Six Nations: Scotland stun Wales at Murrayfield

Duhan van der Merwe tries to beat George North (right) and Adam Beard during the Six Nations match between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield. Photo / Getty

Scotland has opened with back-to-back wins for the first time in the Six Nations era.

The boys in blue might even be ready for a title bid after enigmatic flyhalf Finn Russell inspired a five-try 35-7 win against Wales at Murrayfield on Saturday, a result that backed up a 29-23 victory away to England last week.

A trip to Paris to meet defending champion France in Round 3 will be the real test for the Scots, who overwhelmed Wales except for a period late in the first half when they were down to 14 men and conceded a try to Ken Owens off a rolling maul.

George Turner was the Scotland player sinbinned — for a swinging arm in the face of George North — but the hooker had already made a difference by scoring the first try in the 30th minute.

The Welsh were in striking distance at halftime, trailing just 13-7, but Russell put them away midway in the second half by setting up two tries for Kyle Steyn with a couple of pieces of brilliance.

The flyhalf first produced a wonderful offload as he was falling to the ground to allow Steyn to dive over unchallenged in the right corner in the 51st.

Steyn was then picked out by a pinpoint cross-field kick from Russell in the 58th as Scotland capitalized on Wales being a man light — Liam Williams was sinbinned after persistent team offending — to grab a third try.

That put the Scots 25-7 up and Blair Kinghorn clinched the attacking bonus point with a 71st-minute try created by Scotland’s biggest two attacking weapons: Russell and giant winger Duhan van der Merwe. Russell kicked to the left to Van der Merwe, who sprinted down the wing and passed inside for Kinghorn to scorch his way through a gap and over the tryline.

Matt Fagerson grabbed the fifth try, from a double miss-out pass by the excellent Russell, in the 78th. Russell missed the conversion and finished with 10 points from the kicking tee but Scotland achieved its biggest win ever against Wales.

“I was just doing my job,” Russell said. “Making the boys look good.”

Scotland last opened the tournament with two straight wins 27 years ago when it was called the Five Nations. Gregor Townsend’s team is on 10 points, the same as Ireland after its 32-19 win over France earlier Saturday.

Wales coach Warren Gatland’s decision to drop three of his long-time star forwards — Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau — and inject some youth into the team after a 34-10 beating from Ireland in Round 1 didn’t pay off.

His team selection for the Round 3 match at home to fierce rival England will be telling, with Wales fighting to avoid getting embroiled in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon for finishing last.

A potential turning point came in the last action of the first half, when Wales built up a head of steam following Turner’s sinbinning and was attempting to add a second try. Dan Biggar delivered a behind-the-back pass that winger Rio Dyer just had to catch low down to score. He dropped it, much to Gatland’s horror in the coaches box high up in the Murrayfield stands.

-AP