Wales v Scotland winners and losers as star now must start at Twickenham and key problem needs sorting

What a day in the Six Nations rugby.

Wales looked odds on to suffer their heaviest Six Nations defeat in Cardiff only to come within a whisper of recording the greatest comeback in the competition’s history. Sadly, it wasn’t to be as Warren Gatland’s men slipped to a 27-26 defeat to Scotland, their first against their Celtic rivals in Cardiff since 2002.

It was a breathtaking contest which had more twists and turns than a Steven Spielberg film. Wales will now have to regroup with the aim of building on an excellent second-half performance before next Saturday’s clash with England at Twickenham.

READ MORE: Wales v Scotland player ratings as Gatland finds his talisman after players hooked at half-time

READ MORE: Wales were remarkable and disastrous against Scotland in a game that ultimately offers hope

Now the dust has finally settled on an enthralling contest in Cardiff, rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas picks his winners and losers.

Winners

Tommy Reffell

Reffell and his back-row team-mate Aaron Wainwright were the only two players who could hold their heads held high at half-time after what had been a disastrous 40 minutes for Wales. There has been a lot of fanfare around Jac Morgan’s performances at the Rugby World Cup, and rightly so, but it’s easy to forget just how good a player Tommy Reffell is.

The Leicester Tigers openside has been one of, if not the best, fetchers in the English Premiership for the past few seasons, and he has successfully transferred this form onto the international stage. If Reffell hadn’t been on the field things would have been a lot worse for Wales at half-time.

The Pencoed man won a couple of crucial turnovers while he was relentless in defence and also carried well, while he was instrumental in dragging Wales back into the game. Morgan has a fight on his hands to get back into this Wales team if Reffell maintains this level of form.

Aaron Wainwright

The fact he was named player of the match in a losing side tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the Dragons man. Wainwright was outstanding throughout and excelled in every area of the game.

The 26-year-old was Wales’ main source of lineout ball, while he tackled himself to a standstill. His carrying game has come on leaps and bounds with one explosive charge up-field during the second half eventually resulting in a Wales try.

Wainwright has previously said his preferred position is No 8 but more often than not he has been used at blindside to make way for the world-class Taulupe Faletau. The reality is once Faletau is fit Gatland will likely want to include both players in his back-row but in the long run Wainwright will be his successor in the No 8 shirt, and is a serious contender to tour with the British & Irish Lions in the summer of 2025.

Listen to the latest Wales Rugby Podcast

Tomos Williams

No man did more to change Wales’ fortunes than the Gloucester-bound scrum-half. Williams did benefit from playing behind a Wales pack that was on the front foot but regardless of that he was outstanding.

There was so much more tempo and speed in Wales’ game with Williams at number nine, while he posed a serious threat with ball in hand which played havoc with the Scotland back-row. His game management was also top class with his decision making also very good.

Former Wales playmaker Rhys Priestland recently claimed Williams is currently the best player in Wales, and it’s hard to disagree with his assessment. He must start at Twickenham next Saturday.

Ioan Lloyd

It wasn’t the best start for the Scarlets playmaker who replaced the injured Sam Costelow during the closing stages of the first half as he missed a kick to touch which would have given Wales a five-metre lineout. But to his credit he put that one blunder behind him, and was quietly impressive during the second half.

Lloyd’s range of passing along with his peripheral vision added a different dimension to Wales’ attack. The 22-year-old’s footwork also asked plenty of questions of the Scotland defence.

On the whole Lloyd managed the game well during the second half, and Gatland would have been pleased with how the Scarlets man went. Given Costelow failed a HIA Lloyd is surely in pole position to wear the number 10 shirt at Twickenham next weekend.

Finn Russell

The Scotland playmaker was pure class and demonstrated a fly-half masterclass during a perfect 40 minutes of rugby for Scotland. Russell’s kicking out of hand was majestic, while his boot piled on the points and made Wales pay for the ill-discipline.

His range of passing was a joy to behold as he ripped the Wales defence to shreds. His delightful inside pass on 42 minutes sliced the Wales defence open which allowed Duhan van der Merwe to run in a stunning try.

At his best the Bath star is one of the world’s best players, and is worth the entrance fee alone.

Losers

The Wales lineout

Wales’ lineout improved significantly after the interval but it was shocking during the first 40 minutes. It’s no exaggeration to say Wales’ inaccuracy at the lineout during the first half may well have cost Gatland’s men this Test match.

Wales had three attacking lineouts deep in the Scotland half as the game approached the interval but made a mess of every single one. Starting hooker Ryan Elias has to shoulder some of the blame, and it would be no surprise to see Elliot Dee assume the number two shirt against England.

But the lineout is a collective effort, and Wales must figure out quickly why the lineout was so poor during the first half. A repeat of that at Twickenham will result in a heavy defeat for Wales.

Wales’ starting half-backs

Before judging any pair of half-backs you have to examine the quality of ball they were provided by their forwards. During the first half Wales’ pack got smashed physically which meant both Gareth Davies and Sam Costelow were on the back foot and forced to operate under severe pressure.

But another area where Wales came off second best was the kicking game with some of Davies’ wayward box-kicking putting his side under pressure, while Costelow struggled to get his back-line firing. It must be noted Costelow has been plagued by injuries this season, and hasn’t had much rugby under his belt.

The Scarlets man is a quality player who is highly rated by both the players and the management but this wasn’t one of his better showings. The likelihood is Wales will have a fresh pair of half-backs at Twickenham next weekend.

Wales’ discipline

In the lead up to the match Gatland would have hammered home the importance of not conceding soft penalties but within the first 10 minutes Wales transgressed three times. This gave the Scots field position which allowed them to build their attack and put Wales under pressure.

Wales conceded soft penalties which gave Scotland field position and ultimately resulted in the visitors putting points on the board. Gatland was also very frustrated with Josh Adams’ needless decision to throw the ball into the stands which resulted in another Scotland penalty.

Wales’ discipline was a lot better after the interval but the damage had been done during the first 40 minutes. If Wales can avoid giving soft penalty at HQ next weekend then they have an outside chance of causing an upset.