Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones has warned his team mates to brace for a confident Scotland side that will attack them with ball in hand in their Six Nations meeting at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Jones believes the Scots will be full of confidence after their surprise 11-6 victory over England at Twickenham, and will use the attacking guile of flyhalf Finn Russell and captain Stuart Hogg to take the game to the visitors.
“They were due probably a win like that, and to do it in a Calcutta Cup match was obviously very special for them and the competition,” Jones told reporters on Friday. “But in fairness to Scotland, they haven’t deviated from their attacking game.
“Their set-piece has been a staple throughout, and with the spine of the team with Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg, they haven’t deviated from maintaining that appetite for attack, and to see them continue to do that, particularly in those (wet) conditions, was a credit to them.
“We are well aware of the threats that they have, we know the box of tricks that Finn has, and the ability he has to play, but we have got to focus on the team, not solely on an individual.”
Wales edged 14-man Ireland 21-16 in their Six Nations opener in Cardiff, profiting from an early red card for the visitors’ Peter O’Mahony to put in a strong second half performance.
“Generally, our defence has improved and our territory was there. The two main ones (improvements) would be to capitalise on the possession we have, and elements of execution in the lineout where we let ourselves down,” Jones said.
Scotland beat Wales 14-10 when the sides last met in the Autumn Nations Cup in Llanelli in October, but have not recorded back-to-back wins over the Welsh since 2003.