Alex Cuthbert takes the ball into contact © Getty Images

Wales beat Scotland by 27 -13. And although it was a comfortable win for the Welsh, there was every reason that it shouldn’t have been.

Wales may have outscored the Scots by three tries to one1, but in truth, the opposition were in the ascendency for long periods of the game. The Scottish pack snaffled 61% of the possession and secured 59% of the territory. Their lineout and scrum was perfect for the entire game – they didn’t lose a single scrum or lineout on their own ball.

The Scottish back row gummed-up the breakdown, with Ross Rennie’s effectiveness being particularly hard to stomach for Welsh supporters – which is ironic given his surname. However, it is worth mentioning that whilst much will be made of the Scottish pack’s display, they were essentially playing against a second string eight. Wales were missing five starting players and both Ryan Jones and the debutant Aaron Shingler were playing in positions that neither would regard as their strongest.

Scotland didn’t just rule up front though, they also completed more passes, beat more defenders and offloaded the ball nearly twice as much as Wales. But unfortunately for Scotland, this all proves that it doesn’t matter how much ball you have; it’s what you do with it that counts.

The Welsh backline only had 39% of the ball, but that was enough to score three tries and finish the game thirty minutes before the final whistle. Admittedly, Scotland’s two yellow cards helped, but the Welsh three quarters were clinical, almost surgical, with Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert providing the deepest incisions.

Cuthbert was impressive. At 6”6’ and 16st 6lbs he is the biggest wing in the tournament and his acceleration into the tackle caused Scotland endless problems on Sunday. The manner in which he dispatched Laidlaw on the way to the try line brought up the sort of mismatch that you normally see at an under 12’s game – Cuthbert being the player who already has stubble and chest hair, Laidlaw the one whose shorts have been bought for him to grow into. The Blues wing relentlessly chased Priestland’s accurate kicks, made six tackles and missed none. But it was his left handed pass to set up Leigh Halfpenny’s try that was the most pleasing - choosing a simple pass (off his wrong hand) demonstrated a maturity and awareness rarely seen in single cap wings.

If Cuthbert’s performance came as a surprise to many, Leigh Halfpenny’s didn’t. The Blues fullback (and I call him a fullback because that is where he should play) is fast becoming the first name on Gatland’s team. If his currency within world rugby rises any higher, he is going to require a name change. Having been given the kicking tee by Gatland, Halfpenny restored the Welsh goal kicking percentage to 83.3%, up 40% on last week’s efforts against Ireland.

Halfpenny’s defence was once again superb, his ankle tackle on Rory Lamont was one of the most technically proficient tackles you will ever see – you’ll find it on page 1, article 1, point 1, sub section 1 in the ‘Tackling’ text book. He angled his body towards the touchline, took the ankle and used his momentum to drag the ball carrier’s foot in to touch.

Halfpenny’s running lines were direct and his neat, consistent stride pattern yet again delivered zero loss of pace when changing direction. Another notable facet of his play is his desire to get around the back of the posts when touching down for a try. A rash of fanciful dives and elaborate try celebrations from modern wing three quarters often leave unnecessarily difficult conversions for goal kickers.

Whilst the Welsh backline were superb with ball in hand, there is one player who doesn’t need the ball to make his mark on the game. Dan Lydiate’s defensive performance was world class. In fact, I think he may even have written the ‘Tackling’ text book. Lydiate’s line speed and repertoire of ankle, waist, and wrap tackles dictate where the ‘tackle-line’ is.

We rarely hear about the ‘tackle-line’; its importance is dwarfed by its big brother the ‘gain-line’. But the tackle-line dictates just how far you have to travel in order to get to the gain-line, and with current defensive alignments already making the gainline a difficult ask, Lydiate’s defensive capabilities make it even harder.

Despite a promising performance from the Scottish pack, Wales won comfortably. It proves that it doesn’t matter how much ball you have, it’s what you do with it that counts. I think we are all looking forward to seeing what the Welsh team do with it at Twickenham.

Paul Williams - @thepaulwilliams