Wales in high spirits as Warren Gatland talks up 'mouth-watering' showdown with rivals England

Wales' emphatic 34-7 victory against Scotland sets up a potentially seismic encounter at Twickenham next Saturday

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In the unlikely event anyone in the England camp believed they only needed to turn up next Saturday to beat Warren Gatland’s injury-depleted side, they were given a rude awakening by events in Cardiff on day one of the Six Nations.

Wales did not merely beat Scotland, they humiliated them.

A score line of 34-7 may look harsh on paper but in reality it could and should have been an even greater margin of victory as Gatland’s team, shorn of eight British & Irish Lions through injury, handed Scotland a brutal rugby lesson at the Principality Stadium.

It sets up a potentially seismic encounter at Twickenham next Saturday, when Wales will have the added advantage of an all-important extra day’s recovery.

“I think it is a mouth-watering fixture now because not many people expected us to come through as we did today and hopefully people will sit up and take notice and it will make next week more interesting,” Gatland said.

“Since I have been involved we have had some big performances, good results and big victories there so it is not a place we are afraid to go away to. It is a great ground and we will go there with confidence and self-belief and hopefully we will get something.”

Gregor Townsend’s much-fancied side were sent back home to think again as the crushing reality of yet another false dawn for Scottish rugby broke across the highlands and islands.

Narrow favourites coming into the game, it was hard to conclude Scotland did anything other than choke under the pressure of expectation, just as they did against England at Twickenham last year. When the heat came on, Scotland wilted.

But it was Wales who applied the pressure. And in the most intense, precise and damaging manner as veteran full back Leigh Halfpenny produced a faultless solo performance to silence those calling for him to be dropped, while Wales’ support cast stepped up to play starring roles in a bonus-point victory as uplifting for Gatland and his troops as it was deflating for Townsend and his.

Warren Gatland is the relishing the prospect of next week’s showdown with England (Getty)

Wales were in a different class. While both sides talked of attacking rugby ahead of the tournament it was Wales who delivered the clinical accuracy required to execute skills on the international stage, whereas Scotland flapped and floundered when passes went awry. When plan A went wrong, they had nowhere else to turn and the result was a comprehensive opening day defeat which now paints their 2018 Six Nations campaign in a potentially very different light.

But while Scotland were poor, Wales were outstanding.

Halfpenny’s individual haul of 24 points, including two tries, four conversions and two penalties, was boy’s own stuff as he produced perhaps his finest performance in a Wales shirt when he needed it most.

The 29-year-old, winning his 75th Wales cap, defended astutely, passed imaginatively and kicked quite beautifully from the tee, repaying the faith shown in him by Gatland in spades.

But while the experienced Halfpenny scored the bulk of his sides points, it was those who stepped in for Wales’ band of injured Lions who did the grunt work of this comprehensive victory.

Forged on a bedrock of 10 Scarlets, Wales’ supporting cast were simply superb, with Dragons lock Cory Hill a willing and hugely effective partner for the magnificent Alun Wyn Jones in the second row.

Leigh Halfpenny put in an outstanding performance for Wales (Getty)

Wales’ back row of Aaron Shingler, Josh Navidi and Ross Moriarty made a mockery of those of us who thought the loss of Toby Faletau, Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric would be too much for any side to bare as half-backs Rhys Patchell and Gareth Davies translated their Parc Y Scarlets form onto the international stage.

Hadleigh Parkes, on his second appearance, looked a seasoned international veteran at inside centre alongside Scott Williams and wingers Josh Adams, on debut, and Steff Evans both enjoyed fine games.

Evans scored Wales’ fourth try midway through the second half after Davies had opened the scoring when he intercepted a wayward pass from opposite man Ali Price in the seventh minute.

Wales’ front row also dominated their opponents, although perhaps not in the manner some expected, as Gatland’s men produced one of the most dominant displays of his 10-year-tenure when common sense suggested they would struggle under the weight of a crippling injury crisis.

Not a bit of it. If anything, they were left frustrated at failing to finish off another two tries, both involving marauding charges from their evergreen lock Jones, which could have seen the score pushing 50. It would not have been an unreasonable reflection of the difference between the sides.

England will have their hands full at Twickenham next Saturday for a game which sees Wales return to a ground where they have enjoyed some success under Gatland, most notably when they condemned Stuart Lancaster’s men to World Cup ignominy in 2015.

Hadleigh Parkes looked like a seasoned veteran on his second appearance ever for Wales (Getty)

With Ireland to play in Dublin later in the tournament, Gatland is relishing the prospect of repeating the fixture schedule which has seen Wales claim both their Grand Slams under him.

“When we have done the two Grand Slams this is the draw that we have done it in,” he said. “I knew we were in a good place and I knew we were training well.

“Myself and the team were disappointed with the position (fifth) we finished last year but if you look back on last year you had France game, 100 minutes, and you look at the lead we had here against England. You turn those two results around and it changes the table.”

With fit again wingers George North and Liam Williams both contenders to feature next Saturday, Wales could even have some Lions reinforcements to call on.

It should be quite some encounter. Strap in and enjoy the ride.