Wales to face Scots in ground-breaking clash
WALES will break new ground by opening their 2018 autumn series with a historic fixture against Scotland – the first top-tier northern hemisphere visitors to feature in the Tests since a four-match end-of-year campaign was introduced 17 years ago.
The all-Celtic affair will see the ancient rivals play for the Doddie Weir Cup at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on November 3.
Southern hemisphere teams have almost exclusively provided the opposition for Wales during the autumn window, with Australia making 12 visits to Cardiff and New Zealand featuring 10 times.
But there will be a twist this year when Gregor Townsend’s resurgent Scottish team travel down to take on Warren Gatland’s side. It will be only the second meeting between the countries outside the Five or Six Nations in the 135-year history of the fixture, with the first seeing Wales win a World Cup warm-up 23-9 in Cardiff in 2003.
And playing for Doddie Weir Cup, donated by the Welsh Rugby Union, is bound to add a certain poignancy to the occasion.
Weir, the hugely popular former Scotland international and British & Irish Lion, is battling Motor Neurone Disease and, from the outset of his illness, he has been driven to help fellow sufferers and seek ways to further research into the, as yet, incurable condition.
The Welsh Rugby Union hope the match-up will prove a huge success and encourage a range of fixtures across the community game, in line with the traditional encounters that have long taken place when the two countries meet.
MEANWHILE, Rhys Priestland is set to miss the whole of Wales’ Six Nations campaign through injury.
The 50-times capped Bath outside-half will not take up his place in the squad due to the hamstring damage he suffered in last Friday’s Champions Cup defeat to the Scarlets at The Rec.
He is not being replaced in Warren Gatland’s group, as there are four other players who can slot in at flyhalf in Dan Biggar, Rhys Patchell, Gareth Anscombe and Owen Williams.
A WRU statement said: “Following further assessments and consultation with a specialist it has been concluded that due to the severity of Rhys Priestland’s hamstring injury, he will remain at Bath for ongoing rehabilitation and will not link up with the Wales squad on Monday.
It is envisaged that the injury will preclude him from taking an active part for the majority of the Six Nations hence this course of action has been deemed the most appropriate.”
Priestland, who turned 31 earlier this month, was recalled to the Wales squad for the autumn internationals after a year’s absence.