Player Ratings - Wales vs Scotland

Wales

1. Rob Evans – 6/10

Quiet game from the prop as he kept his head down and did the dirty work which allowed men outside him to run Scotland ragged.

2. Ken Owens – 6/10

Lineout functioned well which can be attributed to the Scarlets’ captain’s throwing.

3. Samson Lee – 7/10

Some great hands in the first half to put Moriarty away. Scrum was a strong point for Wales giving their backs a solid platform to attack from.

4. Cory Hill – 7/10

A couple of good linebreaks for the big man. Linked play well with good hands.

5. Alun Wyn Jones – 7/10

Lineout functioned well and put the Scottish set-piece under pressure. Good support lines but couldn’t give the final offload to Evans for the try in the 1^st half that would’ve killed the game. It happened again in the 2^nd half to Gareth Anscombe. Was caught napping for Scotland’s sole five pointer. Has lost a bit of dynamism in comparison to his younger teammates but his great rugby brain allows him to continue to excel at this level.

6. Aaron Shingler – 8/10

Good running lines lead to a couple of linebreaks. Great offloading game as well to keep the ball alive. Keen to get off the line and shut down the Scottish attack.

7. Josh Navidi – 8/10

Won two key turnovers inside his 22 in the 1^st half to stop the Scots dead in their tracks. Great chop tackling and strong carries when called upon. Wales top tackler with 17.

8. Ross Moriarty –6/10

Looked to get on the ball a lot but wasn’t as effective in the loose as he was in last year’s competition. Was used as a battering ram for his side which enabled the rest of his team to shine.

9. Gareth Davies – 8/10

Well-read intercept which put Wales into the lead early on. Quick to clear the ball from the breakdown which negated Scotland chances to counter ruck.

10. Rhys Patchell – 8/10

Good kicking game and directed play quite well. A couple of pin-point accurate cross-field kicks to Adams. Could’ve found touch on a couple of occasions. Good running game.

11. Steff Evans – 9/10

So dangerous, beating the first tackler every time. Unlucky not to get over in the opening period. Great kicking in behind and good offloading game. The Scottish defence couldn’t handle him at all as he made 113m and 2 clean breaks. Setup Leigh Halfpenny’s 2^nd with deft handling. Superb finish in the corner for the bonus point try.

12. Hadleigh Parkes – 8/10

Great passing, offloading and running game. One absolute cannon of a kick in the first half, which went from his 22 into the opposition’s, pinning them back. Put Evans away down the wing for the BP try.

13. Scott Williams – 7/10

Defended fantastically forcing Scotland to run quite laterally in attack. Completely shut down Harris on his Six Nations debut. Put in a poor grubber on 50 mins when Wales looked to have a good opportunity to get their 3^rd try. Ineffective in attack.

14. Josh Adams – 6/10

Should have really held onto a cross-kick from Patchell in the first half which would have put him away down the wing. Made an outside break in the 2^nd half but was hauled down on the 22. Not a bad debut for the young man.

15. Leigh Halfpenny – 8/10

Broke his drought by scoring his 1^st and 2^nd tries for Wales in 5 years. He swept up Hogg’s chips in the first half well and kicked well at goal, adding to his tally of 24 points.

Scotland

1. Gordon Reid - 5/10

Pretty quiet afternoon for the loosehead. Under constant pressure at scrum time and consistently gave away penalties at the set piece.

2. Stuart McInally – 4/10

Very inaccurate at the lineout, with Wales stealing several of his throws. Also failed to make an impression with ball in hand and was dominated in the scrum.

3. Jon Welsh – 5/10

Put under huge pressure at scrum time and had no answer. Consistently conceded penalties and made no impression with the ball in hand. 

4. Ben Toolis – 5/10

Very quiet afternoon from the second row. Part of a dysfunctional lineout and was unable to make any positive impact with ball in hand. 

5. Jonny Gray - 6/10