Wales “always get results when they need them” says Hamish Watson – but Scotland proved they can play any way they want in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup victory.
The all action “pinball” flanker did most of his testing work in defence in this victory, and actually broke a Six Nations record doing so.
According to Opta stats, his 14 tackles without a miss took him to 163 in a row, surpassing the record set by France’s Lionel Nallet ten years ago.
A change in approach
163 – @Scotlandteam's Hamish Watson made 14/14 tackles against England and has now made 163 tackles in a row in the #GuinnessSixNations without missing, surpassing Lionel Nallet (154) for the longest run of tackles made without a miss in Six Nations history. Complete. pic.twitter.com/Djcm7thHg9
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 6, 2022
That was different to 2021, he noted, when the Scots completed the least tackles in the Six Nations.
“We were always the team with the territory and possession (last year),” he said. “The good sign is we turned up, didn’t really fire that many shots but still won the game.
“I think we can take confidence from the fact that when we had the ball, we looked dangerous.”
Having knocked down the milestones so much in recent months, the next one is a win in Cardiff, last achieved in 2002. Scotland did win in Wales in 2020, but it was at an empty Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli because the Principality Stadium was set up to be Covid emergency hospital.
“The atmosphere in Cardiff is awesome,” he said. “I think all the boys are just looking forward to it now.
“Wales have got a few injuries but they are still a really good team who are always full of belief. They always get results when they need them.
“Saturday was a huge win, but it means nothing if we don’t go to Cardiff and back it up.
“We know it is going to be tough going to the Principality in front of the Welsh fans. It is going to be a different sort of test match. But our squad is in a good place, and we’ll go there full of confidence.”
‘We’ve always had great depth in the back row’
Another immensely proud day for this squad and our amazing fans. Huge week ahead! pic.twitter.com/Bk2wD0bGmi
— Hamish Watson (@hamishwatson7) February 6, 2022
Watson will likely have a different back row partner after Jamie Ritchie’s groin injury left him on crutches.
“It’s a real shame Jamie got a knock today and hopefully he’ll be back soon,” said Watson.
“But we’ve got a great back-row. I think that has been a real strength of ours throughout the years. We’ve always had great depth there, I’m sure whoever comes in will do a really good job.
“Jamie has been a massive part of this team since his debut. He’s in the leadership group, so we’re going to miss him.
“Matt (Fagerson) was awesome against England, really good under the high ball and in defence. He deserved to be man of the match.”