Scotland will travel to Cardiff this Saturday evening determined to keep both their Six Nations and Triple Crown ambitions alive when they face Wales.
Gregor Townsend’s side have already lifted the Calcutta Cup when they beat England last weekend and, in the process, claimed the Raeburn Shield title.
The Scots will be confident of making it four wins in a row over the Welsh, as Steve Tandy’s side have only won two of their last 24 international Tests.
However, Finn Russell and his teammates are not taking this game lightly, as they know how dangerous Wales are at home despite their struggles, as witnessed in Scotland’s narrow 27-26 win two years ago in Cardiff.
Advert
The British and Irish Lion spoke to the Scottish media team while out with the squad in their Spanish training camp ahead of this crucial fixture.
He said: “Wales always come out and work hard there. They’re an emotional team, so they’re going to give it everything they’ve got at home.
“They’ve not had the best couple of results to start the tournament off, but they’re always a hard team to beat.
“The stadium will hopefully be sold out... it is always a great atmosphere down there, so I am looking forward to it. And those last two games against Wales show that complacency that can creep in because they’ve come back strongly in the second half in both games.”
Welsh head coach Tandy will be coming up against his former employers when they roll into town this weekend, previously working as the Scotland defence coach before being appointed to this current position.
While it is not guaranteed, as things change quickly in rugby, Tandy may have a plan to counter the Scotland approach with an insider’s knowledge of just how to achieve this.
Russell said: “It be good going against Steve [Tandy]; obviously he knows the boys well, and we know him well. It is different for him being the head coach, and I watch his defence coach, obviously.
“Danny Wilson was at Glasgow, so the boys know him really well also, so it’s good.
“It’s good fun going against old coaches and old players that you played with, but yeah, we’ve got one goal for the weekend, and that’s to get the win down in Wales.”
Topics: Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan