Scotland 6-24 Wales, Six Nations, Murrayfield, February 12
Scotland v Wales - How they rated
ESPNscrum Staff
February 13, 2011
Scotland's John Barclay rues a missed opportunity, Scotland v Wales, Six Nations, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 12, 2011
Scotland's John Barclay shows his disappointmentundefined © PA Photos
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Wales snapped their long winless streak with a 24-6 victory over Scotland on Saturday. Here's our view of how the protagonists rated.

Hugo Southwell: A nightmare performance. Two of his four kicks from hand went out on the full, while his last one saw him take a boot in the face from Lee Byrne and depart. 4

Nikki Walker: A couple of powerful carries but was not utilised enough. Also contributed to Scotland's big error count with some forced offloads. 6

Joe Ansbro: Nowhere near as effective as in Paris. Was wary of Jamie Roberts' physicality and put down a couple of balls, including a try-scoring chance when Wales had men in the bin. 6

Nick De Luca: Some nice touches from the Edinburgh man but couldn't get the Scotland backline to spark. 7

Max Evans: Lively when given the chance, but errors from his team-mates inside him meant he rarely received ball in good positions. 7

Dan Parks: Played too far behind the gain-line, and resorted to cross-kicking when he ran out of ideas. Ineffective and was troubled when Roberts ran at him. 4

Rory Lawson: A quiet game by his standards and it was no surprise when Mike Blair replaced him. 5

Allan Jacobsen: Cruelly exposed by James Hook for Wales' first try and found Craig Mitchell a Test at scrum time, carried well after the break. 7

Ross Ford: Line-out functioned well from his accurate throwing but was part of an outmuscled pack. 6

Euan Murray: Had nowhere near as many scrum problems as in Paris but struggled at times. Looks like he is short of gametime. 6

Nathan Hines: Moved to accommodate the loss of Richie Gray and was a subdued presence, Scotland greatly missed the younger man. 5

Alastair Kellock (capt): Grafted bravely and was not lacking in aggression, cut an increasingly frustrated figure. 6

Kelly Brown: Was his typical hard-working self and was prepared to carry whenever asked. Was largely well stifled. 6

John Barclay: Secured some important turnovers but could not make his usual impact behind and made some uncharacteristic errors. 6

Richie Vernon: Carried well but was part of a Scottish back-row that was below its best. 6

Replacements:

Scott Lawson: Spilled the ball as Scotland launched a promising attack, did little else of note. 5

Moray Low: Did a sound job after replacing Murray and will get his chance in the coming weeks with a couple of Sunday fixtures. 6

Scott MacLeod: Failed to make an impact. 5

Mike Blair: Sharpened up delivery around the ruck but couldn't ignite a stagnant Scottish back division. 7

Sean Lamont: Made some dashing bursts after replacing Southwell and was Scotland's most dangerous back, although he was caught out of position for Wales' second try. 8

Wales' Shane Williams breaches the Scotland defence, Scotland v Wales, Six Nations, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 12, 2011
Shane Williams starred for Wales with two tries © Getty Images
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Wales

Lee Byrne: Solid at the back and his left boot earned Wales good territory, but his discipline remains a question mark after picking up his third yellow card in the last 12 months. 5

Morgan Stoddart: Looked to be struggling with the hand he broke against England and his defensive play was non-existent. Could lose his place to the fit-again Leigh Halfpenny. 5

Jamie Roberts: Clearly stung by criticism of his display last week, Touched the ball more in the first quarter here than in 80 minutes eight days ago. Gave Wales direction and was fierce in defence. 7

Jonathan Davies: Another solid display and he and Roberts were strong defensively and gave the Scottish midfield little room. Good chip for the second try and appears to be maturing nicely at Test level. 7

Shane Williams: Always posed questions with ball in hand and showed some nice touches, finished his two tries well. 7

James Hook: Sparkled as Wales came out of the blocks rapidly. Created the first try and missed just once with the boot. Question marks remain about some of his kicking from hand though and the late introduction of Stephen Jones was a good move. 7

Mike Phillips: Not at his best once again but was robust in defence. Kicking game poor at times. 6

Paul James: Had the edge in his scrum battle with Euan Murray and made several telling contributions around the field. 7

Matthew Rees (capt): Had a few worrying moments at the line-out in the early going but was industrious when Wales were pinned back in the second-half. 6

Craig Mitchell: Continues to battle manfully at the scrum and is showing signs he can cope at this level. 6

Bradley Davies: Will be relieved that his needless yellow card did not prove costly. Got through plenty of work as he looked to atone. 6

Alun-Wyn Jones: Typically big display defensively, and is in a fine vein of form. 7

Dan Lydiate: Colossal. Made tackle after tackle and won a key turnover when Wales were two men down. A mystery why he was substituted. 9

Sam Warburton: Part of a tremendous back-row display. A deserving Man of the Match. He and Lydiate are a tireless partnership. 9

Ryan Jones: A fine performance. Gave away a couple of penalties but his work off the back of the scrum was very good. 7

Replacements:

Richard Hibbard: Given a few minutes as a replacement for Rees. 5

John Yapp: Did a solid job after replacing James. 6

Jonathan Thomas: Replaced Lydiate and was part of a fine defensive effort. 6

Stephen Jones: Brought on for the last quarter but had little ball against the Scotland onslaught. Strong defence. 6

Tavis Knoyle: Given a late run but little chance to impress. 5

Rhys Priestland: Won his first cap late on and his versatility will be a boost to Wales going forward. 5

Josh Turnbull: Worked hard after replacing Alun-Wyn Jones, a couple of meaty hits. 6

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