Dan Biggar's crafty illegal trick wins the game for Wales
With the drama of Finn Russell's yellow card and Dan Biggar's match-winning drop goal for Wales against Scotland in round two of the Six Nations in Cardiff, many people may have forgotten the Welshman's failed penalty attempt a few minutes before.
The kick from almost 50 metres out hit the cross bar and bounced back into play, only for winger Alex Cuthbert to chase and take hold of. A few seconds later the Scotland fly-half Russell was being dismissed by referee Nic Berry for an intentional knock on.
But something very crucial happened a few seconds before the kick- Biggar stole half a metre from the mark Berry had set for the penalty. This reduced just a bit of distance in the kick, which had he not taken, it would have meant he would not have hit the crossbar.
Had Berry picked him up on that, Wales not only would not have got the three points, but Scotland would not have gone down to 14 men. Bizarrely, if he actually stole more than half a metre he would have earned the three points but it would have actually benefitted Scotland as Russell would not have been sent off.
This is just the fine margins that rugby comes down to. Every kicker did what Biggar did, but the Welshman seems to be the master of the sneaky arts in rugby.
Wales 23
15. Liam Williams (Scarlets – 75 caps)
14. Alex Cuthbert (Ospreys – 48 caps)
13. Owen Watkin (Ospreys – 27 caps)
12. Nick Tompkins (Saracens – 17 caps)
11. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby – 13 caps)
10. Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints – 96 caps), captain
9. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 30 caps)
1. Wyn Jones (Scarlets – 39 caps)
2. Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 24 caps)
3. Tomas Francis (Ospreys – 61 caps)
4. Will Rowlands (Dragons – 14 caps)
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys – 30 caps), vice-captain
6. Taine Basham (Dragons – 8 caps)
7. Jac Morgan (Ospreys – uncapped)
8. Ross Moriarty (Dragons – 50 caps)
Replacements
16. Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 1 cap)
17. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 6 caps)
18. Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby – 35 caps)
19. Seb Davies (Cardiff Rugby – 13 caps)
20. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons – 35 caps)
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets – 66 caps)
22. Callum Sheedy (Bristol Bears – 14 caps)
23. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets – 93 caps)
Scotland 23
15. Stuart Hogg – Exeter Chiefs – (Captain) – 89 caps
14. Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby – 23 caps
13. Chris Harris – Gloucester Rugby – 32 caps
12. Sione Tuipulotu – Glasgow Warriors – 2 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe – Worcester Warriors – 14 caps
10. Finn Russell – Racing 92 – (Vice-Captain) – 59 caps
9. Ali Price – Glasgow Warriors – 47 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh Rugby – 5 caps
2. Stuart McInally – Edinburgh Rugby – 44 caps
3. WP Nel – Edinburgh Rugby – 44 caps
4. Jonny Gray – Exeter Chiefs – 65 caps
5. Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby – (Vice-Captain) – 49 caps
6. Sam Skinner – Exeter Chiefs – 16 caps
7. Hamish Watson – Edinburgh Rugby – 46 caps
8. Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 18 caps
Replacements
16. George Turner – Glasgow Warriors – 21 caps
17. Rory Sutherland – Worcester Warriors – 17 caps
18. Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors – 43 caps
19. Magnus Bradbury – Edinburgh Rugby – 15 caps
20. Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors – Uncapped
21. Ben White – London Irish – 1 cap
22. Blair Kinghorn – Edinburgh Rugby – 28 caps
23. Cameron Redpath – Bath Rugby – 1 cap