Wales will field the same starting XV in successive matches for the first time since the pool stages of Rugby World Cup 2019 after interim head coach Matt Sherratt gave a vote of confidence to the side that went down 27-18 to Ireland in Round 3 of the Guinness Six Nations.
“I thought the performance against Ireland was decent. It was as cohesive as we could have asked for given the amount of prep time we had. This selection is a reward for that,” explained Sherratt.
“Across the board, there were some really good performances. I was keen to let them go again. The fallow week was difficult as we only had 13 or 14 lads in. I’d have loved to have had that week to continue the growth of the team.
“But it’s just confirmed what I thought after the first two days – they’re just a very good group who are very, very coachable. This week has been a step-up in terms of what we’ve produced on the training field.
“The challenge the group set themselves on Monday was that while they were pleased with the performance against the Irish, they weren’t with the result. They’re all competitors, we all are.
“Can we do the same again and build a little bit more on top of that? The passion and effort was first-rate, now it’s all about matching that as a minimum but trying to build our game slowly.”
The Scots have welcomed back Edinburgh wing D’Arcy Graham after his recovery from a head injury in the home defeat to Ireland. He takes over from Kyle Steyn, who drops to the bench as head coach Gregor Townsend makes one change to the side that lost in a dramatic finale to England last time out.
It means Graham will continue his battle with co-wing Duhan van der Merwe for the honour of being Scotland’s leading international try scorer. Van der Merwe scored his 32nd try at Twickenham, while Graham is currently on 29.
“Scotland’s back three is a major weapon and three quarters of their line breaks come from their back three. That’s something we’re going to have to contain,” added Sherratt.
“But we also want to be a threat with the ball as well.”