Wales vs. Scotland: 5 Key Battles That Will Shape 2016 RBS 6 Nations Clash

A 16-16 draw in Dublin on Sunday means Wales have been forced to wait for their first win of the 2016 RBS Six Nations, but Scotland also have improvements in mind as they make their way to Cardiff on Saturday.

Vern Cotter's men were disappointed to lose 15-9 to England at Murrayfield last weekend, and they may find it even more difficult to score tries in the Welsh capital, a veritable fortress of the modern era.

It's still early in this year's tournament, and either team can still make a break in the standings as we break down the top five battles that will influence Saturday's clash between Wales and Scotland.

1. Jamie Roberts vs. Duncan Taylor

Even many of the home fans in Dublin will have been shocked to see CJ Stander receive the man-of-the-match award ahead of Jamie Roberts following last Sunday's 16-16 draw.

It says a lot of the Wales centre that Irish counterpart Robbie Henshaw showed glimpses of his best and yet was still contained by Roberts for the most part in what turned out to be a titanic affair.

Duncan Taylor is the next midfield marvel in Roberts' sights, after the Saracens star was called into Cotter's XV at the expense of the injured Matt Scott, although he offers another major threat through the channels.

It promises to be a meaty matchup, too, after Roberts mustered 20 tackles against Ireland—a match high—and the Wales man will be adamant to give his side a greater edge in attack this time around. 

2. Alun Wyn Jones vs. Jonny Gray

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Scotland were embarrassed by a 51-3 defeat in their last trip to Cardiff, and while Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones played the entire 80 minutes of that game, Scotland counterpart Jonny Gray was not present.

Saturday's fixture will be a new experience for the Scottish starlet who's already revered as a key cog in Cotter's side, and the 21-year-old has revealed what he's expecting in Week 2, per Sky Sports:

"

I've not played at the Millennium before but I remember watching loads of games there on TV while growing up. The boys always talk about the atmosphere there and you can see from the TV pictures how special a place is.

You can hear from the national anthems how passionate the Welsh fans are so we can expect to face that again on Saturday. But that's not something we worry about. We will just be going down to focus on ourselves and our game plan.

"

Gray was one of those disappointed to lose at home to England last time out, but on an individual scale, there wasn't a lot more he could have done—particularly in defence, where he made 15 tackles, the most of any Scottish player.

Similarly, Jones contributed 16 tackles to Wales' cause against the Irish, and one can expect these two to be busy in a collision between two teams who might count defence as their best attribute.

3. Gareth Davies vs. Greig Laidlaw

Neither Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies nor Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw enjoyed standout performances in Week 1 of this year's Six Nations, something they'll each be hoping to change this time around.

The Wales back line struggled at times to capitalise on space created in the Irish half after seeing ball delayed at the breakdown. However, Davies wasn't solely to blame for that, with a lot depending on his pack clearing out ahead of him.

For Laidlaw, the greatest pressure this weekend will undoubtedly be on his kicking, as Scotland's forwards will try to match Wales, force penalties and take their chances from the tee.

4. Justin Tipuric vs. John Hardie

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Wales head coach Warren Gatland has joined the trend of naming two opensides in his back row and chose to field Sam Warburton in the No. 6 jersey against Ireland last week, while Justin Tipuric took his preferred No. 7.

Scotland find themselves in the same boat and both John Hardie and John Barclay have been retained at openside and blindside, respectively, for the impending back-row threat posed by Wales.

Some might argue a Tipuric/Warburton tandem in the flank positions didn't quite work for Wales, with the latter too far from the breakdown at times and perhaps Dan Lydiate's tackling presence was missed.

One thing for certain is New Zealand-born Hardie won't mind who he comes up against, as he and his back-row compatriots are sure to be in for a tough test irrespective of their counterparts.

5. Liam Williams vs. Stuart Hogg

Sky Sports Rugby confirmed last Sunday that Stuart Hogg's 101 running metres against England made him the most prolific carrier of the opening weekend, a trend he'll look to continue moving forward.

The Glasgow full-back was in mercurial form against Eddie Jones' men, but a similar storyline developed as Scotland couldn't match those standards across the board, eventually losing 15-9.

Meanwhile, Wales No. 15 Liam Williams continued to show what he offers at full-back and raced for a match-high 90 metres in Dublin from a huge 19 carries, a sum only man-of-the-match CJ Stander beat (23).

It will be of special interest to see how fly-half Finn Russell looks to utilise the high ball with Williams present, while Hogg will look to banish the memories of his last trip to Cardiff, where he was sent off early in that 51-3 thrashing two years ago.

All statistics come courtesy of ESPN Scrum.