Scotland player ratings vs Wales | 2023 Guinness Six Nations
Scotland player ratings: Scotland backed up their Calcutta Cup success with a bonus point 35-7 thumping of a hapless Wales at Murrayfield.
Kyle Steyn led the way with a couple of tries, while Blair Kinghorn, George Turner and Matt Fagerson also crossed in a record Scotland win over Wales. Finn Russell added the rest of the points from the tee.
Scotland’s win came despite the early loss of Stuart Hogg who failed a head injury assessment, but the hosts were undeterred as they finally ended their wait for a win over Warren Gatland’s Wales.
Here’s how Gregor Townsend’s players performed.
15. Stuart Hogg – 5
The former captain lasted only a dozen minutes before he was forced off. His only notable contribution came very early as he made a good half break from Tomos Williams’ first clearance.
14. Kyle Steyn – 7.5
Brilliant awareness to tap down Russell’s cross kick, then nearly got away from a lineout move on the half-hour only to be flattened in the corner by Dyer and Adams. His tries laid on a plate.
13. Huw Jones – 8
A scorching break early on as the Glasgow centre pairing combined. Jones also made a couple of clever defensive read to shut down Wales attacks. Soft hands under huge pressure to put van der Merwe away early in the second half.
12. Sione Tuipulotu – 7.5
Outstanding no-look pass that had Hawkins bamboozled as Jones cut through. Becoming such a key cog in this Scotland side and a perfect foil for Russell.
11. Duhan van der Merwe – 8
The two-try star of last week didn’t get things all his own way this afternoon. He was forced to carry over by Adams and should’ve done better to get in support after Jones’ early break.
10. Finn Russell – 8.5
Provided a stunning offload for Steyn’s first score and a perfect kick for the winger’s second. The same combination so nearly linked up in the first half too. When Scotland click he’s usually at the heart of it.
Stop it Finn ??#SCOvWAL | #SixNations2023 pic.twitter.com/LiScsCcF1A
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 11, 2023
9. Ben White – 7
Not quite as slick as at Twickenham but came close to putting van der Merwe away with a break down the touchline. Nervy start to the second half with a wild pass.
1. Pierre Schoeman – 7.5
Carried more ball than any other Scot in the first half (6). Silly high tackle on Morgan.
2. George Turner – 8
An all-action showing from the hooker, who did well to finish his try only moments before being sent to the bin for a high tackle on North. His lineout throws were excellent and he’s explosinve ball in hand.
3. Zander Fagerson – 6
Still giving away far too many silly penalties, including the one that let Wales back into the game. Worked hard and the pick of the front five defensively with 17 tackles.
4. Richie Gray – 7
The big lock wasn’t to be found galloping in the wide channels like a week ago, but dominated the air as Scotland’s go-to lineout man and chipped in with 14 tackles.
5. Grant Gilchrist – 7
Didn’t carry the ball in the first half and threw a wild pass after van der Merwe had got Scotland moving. Did though chip in with 12 tackles – including a good recovery on Tomos Williams early in the second half – and ensured lineout functioned well.
6. Jamie Ritchie – 8
Excellent turnover penalty on 26 minutes with Wales camped in the Scottish 22. Also showed terrific work-rate to collect Steyn’s offload from Russell’s cross-field kick. Lovely no-look pass to free Steyn as Scotland cut loose. Fittingly won the penalty to end the game.
7. Luke Crosbie – 6.5
Didn’t get much joy on the ground but worked tirelessly again, chipping in with a dozen tackles. Sacrificed when Turner went to the bin, and looked to have injured a shoulder moments after returning.
8. Matt Fagerson – 8.5
One of this team’s unsung stars. Backed up his 27 tackles last week with a team best again (19) today, and a dozen carries. Two excellent interventions to stop Carre scoring. Deserved his late try.
Replacements
16. Fraser Brown – 6
On during Turner’s sin-bin but lost his first lineout. Returned on the hour and was busy, though not to the same effect as the man he replaced.
17. Jamie Bhatti – 6
On for Schoeman on 65 minutes and put Brown under pressure at the scrum.
18. WP Nel – 6
The veteran also joined the action with 15 minutes to go. Helped win a scrum penalty.
19. Jonny Gray – 6
Joined his brother for the final 15 minutes. Helped win a maul turnover shortly after.
20. Jack Dempsey – 5
On for the injured Crosbie five minutes into the second half and gave away a soft penalty for a high tackle.
21. George Horne – 6.5
On for the final quarter to replace White and increased the tempo.
22. Blair Kinghorn – 7.5
The Edinburgh man came on for Hogg early and showed he’s an international class fullback. Used his pace to almost put Steyn away in the first half, before scoring the bonus point try late on. Defensively good too as he put Biggar under pressure on the stroke of half-time.
23. Chris Harris – 5
On for the final stages with the game won, replacing Tuipulotu.
Comments on RugbyPass
What was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
28 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
83 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
83 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
28 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
28 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to comments