EDINBURGH — Wales moved one step closer to a Six Nations Grand Slam and extended a national record winning streak to 13 matches Saturday, beating Scotland 18-11, thanks to tries from Josh Adams and Jonathan Davies.

The win means Wales sits on top of the Six Nations table with 16 points, but faces a tough test to clinch the tournament when it hosts Ireland in Cardiff on March 16.

Defeat in that fixture would open the door for England to take the title if, as expected, it beat Italy and Scotland in its final two games at Twickenham.

After dominating the first half against an injury-hit and error-prone Scotland, Wales had to survive a stirring second-half comeback as the hosts brought a previously subdued Murrayfield crowd to their feet with a score from Darcy Graham.

The electric winger skipped over after Byron McGuigan sliced through a gap created by a slick inside ball from the returning fly half Finn Russell.

Replacement Hamish Watson was to the fore in the Scottish comeback, bringing some of the carrying power that Scotland had lacked in the first half with a series of bruising charges.

But Scotland spurned several opportunities to kick for goal in pursuit of a second try that never came, leaving Wales to breathe a sigh of relief at narrowly closing out a game they had earlier threatened to steamroll.

The visiting side led 15-6 at half-time, with the scoreline not reflecting their overall dominance as an injury-disrupted Scotland struggled to cope with Wales' mix of crushing phase-based attack play and sharp finishing.

Scotland was hit by a string of first-half injuries that added to an already lengthy pre-game roster of absent players, with the back-three duo of Tommy Seymour and Blair Kinghorn going off early.

Wales fullback Liam Williams also left in the second half, right arm slung in his shirt.

Wales is on track to win a first Grand Slam since 2012 after it turned over the tournament's early frontrunners England on Feb. 23 with a 21-13 win in Cardiff.

Scotland, meanwhile, faces the prospect of ending a disappointing campaign with a solitary win unless they can inflict a shock defeat against England in its final fixture.

England thrashes Italy 55-0

England moved one step closer to sealing the Women's Six Nations Grand Slam with a commanding 55-0 victory over second-placed Italy in Exeter Saturday.

The win gave a relentless England side a bonus point in front of a record 10,545 strong crowd at Sandy Park, more than double the previous record for a women's international outside the World Cup.

"As the game's growing we're getting more exposure and it's great to see. We're still getting to know each other and having this crowd supporting us, we can't ask for more," flanker Sarah Beckett told Sky Sports.

It was the third time England had scored more than 50 points at the Six Nations this year after beating Ireland 51-7 in the opening round in Dublin and a 51-12 victory over Wales in Cardiff last month.

England now has 20 points from four games and plays its final match against Scotland, which is yet to win a game, at Twickenham next Saturday.

On Friday, Wales picked up their first victory of the tournament with a dramatic last-minute conversion from teenage flanker Lleucu George to beat Scotland 17-15. — Reuters