They are still building, still rediscovering confidence and they played only in bursts. The lack of conviction in their finishing cost them the three or four extra tries they so thoroughly deserved. But Wales are climbing. They exposed the Saxon tripe that their win at Twicken-ham last week was somehow down only to a few minutes of poor England play and when they were good yesterday, they were winningly good.

They sealed victory with a glorious try by Shane Williams after 67 minutes when Stodgeland, sorry Scotland, had not long come back to 17-15 down with the latest in a parade of penalty goals. The try was awarded by television official Carlo Damasco as Williams’ left toe came perilously close to the touchline as he danced his way over, and as his left thigh came perilously close to wiping out the corner flag.

However, any Scot contesting this score really would be making a tartan spectacle of himself.

This was a match between a team of attacking intent and a team that never brought a single attacking idea and played with a criminal lack of ambition. Scotland’s sole “attack” was a series of limp-wristed mini-rucks. The score really should have been 50.

Wales fielded two sets of half-backs for which other nations would kill. The extravagant talent of James Hook and Mike Phillips made things happen and with Tom Shanklin at his steaming best in midfield and Gavin Henson’s delightful skills illuminated, Wales played some delightful rugby. Martyn Williams had another miracle match, so heavily involved that it was as if he was out there as one of three identical triplets. Ian Evans was a considerable force in the front five and Lee Byrne is discovering himself at the back.

Yet while Wales meandered too often for comfort, Warren Gatland brought out the conjurers’ top hat as the score reached 17-15, changing the style with Stephen Jones and Dwayne Peel replacing Hook and Phillips, to see Wales come home utterly dominant.

Scotland offered a defence vastly improved from the debacle against France. They occasionally applied a nudge in the scrum. They were unlucky that Jason White left the field in the first half with a shoulder injury and they negotiated successfully the absence in the sin-bin, also in the first half, of Nathan Hines, who had knocked over Byrne. Apart from that, they did not exist. Chris Paterson kicked his goals but spent the whole match wasted on the wing. Andrew Henderson was at least above average but as for the rest of them, forget it.

At the very end, Scotland pressed hard for a consolation try. Wales had no intention of allowing it and indeed, the idea that Scotland, had they scored, would then have finished within 10 points of Wales would have been the travesty of the decade. But sure, all those Welsh supporters who cheered as Wales cleared their lines at the end, would have been joined by anyone whose sporting soul had been offended by the Scotland approach.

The Welsh tribulations in converting pressure and energy into points began in the opening passage of play when Williams and Hook hacked the ball on to the Scottish line but the Welsh attempt to drive over lacked devil. Throughout the half, it was the same story, most notably when a glorious pass from Henson unlocked the Scotland defence and yet Shanklin, otherwise immense, could not deliver a cool pass to Shane Williams running free down the left.

There were many other golden chances but Wales, no doubt to their own fury, managed to convert only one. The effervescent Phillips attacked after catching a kick ahead from Hugo Southwell and when Wales moved the ball to the left electric handling from Henson and Hook put the impressive Byrne through on the angle and Shane Williams cut the cover to pieces to score. Hook kicked two penalties but Paterson kicked two for Scotland, the second constituting the first peep we had heard from Scotland for about 30 minutes, and at half time, it was only 10-6.

Throughout the match, you sensed that Wales were only two scores away from a landslide and after they let the pace drop at the start of the second half, they cranked it up again. Phillips and Martyn Williams almost fashioned a try for the giant Jamie Roberts down the left and when the ball came back, Duncan Jones rescued a poor pass from Phillips, popped it to Hook and with a swerve and a hand-off, he raced over to score and the conversion made it 17-9.

And still, Wales were profligate. Martyn Williams made a sensational run up the middle but with support on either side, his pass could only find the intercepting Mike Blair. Wales then conceded two penalties, and as the final quarter began it was only 17-15 with a nightmare prospect that Scotland would kick themselves to what they, and only they, would recognise as a glorious triumph.

No such luck. Hook responded by kicking a penalty for Wales after an attack launched when Gareth Delve flipped a line-out down to Peel, sending the replacement scrum-half straight through the Scotland forwards.

Then, with Peel and Jones orchestrating, the match was decided. Shane Williams beat two men down the left hand touchline and the evidence of the replay persuaded the officials that he had scored. Jones kicked the conversion and a penalty, and Wales, with Italy at home next up, are the early Championship bolters.

Star man: Martyn Williams(Wales)

Wales:L Byrne (Ospreys); J Roberts (Blues), T Shanklin (Blues, S Parker (Ospreys) 73min), G Henson (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys); J Hook (Ospreys, S Jones (Scarlets) 58min), M Phillips (Ospreys, D Peel (Scarlets) 58min); Duncan Jones (Ospreys, G Jenkins (Blues) 53min), H Bennett (Ospreys, M Rees (Scarlets) 58min), A Jones (Ospreys), I Gough (Ospreys, Deiniol Jones (Ospreys) 73min), I Evans (Ospreys), J Thomas (Ospreys), R Jones (capt, Ospreys, G Delve (Gloucester) 62min), M Williams (Blues).

Scotland:H Southwell (Edinburgh); N Walker (Ospreys, S Danielli (Ulster) 74min), N De Luca (Edinburgh, G Morrison (Glasgow) 71min), A Henderson (Glasgow), C Paterson (Gloucester); D Parks (Glasgow), M Blair (Edinburgh, C Cusiter (Perpignan) 73min); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh, F Thompson (Glasgow) 73min), E Murray (Northampton), N Hines (Perpignan, S MacLeod (Scarlets) 62min), J Hamilton (Leicester), J White (capt, Sale, A Hogg (Edinburgh) 31min), J Barclay (Glasgow), K Brown (Glasgow).

Yellow card: Scotland:Hines (15min)