Scotland’s astonishing second-half surge overwhelmed Wales at BT Murrayfield and brought their first win over the visitors for 10 years.
The Scots scored 20 unanswered points in the second 40 minutes to turn around a 13-9 deficit in possibly the most complete performance under Vern Cotter’s tenure as head coach.
It was their first Six Nations win over the Welsh since 2007, and the final 10 minutes was a party for the 67,500 home crowd with their team having turned the match handsomely.
Tries from Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser allowed the Scots to turn the game, but there were key defensive moments in there as well and Finn Russell’s seven successful kicks from seven attempts meant the injured Greig Laidlaw placekicking was not missed.
Visser provided the scoring pass for Seymour’s try and finished off the second after a gorgeous delivery from Stuart Hogg, but try-saving tackles from Ali Price and Visser in the second half also helped change the course of the game, and Hamish Watson came off the bench to play a monumental defensive shift for an hour.
A disjointed first half with both sides unwilling to move the ball wide much saw Wales snatch the only real try-scoring chance for a narrow half-time advantage.
Huw Jones showed some fine footwork in the Welsh 22 in thsefirst six minutes which eventually led to a penalty kicked by Finn Russell, but Leigh Halfpenny replied after a half-break by Rhys Webb took the Welsh to the shadow of the Scottish posts.
There was plenty of jockeying and not much entertainment until Wales seized their chance as their targeting of Visser with the high ball brought a scrum on the Scots 22.
The home pack pushed too early and Webb took the quick tap, moving it through Biggar, Jon Davies and Halfbenny for Lee Williams to get outside Hogg for the try.
Halfpenny converted and it looked like the Scots wree in trouble when the try-scorer and Webb combined to break inside the Scottish 22, but after the ball went loose over the line the TMO called the action back for obstruction early in the move by the Welsh scrum-half.
That gave the Scots field position inside the Welsh 22 and a high tackle by Warburton on Price allowed Russell to peh Wales back to 10-6.
Warburton made amends by forcing a holding on penalty on Ryan Wilso n which Halfpenny kicked, but the full-back missed a fairly simple chance within his range three minutes before the half.
Instead the Scots came back with Hogg’s grubber kick, Seymour carrying on the move and Jones held just short of the line, and another penalty against Wales in their own 22 allowed Russell to kick his third penalty.
But Scotland’s turnaround in the second half was dramatic and personified by the contribution of Visser.
First the flying Dutchman won a high ball in the air and then showed up on the opposite wing as Jones made a fine dummy run, Visser’s pass putting Tommy Seymour in at the corner despite Scott Williams’ desperate tackle.
Russell converted off the post – just – and then Scotland had cause to thank a brilliant cover tackle by Price to stop Jonathan Davies as he burst through.
The young scrum-half then made a telling half-break after looking to be in trouble and Wales were penalised in their 22 again, Russell booting Scotland some breath space.
Then Visser made a telling contribution in defence, his tackle on Webb into touch saving a certain try after the ball squirted out of a Scottish scrummage under pressure.
And then the wing stamped Scotland’s victory in style, after a long series of phases and a Pyrgos break set up position. The Scots moved it wide at pace, Russell’s flat pass and Hogg’s beautiful delivery allowing Visser to nip in at the corner and behind the posts, the stand-off converting again.
That put the Scots in comfort, and Wales disintegrated, conceding a silly penalty for crossing that Russell converted into another three points.
Att: 67,500
Scotland: S Hogg; T Seymour, H Jones, A Dunbar, T Visser; F Russell, A Price; G Reid, F Brown, Z Fagerson; R Gray, J Gray; J Barclay (capt), J Hardie, R Wilson.
Replacements: R Ford for Brown 71, A Dell for Reid 52, H Watson for Hardie 25, H Pyrgos for Price 55.
Wales: L Halfpenny; G North, S Williams, J Davies, L Williams; D Biggar, R Webb; R Evans, K Owens, T Francis; J Ball, A W Jones; S Warburton, J Tipuric, R Moriarty.
Replacements: S Baldwin for Owens 69, N Smith for Evans 69, S Lee for Francis 58, L Charteris for Ball 57, T Faletau for Moriarty 63, G Davies, S Davies for Biggar 69, J Roberts for S Williams 63.
Ref: J Lacey (IRFU)
