There are lies, statistics and results such as this one. Three tries apiece and only eight points between the two teams seems on the face of it like a minor epic. Instead, after a searing first 20 minutes by the Scottish forwards, much of this encounter had the dignity and precision of two drowning sailors fighting for the only spar in the sea.

Scotland at least sail on to face England and Italy knowing they should steer clear of the wooden spoon. Wales, however, with Ireland and France to come, will find it hard to avoid five defeats out of five. Even their coach, Steve Hansen, had to use the W word. "I don't want to talk about a whitewash. Of course it's going to be difficult. I'm not naive enough to think the two teams left are not hard to beat," he said.

Scotland have something to build on: their perfect first quarter in which Scott Murray snaffled Welsh lineout ball seemingly at will, the back row of Andrew Mower, Jason White and Simon Taylor roamed freely and tackled hard, and a restrained Gregor Townsend gave a fine impersonation of a kicking outhalf. He also tackled well and was denied a try after six minutes only by the whim of the referee Pablo Deluca.

The Scots will travel to Twickenham with a kicker in Chris Paterson who can slot six perfect goals on his day, and their try drought has also come to an end. The prop Bruce Douglas drove over after 14 minutes, Taylor latched on to Townsend's lobbed pass a few minutes later and waltzed past three static Welsh defenders, and their Lions prop Tom Smith put in a pinpoint grubber kick in injury-time that fell perfectly for Paterson to settle the match with a personal tally of 20 points.

SCOTLAND: Metcalfe (Glasgow); Paterson (Edinburgh), McLaren (Bordeaux), Utterson (Borders), Logan (Wasps); Townsend (Borders), Redpath (Sale, capt); Smith (Northampton), Bulloch (Glasgow), Douglas (Borders), Murray (Edinburgh), Grimes (Newcastle), White (Glasgow), Mower (Newcastle), Taylor (Edinburgh). Replacements: Craig (Orrell) for Utterson (51 mins), Kerr (Leeds) for Douglas (60 mins), Blair (Edinburgh) for Redpath, Hines (Edinburgh) for Grimes (both 72 mins), Russell (Saracens) for Bulloch (76 mins), Petrie (Glasgow) for White, Ross (Leeds) for Townsend (both 80 mins).

Tries: Douglas, Taylor, Paterson. Cons: Paterson 3. Pens: Paterson 3. Sin-bin: McLaren, 72.

WALES: Morgan (Swansea); R Williams (Cardiff), Taylor (Swansea), Shanklin (Saracens), G Thomas (Bridgend); S Jones (Llanelli), Cooper (Bath); I Thomas (Llanelli), G Williams (Bridgend), B Evans (Swansea), Sidoli (Pontypridd), S Williams (Northampton), D Jones (Llanelli), M Williams (capt, Cardiff,) G Thomas (Bath). Replacements: G Jenkins (Pontypridd) for Evans (44 mins), Charvis (Swansea) for Thomas, Llewellyn (Neath) for S Williams (both 58 mins), Watkins (Llanelli) for Morgan (62 mins), Harris (Cardiff) for Shanklin, Peel (Llanelli) for Cooper, M Davies (Pontypridd) for G Williams (all 72 mins).

Tries: Cooper, Taylor, R Williams. Cons: S Jones 2. Penalty: S Jones.

Referee: P Deluca (Argentina); T Spreadbury (England, h-t).