Scotland will be wary of a rapidly-improving Wales as they bid to bounce back from their Calcutta Cup defeat.
Finn Russell’s missed conversion denied the visitors a fifth successive success over the Auld Enemy, and raised tough questions for Gregor Townsend with another Six Nations without significant success beckoning. With France to come on the final weekend, this becomes a crucial encounter to show that progress can still be made for this group and this coaching staff.
For Wales, meanwhile, this feels like a free shot. The rapid, drastic improvements shown in Matt Sherratt’s first game as interim coach have brought the optimism back to Welsh rugby, even if defeat to Ireland extended their long losing runs to 15 games. Sherratt has insisted he has no interest in the role on a full-time basis but another strong showing here would further his reputation and instil further confidence within a young squad in need of positivity. Can they snap the streak?
Follow all of the latest from Murrayfield in our live blog below:
Gregor Townsend: Scotland have a lot to play for in last two Six Nations games
Gregor Townsend insists Scotland still have plenty to play for in this year’s Six Nations despite back-to-back defeats against Ireland and England killing their latest crack at championship glory.
The Scots have no realistic chance of winning the title as they head into their final two matches at home to Wales and away to France, with just a home win over Italy to their name so far.
Townsend’s team are currently fourth in the table and the head coach insisted they are motivated by the prospect of bouncing back from their frustrating 16-15 Calcutta Cup loss and trying to secure a rare top-three finish.
Harry Latham-Coyle8 March 2025 12:15
Six Nations title permutations: What Ireland, France and England need to win the championship
Luke Baker8 March 2025 12:00
Darcy Graham returns to Scotland starting line-up
Darcy Graham is back in Scotland’s starting XV for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations showdown with Wales at Murrayfield.
The Edinburgh wing missed the 16-15 defeat against England last time out after suffering a concussion in the home defeat to Ireland almost four weeks ago.
Graham passed his HIA before the match at Allianz Stadium on February 22 but Scotland coaches and medics opted to take a precautionary approach and give him more time to ensure he was fully recovered given the severity of his collision with team-mate Finn Russell.
Harry Latham-Coyle8 March 2025 11:45
Gregor Townsend faces biggest match of Scotland reign with his future on the line
If Scotland had forgotten about the expectation that surrounds the squad as they prepare to welcome Wales to Edinburgh this weekend, Adam Jones was keen to remind them.
“There’s no pressure on us, there’s pressure on Scotland,” said the Wales scrum coach. “This is probably one of the best sides they’ve ever had, if not the best side they’ve ever had. They’ll be expecting to beat us pretty comfortably at home, against a team that’s lost 15 times [in a row]. We haven’t put much of an underdog tag on us, but results probably dictate we are.”
Luke Baker8 March 2025 11:30
Scotland vs Wales LIVE
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s LIVE coverage of the second helping of Six Nations action on the penultimate Saturday of the tournament, and a highly intriguing encounter between Scotland and Wales. The visitors come bouncing up to Murrayfield having found new life under interim boss Matt Sherratt, while Gregor Townsend’s side are still ruing the missed opportunities at Twickenham a fortnight ago with the head coach under growing pressure.
Kick off in Edinburgh is at 4.45pm GMT.
Harry Latham-Coyle7 March 2025 21:25
