Dan Biggar holds his nerve as Wales edge Scotland in Six Nations thriller

So Wales not quite as bad as we thought; Scotland still not nearly as consistent as they would like. After opening weekends of contrasting fortunes the two played out a thriller, the sort of edgy, imperfect, dramatic event on which this championship prides itself.

On his 100th cap, Dan Biggar stepped up – insofar as his injured knee would allow – to land a drop goal with 10 minutes to go. He did with his opposite number, Finn Russell, every bit as much as a talisman for Scotland as Biggar is for Wales, in the sin bin, after a knock-on that was judged to be deliberate. Scotland, having played most of the match with their usual combination of brio and class, fell away sharply thereafter. The final 10 minutes saw them haunted and error-prone, while Wales grew all the larger.

Alas, there had to be a loser. Scotland feel those familiar pangs, seemingly all the more familiar after the giddy heights of victory. But regardless of the highs and lows of individual fortunes, this was a testament to the competitive vigour of this ancient event.

The bookies had rated the match closer than the feeling at large seemed to. Form-wise there ought to have been only one team in it – and it was not the team in red, so used to prevailing here over the one in blue. Scotland won on their last visit to Wales, but that was in an empty stadium in Llanelli on account of the virus. In Cardiff, though, Wales tend to play like a different beast, whatever the personnel. Hence that ranking for Scotland of only narrow favourites.

The virus had not quite finished with proceedings, insisting that the roof remain open for cleaner air, which meant an influential role given the rain in it. That might have suited Scotland still further, with their muscular