Wales Vs Scotland: Russell Inspires Dramatic 26-23 Comeback in Cardiff
Scotland overturned a 12-point deficit to beat Wales 26-23 in Cardiff, a result that reshaped the Six Nations table and left the home crowd stunned. The wales vs scotland contest mattered because the visitors retained the Doddie Weir Cup, collected five tournament points and climbed to the top of the standings.
Wales Vs Scotland: Turning point and George Turner try
Wales led 23-19 late in the closing stages until Scotland’s sustained pressure from a close-range lineout produced the decisive score: George Turner piled over and gave the visitors the lead for the first time on the day. Finn Russell’s conversion made it a three-point margin, and Scotland held on for a 26-23 victory.
Finn Russell’s 11-point second half and the comeback arc
Finn Russell supplied 11 second-half points and was central to the revival after a difficult first 40 minutes. He was largely quiet in the opening half but then engineered two fast-paced scores that set Scotland on their comeback path. Scotland had trailed 20-5 after 47 minutes but outscored Wales 21-3 in the remainder of the match to secure the win.
Principality atmosphere, the ‘Get louder’ moment and the decisive crowd
Cardiff buzzed with a crowd of 70, 649, a sharp rise from the previous week’s low home attendance, and the Principality Stadium provided a deafening backdrop as the contest reached its climax. At one point giant screens urged fans to "Get louder, " an almost-comic moment amid frantic closing phases. The noise underlined the stakes as Scotland pounded at the Welsh line before Turner’s try.
Referee Matt Carley, Joe Hawkins yellow card and early match phases
Referee Matt Carley was prominent early on: Wales worked through nine attacking phases only to be penalised for going off their feet, and an initial high tackle by Joe Hawkins on Gregor Brown drew an early yellow card for the Wales inside centre. That numerical advantage helped Scotland press, although a delayed Finn Russell pass and a costly decision by Kyle Steyn thwarted an early try attempt.
Wales scoring sequence, substitutions and Wales’ renewed fight
Wales opened the scoring when Rhys Carre finished after a sustained spell of attack and Sam Costelow converted (7-0, 9 mins). Blair Kinghorn then released Kyle Steyn for the winger’s 16th international try (7-5, 13 mins), before Josh Adams finished in the left corner and Costelow added the extras (14-5, 19 mins). Costelow later kicked a penalty after an offside to make it 17-5 at 30 minutes. Wales’ line-up featured Rees-Zammit; Hamer-Webb (Murray 62), Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Sam Costelow (Evans 56), Williams; Rhys Carre (Smith 42), Dewi Lake (Elias 56), Francis (Griffin 51), Jenkins (Thomas 75), Carter, Taine Plumtree (Botham 9), Mann, Wainwright. Wales’ tries came from Carre and Adams, Costelow landed two conversions and two penalties, with Evans adding a penalty.
Scotland’s personnel moves, tries and competition implications
Scotland used tactical substitutions including Pierre Schoeman for Nathan McBeth, Josh Bayliss for Max Williamson and later changes that saw Duhan van der Merwe replaced by Graham and others shifted down the bench. Scotland’s match-day line-up included Kinghorn; Kyle Steyn, Jones (Jordan 67), Sione Tuipulotu, van der Merwe (Graham 54); Finn Russell, Ben White (Horne 54); Nathan McBeth (Schoeman 34), Cherry (Turner 54), Zander Fagerson (Millar-Mills 54), Williamson (Bayliss 34), Cummings (Gilchrist 67), Brown, Darge, Matt Fagerson. Scotland’s tries came from Steyn, Russell, Graham and Turner, with Russell successful on three conversions.
Retention of the Doddie Weir Cup and five tournament points moved Scotland to the top of the Six Nations table. What makes this notable is that Scotland backed up their Calcutta Cup win over England the previous week — this was only the third time Scotland have followed an England victory with a win against Wales in the Championship — and they will drop to second if France beat Italy on Sunday.
Wales reaction, injuries and player reflections
Wales head coach Steve Tandy said Sam Costelow and Taine Plumtree "don’t look great" after injuries sustained during the match, and captain Dewi Lake described the defeat as gut-wrenching while insisting the team had delivered much of what they worked on. The home side had been convincingly beaten by England and France in the competition’s opening rounds but showed renewed fight in Cardiff, only to be undone in the late stages.
Scotland finished the contest exhausted and relieved, with Sione Tuipulotu reflecting on the need to dig deep as the visitors recovered from being 20-5 down at one stage. Early tactical penalties and a late lineout platform ultimately produced the turnover and scores that sealed a 26-23 win for the visitors, a result that both retains the Doddie Weir Cup and keeps Scotland’s momentum in the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations campaign.
