Wales coach Pivac fires warning to his players for Scotland clash

‘We owe it to ourselves and our public to put on a better display’: Wales coach Wayne Pivac fires warning to his players for Scotland clash after resisting temptation to rip up his team

  • Wales boss Wayne Pivac has responded to defeat by Ireland with four changes 
  • Jac Morgan has had a string of impressive performances at regional level 
  • Alex Cuthbert and Ross Moriarty also return to Pivac’s starting XV in Cardiff
  • Ellis Jenkins and Aaron Wainwright out with Cuthbert in for Johnny McNicholl

Wayne Pivac didn’t pull any punches when on Thursday he named his Wales side to face Scotland.

‘We owe it to ourselves and our public to put on a better display,’ said Pivac, admitting his team had let themselves and their rugby-mad population down in Ireland. ‘It’s as simple as that.’ 

A 29-7 hammering in Dublin started all manner of Welsh rugby soul-searching with the finger of blame being pointed at everyone from Pivac to the Welsh Rugby Union’s executive.

Wayne Pivac Pivac has resisted the temptation to rip up his team after thrashing in Ireland

The bottom line is Wales never got going last weekend and they must be far, far better this as they return to home comforts and a sold-out Principality Stadium.

‘One thing about this group is they’re not hiding from anything. They know they didn’t play their best game of rugby in Ireland,’ said Pivac. ‘But we also know there is a lot more to come.

‘It was round one. We won the Championship last year and it wasn’t until the last three rounds we started to hit our straps. Everyone was unanimous there is more to come ‘That’s why we haven’t made wholesale changes because we know a lot of the players, who were by their own admission below their own standards, deserve another opportunity.’ 

Jac Morgan will make his Test debut for Wales against Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday

Experienced wing Alex Cuthbert (left) also returns to Wayne Pivac’s starting side in Cardiff

Pivac has resisted the temptation to rip up his team despite Wales being blown away by Ireland’s forwards. Wales never got a foothold up front and it allowed Andy Farrell’s men to run riot.

Scotland, on the back of Calcutta Cup victory over England, are up next and Pivac has handed a surprise debut to 22-year-old back-row Jac Morgan.

The Ospreys flanker will form a twin openside partnership with Taine Basham with Ross Moriarty also coming in at No 8. Josh Adams misses out with a minor calf injury, so Owen Watkin is at centre.

Pivac’s selection of both Basham and Morgan in a rookie pairing suggests he knows the contact area is going to be vital against a Scotland side who will arrive in Cardiff full of beans.

Morgan is joined in Wales’ loose forward trio by Ross Moriarty who starts at No 8

Aaron Wainwright has dropped out from the side that lost against Ireland last weekend

WALES AND SCOTLAND SQUADS FOR SIX NATIONS CLASH

Wales: L Williams; Cuthbert, Tompkins, Watkin, Rees-Zammit; Biggar (capt), T Williams; Jones, Elias, Francis, Beard, Rowlands, Morgan, Basham, Moriarty

Replacements: Lake, Thomas, Lewis, S Davies, Wainwright, G Davies, Sheedy, J Davies

Scotland: Hogg (capt); Graham, Harris, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, Price; Schoeman, McInally, Nel, Gray, Gilchrist, Skinner, Watson, M Fagerson

Replacements: Turner, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Bradbury, Darge, White, Kinghorn, Redpath

Gregor Townsend’s side haven’t won in the Welsh capital since 2002. They will face a Wales side which includes captain Dan Biggar and Jonathan Davies on the bench.

Both players are poised to win their 100th caps.

Scotland head coach Townsend has swapped his front row for Wales and replaced the stricken Jamie Ritchie with Exeter’s Sam Skinner.

Ritchie will miss the rest of the Six Nations after hamstring surgery. His injury aside, rotating from a position of strength and on the back of a victory is a position few Scotland coaches have been in, certainly in recent times.

So, can Townsend’s side finally end their Cardiff hoodoo?

‘We should be better equipped,’ said the former fly-half. ‘We’ve had experiences against top sides home and away and shown resilience in those games.

‘All the positive feelings from last weekend’s result would disappear if we don’t get a result this weekend. We have areas to improve and Wales will challenge us in different areas than England.’  

Morgan meanwhile replaces Ellis Jenkins (left), who also is left out after defeat in Dublin

Dan Biggar will win his 100 Test cap as captain when they face Scotland at the weekend




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