Pivac feels the pressure as Scots ruin Jones’s day
SCOTLAND ruined Alun-Wyn Jones’ world record-breaking day as they claimed victory over Wales in Llanelli.
The Scots’ triumph at a windswept Parc y Scarlets was their first away win against Wales for 18 years.
And Wales, who wanted to mark captain Jones breaking Richie McCaw’s world Test match appearance record in winning style, could have few complaints as they suffered a fifth successive defeat.
It is their worst run of results since 2016, and they were also consigned to just one victory in the entire Six Nations campaign, which Wales have not experienced for 13 years, to increase pressure on head coach Wayne Pivac.
Replacement hooker Stuart McInally’s 61st-minute try proved the difference in a poor game.
Finn Russell, whose return to Scotland’s starting line-up lasted just 33 minutes before he suffered a suspected groin injury, kicked a penalty, as did his
replacement Adam Hastings, before captain Stuart Hogg’s 80th-minute strike finished Wales off.
Wales plundered a try for prop Rhys Carre, with Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny each kicking a penalty, but Scotland deserved to take the spoils.
Player of the match Jamie Ritchie felt it was Scotland’s defensive focus that had secured them the victory.
‘We’ve been waiting a long time to play so I think we were all desperate to get back out there and finish the Six Nations off,’ he said.
‘We just talked about trying to be as physical as we can; we thought the weather was going to be a bit worse so we were preparing for that all week.
‘We knew it was going to have to be a big defensive performance. I think that was the difference today – we could keep them down in their half.’
Wales’ head coach Pivac was able to put his finger directly on the weakness that cost his side the game. ‘We’re very disappointed. It was difficult conditions, you saw that in the line outs. But both teams had to play in it and I thought the breakdown was the big difference.
‘We’ve worked quite hard on it during the week but we need to have a look at that area of the game and make sure that we get it right for the next game.’
WALES: Halfpenny 5; Li Williams 4, Jo Davies 4, Watkin 4 (Tompkins 74min), Adams 4; Biggar 5 (Patchell 43,), G Davies 5 (Ll Williams 72), Carre 6 (W Jones 49), Elias 4 (Parry 70), Francis 5 (Lewis 57) (Francis 73), Rowlands 4 (Hill 57), AW Jones 6, LewisHughes 6, Ja Davies 5, Faletau 5 (Wainwright 70).
ScotLAnd: Hogg 8, Graham (Van der Merwe 66) 7, Harris 7, Lang 6, Kinghorn 6, Russell 6 (Hastings 33) (Steele 70), Price 7; Sutherland 6 (Kebble 54), Brown 6 (McInally 54), Fagerson 7 (Berghan 54), Cummings 6, Gray 6, Ritchie 9, Watson 7, Thomson 7 (Du Preez 54)
REfEREE: A Brace (Ireland) 7.