Star Metro - Wales captain Lake wants fans to bring 'noise' against Scotland

Lake's men were thrashed 54-12 by France at the Millennium Stadium last weekend, with Wales' 13th successive Championship defeat witnessed by just 57,744 fans in a venue with a capacity of 74,500.

It was Wales' smallest crowd for a Six Nations match, with the attendance including an estimated 15,000 France fans.

A bigger crowd is expected for the third-round visit of a Scotland side fresh from an impressive 31-20 Calcutta Cup win over England at Murrayfield.

"You speak about people being a 16th man, especially in this stadium with the roof closed," said hooker Lake of playing at the Millennium.

"When (it's rocking) it erupts. Unbelievable. I think it is the heartbeat of the nation when it's like that."

But Lake added: "It's our job to get people rocking, to get people enjoying the game and putting smiles on faces. I suppose all we ask for in return is the support and noise, and people feeding us that energy.

"We do feed off the crowd, their noise and reactions, and we want to get the fans excited and in the game."

Wales have not won a Six Nations home game since beating Scotland in 2022.

Life has not got any easier since Steve Tandy took over as Wales head coach, the team suffering five defeats in six games.

Concerningly for the former Scotland defence chief, Wales have conceded 15 tries and 102 points in heavy opening defeats this Six Nations by England and France.

"We've played two of the top four teams in the world in the first two rounds, but that's not an excuse over the tries we've conceded," said Lake. "We know we need to be better. But our game is developing and we will see that change."

D.Fraser--SMC