Leigh Halfpenny: Tested his nerves against Scotland

Leigh Halfpenny admitted he had to pass "a test of character" before helping Wales get the win that kept alive their RBS 6 Nations title hopes.

Halfpenny once again punished Scotland on the scoreboard, kicking 23 points that took his tally against them to 55 in just four games.

But on a day when Halfpenny and Scottish marksman Greig Laidlaw shared 18 penalty attempts - a world Test record - the Wales full-back ultimately prevailed.

After missing three successive shots at goal, the Cardiff Blues star admitted his Murrayfield experience could easily have been remembered for all the wrong reasons before returning a 72 per cent success-rate through seven penalties and a conversion.

"As a kicker, it was probably my toughest challenge, having missed those three kicks," he said.

"One or two of them I felt I hit well enough to go over and then all of a sudden the wind caught it.

"It is a test of character when you miss three like that and I will be honest, I was thinking it could go two ways. It could go really wrong or I could get myself together and go back to basics - and that's what I did."

Halfpenny was so determined to redress the balance that he had no intention of handing over what can sometimes be the loneliest job in rugby.

"I wanted the responsibility and it wasn't an option to hand over to anyone else," he added.

"It was really tough out there kicking. You would throw a bit of grass up in the air and it would go in a full circle and then land by your feet!

"The conversion of Richard Hibbard's try was huge. If I had missed that, it could have gone horribly wrong. I was really pleased with the way I struck that one.

"You've got to forget what has gone on and just focus on your next kick and try to make sure it is a positive one.

"You go back to your basics - getting a good contact and kicking through the ball, staying upright. Especially in windy conditions, it's important you get your body through the ball and keep momentum and power."

The reward for Halfpenny and his team-mates is a title decider against England in Cardiff next Saturday, although England's superior points difference looks set to be a dominant factor.

"It's Wales versus England - the decider. The players will be bouncing off the walls for it," he said.

"It's what we have waited for. We wanted to do the job here (at Murrayfield) to ensure we had the big one at the end.

"We've been there last year with a championship decider in Cardiff (against France) and it was unbelievable. The streets of Cardiff were just rammed. It's going to be massive again next weekend."

One of England's toughest challenges could be how they breach a Wales defence that has not conceded a try since the 45th minute of their opening game against Ireland five weeks ago.

And wing George North illustrated the level of commitment required to perform defensive shut-outs as Scotland followed France and Italy in drawing a blank against Wales this season.

"Shaun Edwards (Wales defence coach) is a massive part of it. He drives it so hard about keeping a clean sheet, so to do it three times in a row is great for us," North said.

"You get into position quickly and when you are off your feet you want to get back on your feet to be effective. You are not very good when you are on the floor doing nothing.

"It's about work-rate and being desperate to get back into position and making sure no-one scores against you. You've seen that during the past few weeks.

"If your head and heart are on the same hymn-sheet, you are going to come out well.

"Shaun has drummed into us from minute one that you can't be injured in defence, so all the boys are dragging themselves off the floor to be quickly back into position.

"It's leading up to a great finish in Cardiff now, Wales versus England - one of those great rivalries in rugby - and on Monday we will back into it, putting more hard work in.

"We stayed strong as a squad (after Wales lost their opening Six Nations game to Ireland). The first week or two was pretty hard, but we dug in and we've put ourselves in this position now - one last big push."