Ruddock said Wales recovered well from the England defeat

"People were writing the players off after last week and I thought they came back and played very well," he said.

"Scotland will go on to achieve great things, but for us it was about getting the result.

"The key point was they were a man down but that was not enough to win it on its own. We had to put the effort in."

The game's turning point arrived after 20 minutes when Scotland lock Scott Murray was sent off for kicking Welsh counterpart Ian Gough in the face.

It is great to get the win and get back on the road. A hard week's work paid off Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel

Ruddock said he did not see the incident, while Scotland coach Frank Hadden felt the kick was "accidental".

Wales had already scored a penalty try, and wrapped up the result just after an hour's play when captain Gareth Thomas scored his second and the team's fourth try.

Ruddock said the performance was a vast improvement from Twickenham last Saturday, but conceded that Scotland's two late tries proved there is plenty of room for improvement before going to Ireland in a fortnight.

He added: "I definitely feel we played up to the mark and did exactly what we said we were going to do which was take the game to Scotland.

"I feel we were well on top. We stole a couple of line-outs and scored some good tries as well as having a couple disallowed.

"What you saw was a very determined Scottish team which never backed down. They played with a lot of strength and passion."

Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel said the victory under the Millennium Stadium's roof in Cardiff was a huge relief after their opening defeat.

"It is great to get the win and get back on the road. A hard week's work paid off," said Peel, who created tries for Rob Sidoli and Thomas in a man-of-the-match performance.

"I didn't see the (Scott Murray sending off) incident but it was important to stick with our pattern.

"We are obviously delighted to get four tries and we played some good stuff at times."