Helen Nelson hailed a gritty Scotland performance as they got their Women’s Six Nations campaign underway with a 24-21 over Wales in Edinburgh. Tries from Sarah Bonar, Emma Orr, and Leah Bartlett in tandem with the steady boot of Nelson helped Scotland get over the line in sodden conditions at The Hive, as Bryan Easson’s side sealed back-to-back victories over Wales for the first time in two decades. They were made to endure a nervy final few minutes after Gwenllian Pyrs went over late on, but Player of the Match Nelson was pleased with the way her team-mates dug deep to get over the line. She said: “It probably wasn’t the prettiest performance from us, we were frustrated first half. We came in and had a lot of possession but we weren’t clinical enough at the breakdown. That was a big focus second half. Just proud of the girls to front up and not surrender to the conditions to get the win.” Scotland were made to chase the game from early on after Carys Phillips went over for Wales after just four minutes. A Nelson penalty reduced the arrears before Bonar sent Scotland into the break 10-7 ahead with a try five minutes before half time. The sides then exchanged tries through Orr and Abbie Fleming in the second half, as both teams also saw red through Evie Gallagher and Georgia Evans respectively. That did little to dim the engaging contest, as both sides battled with the heavy rain and Leah Bartlett’s 64th-minute try ultimately proved decisive despite Pyrs creating a grandstand finish. With Scotland and Wales set to meet again at this summer’s Rugby World Cup, Nelson was pleased to get one over a key rival. “We knew they were going to come at us, it has been close every time we have played them,” she added. “We can take great confidence from that, not just for the Six Nations but building into the World Cup as well.” Victory was the biggest positive for Easson’s side ahead of a trip to France next Saturday. Debutant Hollie Cunningham also impressed in the second row, while the midfield axis of Nelson, Lisa Thomson and Emma Orr could be a real foundation from which to build. But captain Rachel Malcolm insists her side must continue to improve if they are to compete with France in La Rochelle. “I think we showed glimpses today of what we can achieve,” she said. “I don’t think it was the finished performance and it is definitely going to have to be a little more accurate next week against France. “What we did today was grind out a win against a very tough Wales side. We knew they would bring a huge amount of energy, which they did today. They put us under a huge amount of pressure. We said at half time they were winning the energy battle and we needed to up it. "Our breakdown today was not what it needs to be. Wales are probably one of the best sides, you have a lot of players that have a look at every breakdown, but we need more control over that than we probably showed today. We need to be there quicker. "Breakdown is the biggest thing because we showed today how attacking and threatening we can be when we get it right." Earlier in the day, France held off a second-half Ireland fightback to claim a 27-15 victory in the opening match of the championship. Defending champions England kickstart their title bid against Italy in York on Sunday.