'Scotland's terrible beauty reverses the narrative on extraordinary day'

Feb 22, 2026 - 03:30

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'Scotland's terrible beauty reverses the narrative on extraordinary day'

Amid the maelstrom of the closing minutes in Cardiff there was a slightly comedic moment. As the upset to end all upsets loomed large, Scotland pounded hard at the Welsh line, their desperation in full flow, the home defiance bordering on the heroic.

Inside the Principality, the noise was deafening, The head thudded, the ears split. Wales in crisis? Nobody seemed to tell Dewi Lake or Rhys Carre or their locks and back-rows and midfielders, who were awesome.

Crisis, yes. But for Scotland. Wales were not looking like a team that had lost 23 out of their previous 25 games, who had come into this as no-hopers with the bookmakers. They were tired men, though. They were flagging with the finishing line in sight.

This was such a familiar nightmare for the Scots, their darkest fears in play, their rugby sanity at stake. Wales led 23-19. They had outgunned Scotland, routing them at the breakdown, stifling their lethal runners, battering them in the collisions.

But Scotland were fighting back, they were beginning to rise above their own shortcomings. In that moment, as Scotland rumbled off a close-range lineout, the giant screens flashed a message for the Welsh fans: "Get louder," it demanded.

Louder? You cannot be serious. The temptation was to laugh because the place couldn't have been any more electrified, but the drama down below didn't allow for mirth. It was wonderfully tense, a game of psychology as much as a game of rugby.

Seconds later, George Turner piled over and, at last, Scotland were ahead for the first time in their stressful day. Finn Russell made it a three-point game with the boot and the visitors saw it out from there.

They looked exhausted and relieved on full-time, like they'd had a brush with ghosts rather than dragons. Sione Tuipulotu said they had to dig deep and that was true.

They dug and dug and dug. It was error-strewn and maddening at times but they kept at it. If they only rarely managed to show their class, they displayed character when the heat was at its most intense. Cool heads amid the desperation won the day.

Winning ugly is a concept that has seemed beyond Scotland for years. For the most part, at any rate. They normally win with a flourish or not at all. This was an ugly one, but magnificent at the same time.

They were asked all sorts of questions and came up with enough answers. It was seriously flawed but that made the manner of the win all the more laudable. They were losing 20-5 after 47 minutes and won the remainder of it 21-3 even though never coming close to playing their best stuff. How can you not salute that spirit?

Last week we saw them win with panache, this week we saw them win through belligerence and character. Two different styles but the same precious five points.

After the torment of defeat in week one, Scotland are top of the table. They'll drop to second if France beat Italy on Sunday, but second after three games is rarefied air for Gregor Townsend and his team.

Wales? Brilliant but beaten, losers on the day but with so much to build on - and a little bit to complain about, too. If that Turner try ended up being the decisive moment in the game there was another moment, on 64 minutes, that could have filled that slot.

Wales were ahead 23-19 at the time. Into the Scotland 22 they went and won a penalty. They could have backheeled it over, had it stood, which it didn't. The TMO got involved and a call was made against Tomos Williams for a croc roll on Rory Darge that didn't look like a croc roll.

Penalty reversed. A shot for 26-19 gone. Turner drove over soon after and that was that. Back from the cliff edge Scotland stepped and into the coming weeks they go with France to play at home and Ireland away.

A formidable finale to their tournament, but at least they're alive and not without hope of achieving something tangible. Whatever happens against France they will be playing for a Triple Crown in Dublin. They haven't won it since 1990.

What is it about this fixture that produces such hair-raisers? What is it about those Scotland jerseys that makes the Welsh believe in themselves?

From the get-go, they were terrific. Scotland forced things and got found out. They tried to go wide at every turn, but got smashed. Even when Joe Hawkins was binned after five minutes Wales grew stronger. Carre scored while they were down to 14. Those awful Welsh starts in so many recent Test matches? Forget it.

Scotland coughed up chances, then scored one, then conceded another. They had little composure and no control. Wales would not allow it. Sam Costelow made it 17-5 after half an hour. Red flags all over the place now.

Townsend didn't hang about. Thirty-five minutes played and he hauled off Nathan McBeth, his loosehead, and Max Williamson, one of his locks. Fortunes did not change, not immediately. Scotland's looseness carried on. So did the Welsh scoring; 20-5 now.

Fatalism kicks in at that point. Here we go again. Another Cardiff catastrophe. Jungle drums beating. Townsend must go. Everybody must go.

Huw Jones, one of the most formidable attackers in the history of the Scotland team, dropped a ball with the try-line close at hand. When the likes of Jones are making a mess of things you start to fear the worst. You crank up the obits.

Instead of an implosion we saw Scotland reversing the narrative. Russell darted over to make it 20-12. Jarrod Evans stretched it to 23-12, but what happened next was remarkable.

Russell restarted. He spotted space and dropped his kick into the no-man's land Wales offered him, Darcy Graham reading his mind and speeding on to it. As James Botham slept, his back turned to the play, Graham pounced.

A kindly bounce and he was in for a blink-and-you-miss-it score. A colossal Welsh failing to some eyes, a piece of Russell genius to others.

The tension - raw and exhilarating - continued. The Williams croc roll and the siege lifted on the back of it. The sense of impending Welsh doom only for the Scots to lose ball on the floor just as they threatened to motor. The Turner try and the Scotland scrum penalty at the end. They cleared the lines and escaped to victory.

Later, Pierre Schoeman suggested it was a bigger win than last week's victory over England. You can see where he was coming from. The rugby world knows Scotland can beat England, but not many folk knew they could come from so many points down in an unforgiving place to win a battle.

They showed a different side of their personality on Saturday, a terrible beauty on an extraordinary day.