Has anyone caught their breath yet? After a chaotic Saturday, including Wales veering from the ridiculous to the sublime, a classic England-Italy non-contest yesterday was just what the doctor ordered.

Despite trailing 28-8 at halftime, Wales produced a spirited second half performance to go down 35-29 in Edinburgh. The first half, which saw Wales concede four tries, had painfully reminded fans that this Wales team is quite out of the woods yet when it comes to it’s run of defeats.

The second half, though, did show that Matt Sherratt’s side are far from putting a first win on the board in 16 matches. What did the interim coach learn about his side, and what can change ahead of a massive last match at home to England?

A Cardiff-like Performance

Close followers of regional rugby will not have been as surprised as others when Wales conceded a number of tries, only to pull it back with some beautiful rugby of their own.

Last season, Cardiff Rugby – coached by Matt Sherratt in his first season in charge – lost 13 United Rugby Championship (URC) matches, but picked up 11 losing bonus points. High scoring loses were Cardiff’s speciality last season, and Wales followed suit on Saturday.

Their attacking game was excellent – the first try encapsulated this: Max Llewellyn and Taulupe Faletau put into position to exploit their physical gifts before the backs swung round and Gareth Anscombe’s lovely weighted chip found Blair Murray.

This dual-playmaking, passing rugby is a hallmark of Sherratt’s rugby and was showcased to good effect in the final 20 minutes, as Wales scored three tries through Ben Thomas, Teddy Williams, and Llewellyn.

A dogged defence

Despite conceding five tries, no one could fault the effort of the Welsh defence on Saturday.

Wales made 244 tackles against Scotland, their 4th most in a match since 2009. Sherratt picked the same back row that performed well against Ireland, selecting two opensides in Tommy Reffell and Jac Morgan.

They competed hard at the breakdown, and to good effect at times. The negative impact of this bold tactic was Wales were often caught committing too many to the breakdown, and allowing Scotland space in the wide channels.

With their lethal back three up against Wales’s inexperienced one, there was only one winner.

A number of Welsh players emptied the tank against Scotland, and their effort paid off, as the visitors finished the match strong, scoring three unaswered tries. Dafydd Jenkins (28 tackles), Morgan (25), Faletau (19), and Thomas (17) earned their day off yesterday!

Bench Makes An Impact

A virtue of having some injury returnees is that the Wales squad looked the strongest it has all campaign.

With Gareth Thomas, Teddy Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Jarrod Evans, and Joe Roberts all performing well off the bench, Wales were able to finish strong.

Roberts deserves particular praise, coming on after an early injury to Tom Rogers and playing well out of position on the wing for much of the match.

The return of Dewi Lake from a bicep injury was also a massive boost for Wales. No one in the squad has the carrying ability of Lake, while he is an excellent scrummaging hooker.

The only question against Lake is his lineout throwing, which has markedly improved of late. Wales had a 100% completion in the lineout throughout the match. Teddy Williams also had a positive impact in this area, stealing a Scottish attacking lineout at a key point in the game.

Jac Morgan… Where would Wales be without him?

The Wales captain was everywhere on Saturday. His work rate is such that it is not surprising to see him make a tackle, pick himself to attempt a jackal, and then still be ready for the next phase of opposition attack.

Morgan has made the most tackles of any player in the Six Nations with 73, at a completion rate of 97%, and carries more than any other in the Wales team. Add in the second most defensive ruck arrivals in the tournament, and you have the hardest working player in the tournament.

Morgan is perhaps the only Wales player nailed on to make this summer’s Lions tour, and he should really be a lock in the back row, whether he wears the number six or seven shirt.

Can Wales spoil the England title charge?

Despite not being any where near their best, France’s defeat of Ireland means that England are in with a chance of winning the tournament at the Principality next Saturday.

What more motivation does the Wales squad need than to spoil England’s day, end their losing streak, and finish Matt Sherratt’s short-lived tenure on a high.

Wales have not produced a full 80-minute performance in the tournament so far, with the first 60 minutes of the Ireland match the closest they came. With the extra motivation of a partisan home crowd baying for England humiliation, perhaps Wales could do the unthinkable, and snatch a famous victory over their oldest foes.

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