Six Nations: More to come from Scotland, pledges captain Ritchie

By Sports Desk February 11, 2023

Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie said "we have got a lot more in us" after Gregor Townsend's team routed Wales 35-7 at Murrayfield.

Wales were no match for their hosts in Edinburgh on Saturday, as Scotland cruised to a bonus-point win that sees them join Ireland at the top of the Six Nations standings.

George Turner went over in the first half but Ken Owens crossed for Wales, who should have gone into the interval on the back of a second try, only for Rio Dyer to squander a golden opportunity.

Scotland made Wales pay – Finn Russell combining twice with Kyle Steyn before Blair Kinghorn and Matt Fagerson drove through late on.

Their winning margin of 28 points marks Scotland's biggest victory over Wales in Test rugby, with the only other time they have beaten them by more than 20 points coming back in 1924.

Next up is a trip to reigning champions France on February 26, and Ritchie is hoping for more from his side at the Stade de France.

"It wasn't perfect but we did enough to get the job done," he told BBC Sport.

"We have belief that if we play to our best we can beat any team. It wasn't perfect today, we've got a lot more in us. We're looking to improve when we go to Paris, definitely."

Saturday's match marked the first Test at Murrayfield since the death of Doddie Weir, who passed away in November.

Scotland were presented the Doddie Weir Cup for their victory, and Ritchie said: "We're delighted and I'm glad to be holding Doddie's trophy.

"The first game here without him, we miss him so much, I'm just glad we have our hands on this. We're so delighted, I'm a bit all over the place at the moment – a bit emotional. I'm glad I could do this for [Weir's widow] Kathy and the boys."

Russell was the star of the show for Scotland, teeing up three of their tries and kicking 10 points.

He has now provided 10 try assists in nine Test matches for Scotland since the start of 2022, more than any other player from a Tier One nation in that period.

"I was just doing my job – making other boys look good," Russell joked after becoming the first Scotland player to register a hat-trick of assists in a Six Nations game.

"It showed the continuity in the squad. The boys were all on the same page and it allowed us to attack how we did today."

Scotland have won back-to-back games to start a Six Nations campaign for the first time, with the last time they had managed to triumph in their opening two games of the Championship coming in 1996, when it was the Five Nations.

Russell added: "Great game, great result for us. We knew we'd struggled before after the first games to back it up, and I think the boys put in a good performance today, which was great to have back here at Murrayfield."

Wales have lost their opening two games, conceding at least four tries in each match. It is the first time they have done so in back-to-back Six Nations Tests in the same year.

"When you're winning and you have that momentum, it's hard to lose. The flip side to that is the same," said captain Owens, with Wales having won just twice in their last 10 Tests.

"We've got to work hard next week. There's plenty of experience but plenty of youngsters coming through. There's new coaching staff, new players coming in, we just need to work hard.

"Turn the corner hopefully, against England, we've got to grind out a win, find a win and build that momentum. There are positives there. People are going to say there isn't but we believe in what we're trying to achieve, we work hard and try to deliver."

Related items

  • Coaching trio follow Gregor Townsend’s lead and extend Scotland deals until 2026 Coaching trio follow Gregor Townsend’s lead and extend Scotland deals until 2026

    Scotland assistant coaches Steve Tandy, John Dalziel and Pieter de Villiers have followed the lead of head coach Gregor Townsend in extending their contracts until April 2026.

    Defence coach Tandy, forwards coach Dalziel and scrum coach De Villiers all joined the national team set-up in 2020 and have become valued members of the backroom staff.

    Their new deals have been announced just weeks after it was confirmed that Townsend, whose initial contract was due to expire after the World Cup this autumn, would be remaining in his post for a further three years.

    “The news that Steve, John and Pieter have extended their contracts is a real boost,” Townsend told Scottish Rugby. “They are all key members of the coaching group and provide invaluable support to our players and myself.

    “Since coming on board all three have made a hugely positive impact to not only their individual areas but also to our all-round game and the environment. I’d like to thank Scottish Rugby for their support in keeping this coaching group together for the next few years.

    “We enjoy working with each other and are determined to do all we can to bring out the best in this special squad of players.”

    Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Pete Horne and former All Blacks assistant coach Brad Mooar both joined Scotland’s coaching group as assistant attack coaches for the Six Nations campaign earlier this year, and they will continue their roles during the build-up to the World Cup and into the tournament itself.

    “It’s great news that we’ve been able to secure the services of Pete and Brad for the Rugby World Cup too,” said Townsend. “They both contributed to our group hugely during the Guinness Six Nations period.

    “I’m looking forward to working with them again on the attack side of our game and helping improve the skills and decision making of our players.”

    Mental skills coach Aaron Walsh will also continue working with Scotland for the World Cup.

    The squad are due to meet up this week to begin preparations for the World Cup in France, albeit several players will not join up with the group initially due to late finishes to the season with their clubs.

  • Lawrence Shankland earns Scotland call ahead of June double-header Lawrence Shankland earns Scotland call ahead of June double-header

    Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland and his Hibernian counterpart Kevin Nisbet have both been included in the Scotland squad for the next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Georgia.

    The Edinburgh-based pair take the places of Stoke’s Jacob Brown, who missed the end of the Championship season with a hamstring issue, and Southampton forward Che Adams, who recently suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury he sustained in Scotland’s win over Cyprus.

    Shankland, who previously made four appearances in 2019 and 2020, was called back into the fold for the Spain game in March and he has kept his place at the end of a season in which he has scored 28 goals for Hearts.

    Nisbet, who won all of his 10 caps in 2021, is recalled for the first time since damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in February 2022. The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals for Hibs since returning to action in December.

    Rangers defender John Souttar is recalled after missing much of the season through injury. The 26-year-old, who has not played for the national team since last summer’s Nations League defeat in Ireland, takes the place of Norwich City centre-back Grant Hanley, who has been sidelined with an Achilles problem since early April.

    Blackburn centre-back Dom Hyam has retained his place after earning a late call-up for the last camp in March, while Steve Clarke has opted for consistency in the goalkeeping department with Angus Gunn, Zander Clark and Liam Kelly again called up in the absence of Craig Gordon, who remains sidelined as he tries to fight back from a double leg-break sustained on Christmas Eve.

    Scotland, who are top of Group A with two wins from their two games so far, face Norway in Oslo on Saturday, June 17 before welcoming Georgia to Hampden three days later.

  • Wales to host South Korea in September friendly Wales to host South Korea in September friendly

    Wales will play South Korea at home in a September friendly.

    It will be the first time the two nations have met at senior men’s level and will take place at Cardiff City Stadium on September 7, four days before Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia.

    South Korea, who are captained by Tottenham forward Son Heung-min, reached the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

    Former Germany and United States boss Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed South Korea head coach in February.

    “Many teams are tied up in Europe with qualifiers and it’s not always easy to get strong opposition during the few occasions we get the chance to play friendlies,” said Noel Mooney, chief executive of the Football Association of Wales.

    “So to have the likes of Son Heung-min – Ben Davies’ teammate at Spurs – and many other high quality players coming to Cardiff is great for us.

    “They had a really good World Cup getting to the knockout stage and it’s important we keep testing ourselves against different styles of football.

    “South Korea offers us a really interesting chance to do that, and I’m sure we’ll have another great crowd to cheer on Cymru before the ‘Red Wall’ head for Riga a few days later.”

    Wales plan to play an October friendly against Gibraltar at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

    A March 2019 friendly against Trinidad and Tobago is the only time Wales men’s senior team have played at the Racecourse – the world’s oldest international football stadium that still hosts matches – over the last 15 years.

    Wales manager Rob Page announces his squad on Tuesday for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey having taken four points from their opening two games in March.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.