Given the amount of ball and territory enjoyed by his players, Hansen will be rueing several missed opportunities, but after the past two lean seasons, not many fans among the sellout Millennium Stadium crowd were complaining.
The brilliance of Rhys and Shane Williams and the class of Iestyn Harris were too much for a Scotland side boasting three new caps. If anything, Wales found too many holes and got too excited, ruining several easy try scoring chances through over eagerness.
Scotland Coach, Matt Williams, had warned his fans that they were in for ‘eighteen months of pain’, but few probably realised how painful it would be as the visitors found themselves out played at every turn.
Only their lineout won the head-to-head battle but they didn’t have enough strike power behind it to concern Wales. Winger Rhys Williams had one of his best games in the Wales jersey and was rewarded with a brace of tries and the man-of-the-match honours, while inside centre, Harris, regularly carved up a Scotland.
Openside flanker, Martyn Williams, showed why he is one of the best in the business with a polished performance, including providing the final pass for his side’s opening two tries, while prop Adam Jones brought the packed Millennium Stadium to its feet with a storming first half try in the corner.
Concerns that Wales would retreat back into their shell after their stunning Rugby World Cup performances lasted barely thirty seconds as the home side ran the first piece of possession they received.
Wales set the game alight in the third minute, with Shane Williams joining a lengthy attack three times before a Iestyn Harris break gave winger Rhys Williams the space to score in the corner. Stephen Jones slotted a superb sideline conversion to rub salt into the Scottish wounds.
Visiting skipper, Chris Paterson, replied with a dropped goal, but the biggest cheer of the match came in the fourteenth minute after a Rhys Williams break gave Wales a huge overlap on the left-hand side.
Backrow Martyn Williams joined the line and provided the scoring pass to popular twenty stone tighthead prop Adam Jones, who rumbled over from ten metres.
Despite running rampant from all areas of the park, Wales couldn’t get that third try and Stephen Jones decided to collect some points with a twenty-third minute penalty goal.
Scotland hit back with a series of raids into the Welsh quarter, but the home try line remained intact as Hansen’s men showed that their defence has been raised as many notches as their attack. Stephen Jones finished the opening half with his second penalty goal and Wales went into the half time break with a healthy 18-3 lead.
Scotland trooped into the changing rooms with their heads down, but in many ways they were lucky not to be thirty points down and out of the match already.
Wales opened the second half where they left off with a series of sizzling attacks. Shane Williams has more gas than most international wingers, but he failed by inches to escape opposite number Simon Danielli and put a foot in touch. Namesake Rhys made no mistake seconds later, however, and his ninth Test try extended the lead to twenty points.
Wales’s try line was finally breached in the eightieth minute when British Lion backrower Simon Taylor rumbled over from close range, but it was only their second score of the match and came far too late to dampen Welsh spirits.
