Gwyn Jones: Wales need to make it awkward and must expose Scotland star immediately

Former Wales fly-half and S4C pundit gives his thoughts ahead of Wales v Scotland

Wales were better at the weekend. At first glance, it looked like progress. But the closer you look, the less certain that feels. Some parts of the performance answered questions. Others raised more. And those questions linger.

Against England problems were obvious. The line-out was dreadful. Discipline worse. Four yellow cards left Wales defending with 13 men for long stretches. Space opened. England scored freely. When you undermine your own defensive structure for that long, you might as well hand the scoreboard over.

But against France, discipline was better. No yellow cards this time. No parade of penalties. And yet Wales still conceded eight tries. This isn’t just indiscipline. It’s structural. Its systemic.

France, of course, are exceptional. Power. Skill. Timing. On course for a Grand Slam. But Wales cannot keep shipping 40 points a game and hope to compete. Even against the strongest sides, those numbers are unsustainable.

Defence must become the core of this Welsh side. Harder to play against. Awkward. Resilient. Line speed, tackle technique, spacing, cohesion. These players need to eat, sleep and dream defence.

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Attack can wait. Pragmatism first, the team must learn how to stay in the fight, and eventually confidence will follow.

Structurally, Wales were too narrow. France exploited it. The best example was when the French committed half their backline to a driving maul, they still outflanked us with cross-field kicks.

Against Scotland, that will be punished. They move the ball fast. Accurately. They exploit gaps.

As I said last week, I would love to see Tommy Reffell in the side. Against Scotland I would task him with getting under Finn Russell’s skin. There is still a place for some old-fashioned bullying. As Ray Prosser would say, ‘intimidation is nine-tenths of the game’.

Russell must not be allowed to settle. His capricious nature must be exposed.

He must not be given the time and space to pick Wales apart.

Scotland will miss Matt Dempsey because he makes an impact with almost every contribution. They do not have an equivalent replacement, and it weakens the impact of their bench.

The Scotland of old were a rucking powerhouse. And despite the changes in modern game they still hit rucks with aggression and speed. Wales must match that intensity or risk gifting them control.

In attack Wales can be simple. They need to get the carriers flat to the line. Play off nine and do not be afraid of being boring.

In fact boring is good, it means the game is in a stalemate and currently that is what we are aspiring to achieve.

We need to be able to hold onto the ball, phase after phase. Small gains. Repeated tackles. Force errors. Width and flair can come later. First, establish a platform, create pressure and don’t be tempted to go for the miracle play.

The kicking strategy has been criticised by everyone but for me it’s less about the number of kicks and more the execution.

When Wales kicked long they sent a single chaser haring up field. He was easily beaten with a single pass.

When you kick long the priority is a connected line of defenders moving up the field together, cutting off any counter attack. This should be basic stuff.

Decision-making remains patchy. Against France, line-out carries sometimes crossed the gain line, and for a moment there was space to attack, to build momentum and put the defence under pressure.

Instead, Wales failed to recognise the opportunity and stuck with the rehearsed kick. This is what happens when you are low on confidence. It breeds hesitation and the moment is lost.

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The breakdown remains another concern. Wales lack a consistent jackal threat. Chop tackles allow a contest for the ball, an opportunity to slow down possession and it sets an offside line from which you can get ready for the next phase.

Holding the ball carrier up allows the attacking team to push forward, it may give time to get hands free to offload and causes the defensive line to keep retreating.

Wales need to get Scottish runners on the deck and challenge hard for the ball.

In the autumn we knew that Wales were facing a torrid run of games. They had New Zealand, South Africa, England and France in successive matches.

Back then, the game against Scotland felt reachable. It felt like a game that Wales might win. But reality bites. Wales are inferior to Scotland in too many ways to be confident of a win this weekend.

But we have been here before with the team from the north. Inconsistency has been their hallmark. Is it too much to hope they will self-destruct again?

Wales is a team in transition. I have no doubt that the effort is there. The desire is visible. But Test match rugby is unforgiving, the errors remain too frequent. Too costly.

My wish above all this weekend is that Wales avoid conceding early. Let’s not be three scores down in the opening 20 minutes. Compete and stay in the game. Pressure matters. Give it everything for the first hour.

Engage the crowd and see if Scotland get rattled. Tackle everything that moves. The scoreboard may not be perfect. But the process is all important.

Gwyn Jones is part of S4C’s live coverage of every Wales match in the Six Nations. You can watch Wales v Scotland from 4pm on Saturday.