ARWEL THOMAS'S smile was as wide as Carmathen Bay. "It's nice to see there is a fly half debate outside Wales," he joked. Wales's decision to throw the slightly built Thomas back into the maelstrom that is the Five Nations Championship was fully vindicated on Saturday. Who will be next elected to Number 10 in Scotland is open to question.
The clamour in that country in the next week will be for Gregor Townsend to be restored at fly half and, intriguingly, for Alan Tait to return at centre after his spell in Rugby League. Tait, now at Newcastle, was outstanding in Scotland A's 56-11 thumping of Emerging Wales the day before this surprise result, Wales's first victory at Murrayfield for 12 seasons.
Arthur Hastie, Scotland's manager, said: "The selection committee had recommended Alan Tait for the A team game. He played very well at Goldenacre and he will be considered."
Perhaps Craig Chalmers's exit three minutes from time here will mark a painful end to his career as Scotland's most capped out half. Certainly Townsend, the best playmaker in Britain, looked wasted in the centre. Welsh hearts were in mouths when Townsend was occasionally brought into the attack, but Scott Gibbs's crunching tackle on him in the opening minute set the tone for the afternoon. For the most part the Welsh midfield was dominant.
That Wales can now dream of a Triple Crown, with home games against Ireland and England to come, was chiefly down to their dominant scrum, the panache of Thomas and the return of their Rugby League exiles who added steel to the visitors' cause. Dai Young was the cornerstone of the scrum, Gibbs and Allan Bateman were rock like in defence and, most strikingly, Scott Quinnell put his contractual problems behind him to give a storming performance at the back of the scrum.
Wales's first half try, the first of four, bought three of these exiles into play and summed up Wales's new found spirit of adventure. Gareth Llewellyn won a line out, Wales moved the ball swiftly, Gibbs passing to Bateman who made the killer break, dummied and found Gibbs in support before Quinnell ran in the try from 15 yards with Tony Stanger hanging off him. It was reminiscent of Quinnell's bullocking score against France three years ago before he headed north.
But it was the performance of Arwel Thomas that provided the game with its most heartwarming sub plot. Thomas can erase his nightmare in Dublin last season when Ireland come to Cardiff on Saturday week. Here he marshalled the backs, tackled like a flanker and scored a try of impudent brilliance.
This came in a six minute patch of the deepest purple by the men in scarlet during the third quarter. Between Neil Jenkins and Ieuan Evans rounding off sweeping moves, Robert Howley lofted a high kick deep into Scottish territory. Kenny Logan misjudged the bounce and Thomas grabbed the ball out of his hands and ran in the try beneath the posts from 45 yards.
Scotland badly missed the line out work of Andy Reed after the lock limped off 15 minutes after the break with a damaged knee and Scotland face a trip to Twickenham, where they have not won for 14 years, with trepidation. Apart from the problems in the midfield and front row, Scotland's back row needs to be sorted out. Rob Wainwright would be better utilised at number six with Eric Peters restored to number eight, as Peter Walton looked off the pace here.
The Welsh players, though, with their daffodils in the lapels of their jackets, were walking with a spring in their step on Saturday night. And to add a coda to a perfect afternoon, Jonathan Davies took the field almost unnoticed in the last minute for his first performance in the Five Nations for nine years. In 1988 Wales won the Triple Crown. Omens everywhere.
