New Wales journey aims for Scottish trip success

Men’s Six Nations: Scotland v Wales

Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 8 March Kick-off: 16: 45 GMT

Welsh rugby has always had a special affinity with the Scottish trip.

It has been the occasion where Wales ‘ rugby clubs every other year have travelled north towards Edinburgh by any means possible.

As scrum coach Adam Jones pointed out this week a song was written about the bi-annual occasion by Welsh singer-songwriter Max Boyce.

Never, however, has that journey come on the back of such a losing run with 15 Test defeats and counting for the national side.

Yet somehow, there has emerged an optimism among the Welsh masses that their side can defy the odds and finally remember that elusive winning feeling.

Whatever optimism is being projected from Wales, the stark statistics remain.

Wales have not won a Test match since they defeated Georgia in Nantes in October 2023 at the World Cup.

More than 500 days or 17 months have passed but there remains hope – stemming from the considerable improvement under interim head coach Matt Sherratt against title favourites Ireland two weeks ago.

Wales have been revitalised under Sherratt after giving the Grand Slam chasing tournament favourites a monumental fright before losing 27-18.

The hosts produced their best performance for almost 18 months and Sherratt and his players will be eager to demonstrate the Ireland game was not a one-off.

Sherratt’s side began life after Warren Gatland in a way few people thought possible as long-suffering supporters finally had something to shout about.

There was an ambition, creativity and freshness about Wales ‘ play, whereas for much of the 14-Test run before it, desolation and despair were the overriding emotions.

The squad have spoken about that showing being more than a fleeting glimmer – and the challenge now is to not only build on that display but find a way across the finishing line.

If Wales take to the field with the unchanged starting side that has been named, it will be for the first time that has happened since the 2019 World Cup games against Georgia and Australia in Japan.

That was 66 Test matches ago and Sherratt will have achieved a feat in one game that Wayne Pivac and Gatland could not manage in their ‘ Tinkermen ‘ tenures.

This weekend’s selection though is almost all-change from 13 months ago and the previous meeting between these two sides.

Flanker Tommy Reffell and lock Dafydd Jenkins are the only starting survivors from Wales ‘ dramatic 27-26 defeat against Scotland in Cardiff last year.

With Ireland and France battling it out in a potential Six Nations decider early on Saturday afternoon, Scotland and Wales is very much the after show following the main event.

That should not diminish the importance of this encounter for both sides but the low-key build-up has required some spice.

After former Scotland scrum-half Rory Lawson said losing to Wales would be ‘ incomprehensible’, there have been murmurings from inside and outside of the Wales camp this week about their opponents.

Scrum coach Jones volunteered his opinion that all the pressure was on Scotland, labelling Gregor Townsend’s current squad as favourites and one of the best sides in their history.

And Dan Biggar doubled down on his words from two years ago when he was still Wales ‘ outside-half.

In the 2023 build-up, Biggar accused Scotland of being hyped up by the media despite never winning anything.

It did not end well on that occasion when Scotland produced a record 35-7 win but Biggar has not been deterred.

He has stated this week Wales ‘ hosts “have a golden generation of players that has won absolutely nothing and this Six Nations has been the same old story and they have to accept where they are”, adding “he was tired of Scotland being praised when they win the square root of diddly squat every year”.

Former Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips also caused ripples by labelling Scotland as arrogant.

What Biggar and Phillips are referring to are expectation surrounding Scotland at the beginning of Six Nations tournaments only for the anticipation to fall flat.

Since winning the last Five Nations tournament in 1999, Scotland have not finished higher than third in the Six Nations era.

This year has been no different. Townsend’s team went into the Six Nations rated by many as title dark horses, but have so far proved to be several furlongs off the pace.

After a workmanlike home win against Italy, losses against Ireland and England have followed.

Scotland can claim a first hat-trick of Six Nations wins against Wales if they triumph, with their only previous post-war treble being in Five Nations format from 1989-1991.

But If Wales claim a seventh win from the last nine Murrayfield visits, it will inevitably ask searching questions of Townsend.

You might not think so because of the record defeat Wales suffered on their previous Edinburgh visit two years ago, but Murrayfield has proved a happy hunting ground in recent times for this weekend’s visitors.

Wales have won six of their previous eight Edinburgh encounters, including a run of four successive away victories that saw the Scots frozen out between 2009 and 2015.

There have been memorable moments when up to 40, 000 Welsh fans invaded Edinburgh to watch the demolition of Scotland in 2005 on the way to a first Grand Slam in 27 years.

And few who witnessed it will forget Jamie Roberts ‘ demolition of the Scots four years later.

Those heady days seem a distant memory currently but Wales ‘ overall Six Nations record in the fixture shows a success rate approaching 70%.

Those memories should encourage the thousands of supporters travelling north by planes, trains and automobiles.