challenged each other. With the character in the squad, we knew we could bounce back from it.
‘And we did. We played right to the very end and, on another day, we’d win that game.
‘We’ll be much better prepared for the France game in terms of our discipline and we’ll get excited for that challenge.
‘We can sit here and pick out all the negatives. I back the boys to go out there and perform. We’ve done that for large periods and I’m proud of the effort.
‘We can’t fault anybody’s effort.
There’s a huge amount of character within this squad.
‘Yes it hurts, and rightly so. But we can’t dwell on it too much. We’ll learn from it, we’ll move on, and we’ll make sure we’re in the best place possible.
‘Our game-management was outstanding. We were playing in the right areas, we were causing Wales problems and no doubt we’re looking at the negatives again.’
Hogg was making the point that, from his point of view, too much focus will fall on the negative side of the game for Scotland.
But that will be an understandable consequence in the aftermath. They had their foot on Wales’ throat and failed to finish them off.
The nature of elite sport is that questions will be asked of Scotland and whether or not they possess a ruthless mentality to compete for a Six Nations title.
Wales came into this having only beaten Italy, Georgia and a 14-man Ireland side over the past year. Their form was patchy at best.
But it is they who continue in their quest for a Grand Slam, however unlikely that may have seemed at the start of the tournament.
Hogg can reflect on an afternoon which brought another two tries. He now has 22 at Test level, just two behind Scotland’s all-time record.
It will feel like scant consolation,
however, when victory would have sent Scotland to Paris in a fortnight with Grand-Slam ambitions of their own.
On the red card to Fagerson, the captain added: ‘It’s pointless me sitting here and expressing my views on it.
‘Nothing’s going to change now. It’s a red card, that’s what’s happened, and it’s pointless going on about it.
‘It would be wrong of me to comment on it. I’ve been there myself. It’s dark times.
‘I still believed we could win the game and so did the rest of the boys. Everybody to a man was outstanding.
‘We stuck at it, played right until the very last second, and as I said earlier, on another day we’d probably win that game.
‘We’re bitterly disappointed. We talked all week about going out there and expressing ourselves and really taking it to Wales. We did that for large periods.
‘I think we were very much in control of the first half especially, and then just a few moments didn’t quite go to plan.
‘Giving away penalties is one thing: conceding three or four on the bounce is unacceptable.
‘In international rugby, it’s going to cost you, and it’s done that to us twice.’