Scotland Edges Wales in Cardiff Epic as England Set Attendance Record at Twickenham

The opening weekend of the Women's Six Nations delivered everything fans could have hoped for and more. The headline act came from Cardiff, where Wales and Scotland served up a classic that ended with Scottish hearts soaring and Welsh hopes crushed in the most devastating fashion.

Scotland crossed for a match-winning score seven minutes past the full 80 at the Principality Stadium, silencing a crowd of 10,569 who had witnessed a sensational contest from first whistle to last. It was a record attendance for a Wales-Scotland women's fixture on Welsh soil, though the voices inside the 74,500-capacity national stadium still reverberated with an intensity that suggested the occasion deserved an even larger crowd.

Wales had shown remarkable character to fight back from 24-12 down and pull within five points as the clock ticked into the red. From their own try line, they repelled waves of Scottish pressure, the Principality crowd urging them on with every defensive stand. Sean Lynn, the Wales head coach, praised the fight his side showed in those dying moments, describing the defensive effort as exactly what the team has been building toward since the World Cup.

The fumble at the lineout was the moment that decided everything. Some argued Wales should have had a penalty in their favour at the same set piece, pointing to what appeared to be a deliberate knock-on, but the referee did not see it that way and Scotland held on for a first win under new head coach Sione Fukofuka, appointed in December.

Fly-half Helen Nelson, named player of the match, said afterward that the squad focused on togetherness during a compressed pre-season of just 12 days. We have got a lot of experienced players but also those young players that came in, she said. Just trying to get to know each other off the pitch, get those connections and then show that on the field.

The result was a tonic for Scotland, who travel to face England at Murrayfield on Saturday in what is expected to be another landmark occasion. England set the bar high in round one, drawing 77,120 spectators for their 33-12 win over Ireland at Twickenham, a new Women's Six Nations record. France, who top the table on points difference after an impressive victory over Italy, travel to Cardiff for round two with two of the three stands at the Arms Park already sold out.