Scotland vs. Wales: Winners and Losers from 2015 Six Nations Clash

Wales gave their Six Nations campaign an enormous lift on Sunday after beating Scotland 26-23 at Murrayfield to bounce back from their defeat suffered at English hands in Week 1.

The Edinburgh hosts kept the game close for the large part and frustrated their guests to no end, but they ultimately came up short in their own bid to come back from a first-round loss.

Read on for a breakdown of the winners and losers to emerge from Wales' victory, ranging from team-wide lessons to individual talking points.

Winner: Hard-Fought, Physical Display Uplifts Wales' Campaign

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First and foremost, this was a result which boosted Wales and their plight to finish among the top three in this year's competition, with the second half against England having created a dour mood in their camp.

Defence was once again at a premium for the Edinburgh visitors, and if the fluid, attacking rugby isn't coming, they seem happy to use that as a foundation to build from for now. 

Never have Wales lost both of their opening two Six Nations fixtures under Warren Gatland's command, and it was a Jonathan Davies try in the 65th minute which really ensured that record would be upheld at Murrayfield.

Scottish morale was high coming into this match after giving such a stellar account of their own stinginess in Paris last Saturday, but old demons crept up as the penalty count turned against them.

Had they lost this bout, Wales' top-three hopes would have been almost damned, never mind a challenge for the title. As things stand, however, they can now afford to believe once again.

Loser: Scrum Feeds an Issue in Serious Need of Addressing

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It's no new notion that despite the best efforts of the lawmakers to once more make the scrum an entertaining aspect of the sport, it largely remains a depressing area of the game, as much in the northern hemisphere as anywhere else.

For periods, Scotland gained a notable upper hand on the Welsh pack come scrum time, but both Greig Laidlaw and Rhys Webb were guilty of swinging more than a little unfairly with their put-ins.

One could, in truth, find examples of such mischief in any Six Nations fixture, but it's up to the officials and higher powers of the sport to ensure it's at least not so obvious. 

BBC commentator Jonathan Davies noted on several occasions just how poor the state of scrums now were, contrasting it against the once equally balanced days of old when the set piece was actually competitive.

Bring back the days when eight men can go up against eight with shared hopes of claiming scrum ball, as opposed to simply watching on as whoever feeds it in sweeps home with ease.

Winner: Both Sides Impress, but Wales Top Scots in Chance Conversion

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One very obvious improvement Scotland have produced under Vern Cotter is the frequency with which they can expect to threaten their opposition when carrying forward.

However, chances are nothing without the finishing touches, and once again the Scots were left to settle for a storyline of so close, yet so far.

There were moments in both halves when Edinburgh erupted with excitement at Scotland's running exploits, and rightly so. Laidlaw went close at the death of the first period, and Mark Bennett made a fantastic surge in the second, but neither could be converted.

Wales were clearly the superior team when it came to chance conversion; at half-time, the visitors had racked up at least 100 metres more than Scotland with ball in hand despite having only a handful more carries. 

At no point was this more clear than when the Scots unfortunately found themselves reduced to 14 men through Finn Russell's sin-binning, Wales' quick countering bringing back memories of last year's 51-3 drubbing in Cardiff.

Cotter's men are improving, and by no means was this the same brand of defeat as last year, but the Scots still have progress to make when entering those vital few yards in enemy territory.

Loser: Keeping Eyes on the Aerial Prize Produces Unfortunate Controversy

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Scotland fly-half Russell and Welsh centre Davies each received yellow cards for similar offences on Sunday, ruled to have taken men out in the air when challenging for high balls.

Although some may argue there were different factors worth taking into account for Davies' challenge, referee Glen Jackson was at least consistent in how he approached both instances.

That argument being that Davies had eyes only for the ball when knocking John Beattie, while Russell was guilty of failing to pull out altogether before toppling Dan Biggar.

Unfortunately for the Murrayfield hosts, Wales were quick to make their advantage count, and Webb soared over for a crucial try just before Davies was sent for a cool-down period.

Ideally, fans would like to see both sides improve when going up for 50-50 balls so that both teams can remain at full strength throughout, but it at least gave the fixture some added spice.

Winner: Leigh Halfpenny Thrives to Prove His Selection Right

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Coming into these Six Nations, Liam Williams' form with Scarlets had created hot debate as to who should start in Warren Gatland's No. 15 jersey, with Leigh Halfpenny the man to be moved should that have been the case.

However, if the England display left doubt as to why Halfpenny should be starting, Sunday's performance against the Scots will have done its part to convince his critics.

Admittedly, Halfpenny may not provide the same carrying threat as Williams and the latter did his part to make some tremendous ground off the left wing. However, the former retains a reputation as one of the safest pairs of hands under a high ball, helping Wales make ground in his own way at Murrayfield. 

The other obvious advantage Halfpenny brings before rival Williams is place-kicking. Be it from near or far, the Toulon maestro is a wonderfully useful asset to have around when looking to tick over the scoreboard.

The other side of the argument could see both Halfpenny and Williams start. Some have called for Halfpenny to revert to wing so that Williams may line up at full-back, Alex Cuthbert presumably the man to be dropped as a result.

Gatland may contemplate such a tactic in the future, but Halfpenny is at least doing his bit for now to prove exactly why he's kept his spot at the back.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.