Tuipulotu had not long clinched the Calcutta Cup, a prize with which Scottish captains have become quite familiar of late, and was already posing a new challenge for his team, referencing an unwanted record. Too often, highs against England under Gregor Townsend have been followed by a lower standard; one step forward, two steps back, too often. It’s a trend that extends even beyond Townsend’s tenure: in total, Scotland have beaten the Auld Enemy seven times since 2001 and lost their next match on six occasions. Add to this the Cardiff factor, a city where the Scots have only won twice this century, and Tuipulotu’s concern was completely understandable.
A meeting with a team still seeking a first Six Nations win since 2023 is perhaps not an appropriate time to prove points, but a Scottish victory would still be significant in the context of what has come before.
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It is worth remembering that they were, in fact, victorious on their last visit to the Principality Stadium, and yet the mere invention of letting a game in which they had a 27-point lead be ultimately decided by one gave that occasion two years ago a somewhat strange feel.
Scotland beat Wales by the slimmest of margins in 2024 (Getty Images)
The State of Wales seems to demand a much more convincing Scottish success, but danger may lurk. Injuries to Jamie Ritchie, Jack Dempsey and Jamie Dobie were a reminder of what the Six Nations demands, with a revamped competition schedule of three consecutive Tests creating more pressure on the fitness and mentality of a team that has at times felt small.
Townsend hopes the restorative rays and bright beaches of the Costa Blanca (Scotland spent the week at a training camp south of Valencia) can help before a trip to a slightly murkier coastal location.
Gregor Townsend got some respite with a brilliant victory in the Calcutta Cup last week (Getty Images)
Planning what would undoubtedly be a surprise on the banks of the Taff is a familiar enemy. Steve Tandy spent five and a half years as Townsend’s right-hand man, establishing himself as a top defensive lieutenant before his own country faltered.
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To characterize the problems he has faced in the months since taking up the Wales job as teething problems would perhaps inaccurately reflect a rugby nation out of date rather than infancy, but if the scale of the challenge facing Tandy was not abundantly clear, then four successive thrashings have made that point quite emphatically.
It’s hard to look too hard on a man who is dealt a hand that would make most people look for an alternative poker table. Improvements could be found in the performance against France, if not the result, and a team in need of positives will surely take advantage of anything they can find.
That said, a defensive-minded coach can’t be happy with an average concession of nearly 56 points per game in five games against non-Japanese opponents since taking over. Tandy is currently head and head defense coach; While he has suggested that a full-time addition to his staff is on the way, the fact that he has to fill both roles shows where Wales are at.
Steve Tandy is currently the head coach and defense coach, although he plans to soon appoint someone else to the latter role (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
“I’m aware that every coach, fan and player wants to win,” said Wales forwards coach Danny Wilson, another who spent time on the Scottish coaching staff in the past. “There’s the drive to do it, but there’s also the reality of how we do it. We can’t take shortcuts.
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“I’ve had enough time to know it wasn’t going to be an easy road. It was going to have its obstacles and I’m prepared for that. What we have to stay focused on is working hard to make the improvements we need to get this incredible rugby nation back to what it has been.”
On that front, the good news is that the Principality Stadium is expected to be considerably fuller for Scotland’s arrival than for France, although some are still voting with their feet amid a constant noise of unease surrounding Welsh rugby. But perhaps there is solace in Scottish history.
It was only 12 years ago that there were doubts about the short and long-term future of rugby in the northernmost nation that makes up this championship, with a heavy 20-0 home defeat to England, a low point followed three rounds later by a 51-3 thrashing in Cardiff. For the balance to tip so much in the other direction is not necessarily impossible, but Scotland will accept any kind of victory that keeps it moving in the right direction; Wales have no reason to believe that another unsuccessful campaign is not on the horizon.