Scotland winger over the moon with match-winning eureka moment after 'tough' start to Six Nations campaign
The Edinburgh winger has lost his place in Gregor Townsend’s starting XV but his performance against Wales could put him back in contention.
George Turner may have scored the last try of the match as Scotland won by the skin of their teeth in Cardiff, but it was the quick thinking of Finn Russell and quick running of Darcy Graham that swung the momentum in their favour.
Just as Jarrod Evans’ boot made it an 11 point lead for the Welsh, the Scotland fly-half caught the hosts sleeping as his quick restart bounced perfectly for Graham, who was alert to touch down and give Scotland a much-needed score on the hour mark.
It’s been a frustrating campaign for the Edinburgh winger so far, who despite holding the joint record for Scotland’s most ever tries, has found himself on the bench for their opening matches. However, the try against Wales proved that his energy can hurt teams late on in games, in what was a master stroke from the Scotland Coach.
Graham adjusts to becoming impact player
The superb form of Kyle Steyn has made him the mainstay on the wing, while on the other side Jamie Dobie and Duhan van der Merwe have both been selected to start over Graham. While the 28-year old has found it tough to lose his place in the starting XV, he maintains he’ll never stop fighting for his place as he adjusts to his new role.
He told BBC Sport: "It's been a tough couple of months. Coming off the benches is hard. It's been something totally different and I've had to adjust to it. The way the team's announced you have a wee 10-minute sulk and then you're straight on the training park to prove why you should be there."
"Of course. You always want to be starting in these big games. But the way Kyle [Steyn] is playing he deserves every minute that he's playing. Steyno's playing unbelievable. He's world class and he's raised the bar, especially when I came into camp as I had to catch up. I'm glad to still be involved and bring my energy because these wins are special."
‘Darcy be ready’ - Graham on Wales momentum swinger
Finn Russell revealed after the game that Scotland number eight Matt Fagerson realised the Welsh weren’t always completely switched on at the restarts. At 23-12 the game was getting away from Scotland, but Graham was alert and new as soon as he got the ‘nod’ from the Scotland talisman to be on his bike.
The try was described as a ‘coach killer’ by Russell, as Wales Coach Steve Tandy looked physically seething that his side had switched off and given the visitors a pathway back into the game. However, on the other hand, with Scotland still in contention for the Championships with two games to go, only time will tell how important the quick thinking of the pair could be.
Graham continued: "Finn said as they were taking the penalty 'Darcy, be ready'. I've seen him sprint up to the halfway line and he gave me the nod. I gave him a nod and I knew it was on. So I just went as hard as I could for that ball and got a lucky bounce. He's obviously seen that space and it worked out. I'll probably never get a bounce like that again."