Wales v Scotland: Six Nations 2024 – live

It’s all Scotland. Their impressive continuity in attack leads to a try for the front-rower under the posts. The TMO checks the grounding – on-field decision is try – and indeed, the score is confirmed. An easy conversion for Russell.

9 min: Domachowski of Wales needs treatment after taking a blow to his head in trying to execute a tackle in that latest Scotland attack. He appears to be fine to carry on …

9 min: From the lineout, again it’s Tuipulotu causing massive problems for Wales with a muscular carry up the middle. But Zander Fagerson is driven back in the tackle, then penalised for a double movement with the try-line beckoning.

8 min: Wales concede their third penalty for offside. O’Keeffe, the referee, tells Jenkins the next one will be a yellow card. Russell hammers a fine touch-finder for the corner.

On the board.

5 min: Good from Scotland, who get a lineout right and then rumble a maul up the middle … Tuipulotu then makes a dent with a typically strong carry. Russell tries a reverse cross-kick but it’s overhit. The referee was playing advantage and brings it back for a penalty.

3 min: Scotland get their first chance to attack, but an errant pass ends the move down the right, and Wales immediately look to counter with Josh Adams and then the scrum-half Gareth Davies. It’s an encouraging start from both teams in terms of their willingness to attack with ball in hand.

2 min: Scotland claim the kick-off and eventually box kick to the Wales full-back, Winnett. He immediately looks dangerous trying to run the ball back into traffic in midfield.

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Go!

OK, OK, Wales actually won the anthems 3-1. The young Wales captain, Jenkins, is pictured in close-up, emotionally belting out the final line.1

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“Hi Luke. The bookies know everything, right?” emails Simon McMahon.

“Which makes me extremely confident about Scotland’s chances absolutely terrified that we will blow it this afternoon.”

The teams are out, and we’re ready for a creditable 1-1 draw in the battle of the national anthems.

George North is kept out by a shoulder injury today, but you should definitely read Donald McRae’s interview with him regardless:

“Take your points,” chips in Martin Johnson on pundit duty. “You can have all the possession and territory, but take your points.” Wise words.

“At international level, you’ve got to concentrate,” says Alun Wyn Jones on the BBC.

The 21-year-old Cameron Winnett of Cardiff debuts at full-back for Wales: for Scotland, there is also a debutant at full-back in the shape of Kyle Rowe of Glasgow Warriors. Sam Costelow makes his Six Nations debut for Wales at No 10.

Wales: Winnett; Dyer, Watkin, Tompkins, Adams; Costelow, G Davies; Domachowski, Elias, Brown, Jenkins (capt), Beard, Botham, Reffell, Wainwright. Replacements: Dee, Mathias, Assiratti, Teddy Williams, Mann, Tomos Williams, Lloyd, Grady.

Scotland: Rowe, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell, White; Schoeman, Turner, Z Fagerson, R Gray, Cummings, Crosbie, Ritchie, M Fagerson. Replacements: Ashman, Hepburn, Millar-Mills, Skinner, Dempsey, Horne, Healy, Redpath.

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZL)

Warren Gatland has a chat with the BBC: “It’s the greatest tournament in the world. It’s not a game of rugby, it’s an occasion. You get a real buzz from the Six Nations.

“I’m excited. We’ve got a group of youngsters with no fear … we’ve got to think about the Six Nations, but we’ve got to think about the future as well.

“[Captain] Jenkins is tough. He’s a great professional. He gives 100 per cent. Probably if you compare him, he’s a young Alun Wyn Jones … Sam [Warburton] was similar.”

On the BBC, Martin Johnson compares Finn Russell to Austin Healey. As a player, that is.

The bookies make Scotland favourites to beat Wales in Cardiff. And that is saying something, given Scotland have not won there since 2002.

“He won’t change the way he plays,” Gregor Townsend says of his new captain, Finn Russell. They’ve come a long way since that little falling out they had …

Scotland were far from the only team to return from last year’s Rugby World Cup with an overwhelming sense of frustration; and they were undoubtedly unfortunate to find themselves in a pool with South Africa and Ireland.

There can be no complaints about unfavourable draws in the Six Nations, though, so the next several weeks will be another important marker of progress being made under Gregor Townsend – plus a test of the leadership skills of their new captain, the fly-half Finn Russell, who is thoroughly enjoying club rugby at his new home in Bath.

Russell lines up against another new international captain, the 21-year-old Dafydd Jenkins, who today becomes the second-youngest man lead Wales after the great Sir Gareth Edwards. Cameron Winnett makes his debut at full-back for Wales while Warren Gatland, who took his team tantalisingly close to another World Cup semi-final just a few months ago, is overseeing yet another rebuild and getting another crack at Europe’s biggest rugby competition. This could even be fun.

Kick-off: 4.45pm GMT