Scotland stopped Wales from winning their first Six Nations in three years with a late finish, taking the lead with five minutes left to seal a 26-23 victory in Cardiff.
Wales had a much better first-half performance and went into the second half with a 17-5 lead thanks to tries from Reece Carre and Josh Adams, but they came under even more pressure in the second half.
Scotland secured an important win with tries from Finn Russell, Darcy Graham and George Turner in the second half, followed by a goal from Kyle Steyn in the 40th minute and a charge from Gregor Townsend.
It was Scotland’s fourth consecutive win over Wales, their best result since they won five in a row between 1923 and 1927, and they head to Dublin for the final weekend of Championship action for the Triple Crown.
Wales were desperate for a strong start after being put ahead by England and France in the first quarter.
However, Wales were reduced to 14 points within five minutes when Joe Hawkins received a yellow card for shoulder-to-head contact with Gregor Brown.
The bunker review ended without further penalties for the centre, but Wales were at a disadvantage for 10 minutes, with Adams denying Scotland an early lead with an interception on the line.
Wales made the most of their escape 10 minutes later, driving in front with Tomos Williams’ tapped penalty and ending with prop Carré scoring for the second successive game after his win against France.
Wales prop Rhys Carre forced his way through to score the opening try in the 10th minute.
Costelow scored, but Wales lost flanker Tein Plumtree to a shoulder injury and Scotland were soon back on the attack.
Sione Tuipulotu burst through the middle and Finn Russell released Blair Kinghorn to send out Steyn in the corner before Hawkins returned to the fray.
Kyle Steyn scored Scotland’s only goal of the first half.
But Wales were a far cry from the timid side who lost to England and France, and were able to extend their lead after 19 minutes.
Dewi Lake at one point gained vital yards sprinting up the floor and Wales were once again charging towards the try line.
Costelow kept his cool, flicked Adams out, and added five more points with a touchline conversion and a direct penalty as Wales continued to win the physical battle.
Costelow extended Wales’ lead to more than two points with his second penalty, and Scotland’s frustration was summed up when Huw Jones, who had crossed twice against England, dropped the ball at the tryline.
Josh Adams (right) scored Wales’ second goal as they led 17-5 at half-time.
But Russell made no mistake after Scotland attacked the home line in over 20 phases, finding space for the fly-half and scoring his own.
Substitute flyhalf Jarrod Evans’ first appearance was to extend Wales’ lead with a penalty, but Scotland attacked straight from kick-off.
Finn Russell scored Scotland’s second try in the 55th minute.
Russell sent the ball over the head of James Botham and Graham was alert to collect the rebound. Russell added another point to narrow the gap to 23-19.
Wales missed a chance to extend their lead after a penalty was canceled for a foul, but substitute hooker Turner grabbed Scotland’s bonus point try with five minutes remaining, and Russell’s winner was decisive.
Townsend: An upset win will be good for us |Tandy: I’m very shocked.
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend said:
“I think coming back against a quality team and the way we played in the second half got us over the hurdle.
“We probably don’t look at the side of history[that couldn’t back up a big win]. We know it was there and we wanted to build on the performance, but Wales had the momentum in the first half.
“I was so proud to see the team come together, find solutions and not take the easy way out. They fought to the end and were desperate to get the win, but they went above and beyond.”
“It was control, it was intelligence, and it was obviously a close victory. But it will give us a lot of benefits.”
Wales head coach Steve Tandy said:
“That was a step in the right direction, but we have to be better next time.
“There was a lot to like about the way we ran the game in the first half, which was great.
“There was more we wanted to see as a group. I coach this team and I’m shocked by them. This is a snapshot of where we need to be.”
“For the most part in this game, if we continue to grow and adapt, we’ll be in contention.”
Wales captain Dewi Lake added:
“It’s heartbreaking.
“Credit to Scotland, they’re first-class players. Our players up front were dominant in the first half, but Scotland had some good moments in the second half.”
What’s next?
Wales face Ireland in the fourth leg of the Six Nations on Friday 6th March at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (kick-off 8.10pm).
On Saturday 7th March, Scotland host France at Murrayfield in Edinburgh (kick-off 2.10pm).
