Things could not have ended on a worse note for Scotland as the early red card to Stuart Hogg killed off any chance of a competitive engagement. Losing their captain Kelly Brown to concussion even earlier was cruel, but Hogg’s uncharacteristic moment of madness was the death blow. Wales had already established their dominance and with the numerical advantage it was always going to be a stampede from there on in.

Scott Johnson’s decision to wade through the remaining hour with no fullback probably didn’t help, surely by the half he should have realised that having one less forward would be easier to cope with. Sadly his observational skills were proven limited if not confounding once again. Thankfully those of Vern Cotter will soon be there to fill in the gaps. Whether Johnson will still be around to ‘contribute’ in whatever capacity the Scottish Rugby Union had previously envisioned is another matter best saved for later.

While the Scots didn’t wave the white flag as they did against England, there were heaps of mistakes and a clear absence of enthusiasm. Things improved noticeably when Chris Cusiter came on for the final quarter, something that has been consistent every time he has done so over the course of the championship. Why he did not merit a start ahead of the stuttering form of Greig Laidlaw is yet another mystery that only the outgoing coach can answer.

With the circumstances as they were it’s difficult to judge the Welsh performance. It was good, there’s no question, but against such meager opposition it’s akin to running the rule over a brisk training run. Jamie Roberts and George North had their way whenever they wanted, and Liam Williams was made to look a world beater. To be fair he did play well, though his proclamation as man-of-the-match was perhaps gratuitous.

Dan Biggar did well enough at flyhalf to put him in pole position to wear the jersey on the upcoming tour to South Africa. Rhys Priestland will surely travel as backup, though one wonders if some time off to clear his head might be a better idea. Sam Warburton damaged his shoulder in the final moments of the match and is now unlikely to tour, and with Leigh Halfpenny already out perhaps Gatland might be best resting some of his tired Lions as well, risky as it might be to travel without the likes of Adam Jones and Richard Hibbard.

Scotland will have a chance to bring in new blood as Cotter’s first foray will be into the Americas before a final stop in Port Elizabeth to cap a long and arduous tour. Now that Johnson has flipped through every player with a Scottish toenail the Clermont commandant should have a fair idea of what he has to work with, and hopefully a more concrete vision of the bulk of his World Cup team. He will have to work hard to repair the damage done to his new nation’s pride, but he seems the type of man to relish such a challenge.

WALES 51 vs 3 SCOTLAND
Saturday, March 15, 14:45 GMT, Cardiff

SCORING
04 mins – G. Laidlaw pen 0-3
09 mins – D. Biggar pen 3-3
15 mins – L. Williams try 8-3
16 mins – D. Biggar con 10-3
23 mins – D. Biggar pen 13-3
33 mins – G. North try 18-3
34 mins – D. Biggar con 20-3
39 mins – J. Roberts try 25-3
40 mins – D. Biggar con 27-3
41 mins – G. North try 32-3
47 mins – J. Roberts try 37-3
48 mins – D. Biggar con 39-3
52 mins – T. Faletau try 44-3
74 mins – R. Williams try 49-3
75 mins – J. Hook con 51-3

CARDS
23 mins – S. Hogg red (foul play)

WALES
L. Williams (J. Hook 62); A. Cuthbert, J. Davies, J. Roberts, G. North; D. Biggar (R. Priestland 62), M. Phillips (R. Williams 54); G. Jenkins (P. James 57), K. Owens (R. Hibbard 57), R. Jones (A. Jones 57); L. Charteris (J. Ball 62), A.W. Jones; D. Lydiate (J. Tipuric 54), S. Warburton (capt.), T. Faletau.

SCOTLAND
S. Hogg; D. Fife (D. Taylor 67), A. Dunbar, M. Scott, M. Evans; D. Weir, G. Laidlaw (C. Cusiter 61); R. Grant (A. Dickinson 46), S. Lawson (R. Ford 46), G. Cross (E. Murray HT); R. Gray, J. Hamilton (T. Swinson 54); R. Wilson, K. Brown (capt.) (A. Strokosch 9), D. Denton.

Referee: J. Garcès (FFR)
Assistants: C. Pollock (NZRU) & Greg Garner (RFU)
TMO: G. Hughes (RFU)