WALES CAPTAIN DAN Biggar has questioned whether Scotland can cope with the burden of expectation as the visitors bid to end their Cardiff hoodoo on Saturday.
Scotland, who have not won in the Welsh capital for 20 years, launched their 2022 Six Nations campaign with a gutsy 20-17 win at home to England last weekend while champions Wales were demolished 29-7 by Ireland in Dublin.
“We know they are coming in good form and confident but there is a bit of pressure on them that they have been talked up and they have to try and win a championship, from what I am hearing,” Biggar said on Friday.
“We are obviously looking for a reaction, so we are hoping to try and stifle that momentum and confidence they have built up,” he added.
Scotland out-half Finn Russell has played a key role in the Dark Blues’ resurgence and Biggar got to know his fellow No 10 when they were both members of the British and Irish Lions squad in South Africa last year.
“Finn is a player who has perhaps been tagged as someone who can spark something out of nothing, which is true,” said Biggar.
“But over the last couple of years he has added game-management and control, as well as having all the flicks and tricks.
“He is a world-class operator, and they have a few of those in the team.”
Biggar, leading his country in the Six Nations in the absence of injured captain Alun Wyn Jones, is set to become the ninth Welshman to make 100 Test appearances for Wales and the Lions this weekend.
What matters more to him, however, is helping Wales get their title defence back on track.
“We know we can’t paper over the cracks,” he said. “We didn’t play well. We played against a very, very good (Ireland) side, but there is no way we put our best foot forward.
“I know that when you don’t play well in this jersey or when you come second-best as we did last weekend, you know there is going to be heat on it.
“We are hoping the frustration and the disappointment and the lack of energy in our performance last week has flipped on its head and we have tonnes of all those things on Saturday.”
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