Scotland 13 - 26 Wales: On a day when both sides played wholly in line with pre-tournament expectations, the final score flattered Scotland as Wales picked up where they left off when winning their grand slam last year.
On a day when both sides played wholly in line with pre-tournament expectations, the final score flattered Scotland as Wales picked up where they left off when winning their grand slam last year.
From the moment the build-up to this match got properly underway and it became clear that Euan Murray and Nathan Hines were unavailable to play, nothing went right for Scotland's management.
Yet, Wales also had their problems, losing Gavin Henson - owner of a perfect 10 from 10 record in his previous Six Nations Tests - two days before the game and then Ryan Jones, their captain, on its eve.
In any case, the Scotland coaches cannot be in any way absolved of blame, having falsely raised expectations by joining in all the overblown talk about the extent of the progress made in the autumn when they were thrashed by the All Black second string then failed to capitalise on building a potential match-winning lead against a complacent Springbok side. They, too, were the people responsible for selection decisions that seemed utterly confused.
If, on the one hand, they genuinely believed that they were capable of outscoring Wales in the try count, then the inclusion of Thom Evans, the domestic game's top finisher, was a must. If not, and they felt they had to rely on grinding their way to victory, then the inclusion of the world's best goal-kicker, Chris Paterson, had to be automatic.
In the event, those who favoured the latter - and they were in the minority - were pretty much proved wrong. Paterson came off the bench early enough to have a full influence and was customarily perfect in his goal-kicking, with three from three. By contrast, Stephen Jones, the Wales stand-off, hit the target with only two of his seven shots at goal which mattered not a jot since his team-mates accumulated a match-winning haul of four tries.
From the earliest stages, Wales looked much the sharper side. Only Mike Blair's eager covering stopped Shane Williams getting in with an early score after Sean Lamont fell off a tackle. Jamie Roberts, meanwhile, came close to capitalising after Phil Godman passed to thin air, only to see his attempted hack ahead skew off his shin into touch.
Wales were pressing again when Simon Webster put in a challenge on Martyn Williams that bordered on reckless in his lack of concern for his own safety. And while the two-time British & Irish Lions flanker felt it, the Scottish winger was out cold before he hit the ground.
It was an injury which would eventually lead to Webster's withdrawal but, strangely, considering how often we are told that one of the reasons for playing in Scotland is that players are so much better looked after, it seemed that even when he was substituted it was pretty much at the referee's insistence.
The Scottish scrum was then taken apart for by no means the last time, forcing Simon Taylor to concede a penalty as he tried to hang onto possession at the base, Jones gave Wales a 3-0 lead that was the least they deserved with 11 minutes gone.
If Webster's injury was self-inflicted, it was nothing to the moment that brought Geoff Cross's debut to a premature end. To the pain of leaving the field on a stretcher after his chin connected with Lee Byrne's knee as he made horribly illegal contact with the airborne full-back, was added the indignity of a sadly deserved yellow card.
Having opponents whose confidence was growing by the minute, Scotland were in desperate trouble and conceded two tries while undermanned.
The first saw Wales slickly shift the ball left to draw the stretched defence towards the touchline before Byrne cut infield then fed Tom Shanklin at close enough range for his strength to see him over.
The second was a direct result of what by now looked a shambles of a pack being driven off their own ball at a scrum inside their 22. Martyn Williams was first to react as the ball squirted out of it and fed Stephen Jones who set up a ruck from which Alun-Wyn Jones was quickly delivered the ball and the lock had both strength to reach to the line and dexterity to twist his arm cleverly and touch it down.
Fortunately for Scotland, Jones missed both conversions, so when Graeme Morrison put in a massive hit on Mike Phillips that earned a penalty within range, Paterson's kick meant the deficit was not overly imposing.
Back to full strength, the Scots upped their effort and Paterson, eager once again to prove that he is much more than a goal-kicking machine, almost weaved a way through. The resultant scrum, with the Scots having the put-in after he was stopped a yard short, should have been another great attacking platform, but again Scotland were driven off it. Instead, then, it was Wales who got the extra lift as they headed down the tunnel after they earned Jones another chance and he extended the lead with his boot.
Within a minute of the resumption, it was all but over as a contest. Roberts found a huge hole in the defence and, as the retreating defence became overstretched, Leigh Halfpenny marked his Six Nations debut with a try on the right.
Only a brave tackle by Hugo Southwell, one of Scotland's better performers, on Alun-Wyn Jones prevented another being scored soon after.
Paterson reduced the deficit when Martyn Williams blatantly killed the ball in a fashion that should have earned a sin bin as Scotland attacked once more. But the difference was that when Wales created clear chances, they looked much less likely to give defenders a chance to intervene.
Consequently, there was something rather inevitable about the fact that Shane Williams got himself on the scoresheet, squirming through Scott Gray's tackle after the defence had again been stretched one way, to the Welsh right and then struggled to react when play shifted back towards the left touchline.
Wales made five changes as their coaches looked towards the meeting with England. It cost them some of them rhythm and momentum.
Six minutes after taking the field, Max Evans, one of Glasgow Warriors' heroes in Toulouse three weeks earlier, claimed his first Test try with a brilliant solo effort, using pace to beat the first tackler, dazzling footwork to beat a second, then strength and flexibility to hold off the last two while twisting to the line.
Thereafter, Scotland played quite brightly in the final quarter and might have given Wales a scare had either Godman executed his cross kick better when they had extra men available as they attacked down the right or had Allan Jacobsen's hands not let him down after a fine break by Chris Cusiter.
With time running out, Paterson again got close when the ball bounced well for him and badly for Byrne as the Scot pursued his speculative-looking chip, but the video referee rightly decreed that he had knocked on rather than exerting downward pressure.
