Gregor Townsend feared Scotland deja vu during Cardiff collapse that brought 2010 flashbacks

Gregor Townsend feared Scotland deja vu as he watched his team cling on to an opening Six Nations victory by their fingernails.

The Scots looked like they were cruising to a first victory over Wales in Cardiff in 22-years. The Scots lead 27-0 just a few minutes in to the second half, having racked up 20 points without reply before the break. But ill discipline in defence twice meant they were down to 14 men for ten minutes. And the wheels threatened to come off as the hosts roared back with 26 unanswered points, with Townsend's men lucky they didn't convert their first try.

And the Scotland head coach admitted he was having flashbacks to 2010. He was assistant to Andy Robinson when a 24-14 lead was wiped out by a stunning Wales finish, who scored 17 points in the last few minutes to claim a 31-24 victory. The visitors thankfully regained their composure just in time, and could have scored again at the death before squeaking over the line.

"It was a bit like 2010 and it went into my thoughts as the second half went on," said Townsend after Scotland had ended a run of 11 straight defeats in Cardiff stretching back to 2002. "I remember the atmosphere that day when Wales had the momentum behind them and came back on the scoreboard.

"The same happened today, fortunately we stayed ahead and we were able to play well in the final five minutes. A lot of effort went into that last five minutes - we should have scored a try and we felt there were a couple of penalties that could have gone our way in the last passage - but it was past 80 minutes and we got the win."