Having lost their opening Six Nations' match to England last weekend, Wales managed to edge the Scots in a narrow victory and leave the Thistle without a point at Murrayfield.
Although the Red Dragons were well below their best, they managed to hit back with two tries, while Toulon's Leigh Halfpenny's brilliant performance in attack and defence, including 16 points from his boot, led his team to a hard- deserved victory.
The Thistle, who also began the tournament with a defeat to France in Paris, in Round 1, hoped that a win at home against the Welsh was highly possible.
Halfpenny scored his first penalty for the visitors in the seventh minute, while Scottish full-back Stuart Hogg, 22, made a touchdown with the opening try for the hosts in the 10th minute. Laidlaw's conversion and the penalty that followed, made the scores 10-3 to the hosts. Halfpenny replied with a three-pointer of his own in the 21st minute, to reduce the Welsh's deficit to 10-6.
A turning point in the game came when the Scots were reduced to 14 men after 30 minutes; their fly-half, Finn Russell, was sent off for taking out opposite number Dan Biggar in a dangerously high-tackle. Halfpenny immediately scored a penalty, while his team capitalised on their one man advantage, and stretched the Scottish defence to their breaking point with scrum-half Rhys Webb, 26, scoring a try.
Halfpenny added the extras, to put Wales six points up at the break 10-16.
Two Laidlaw penalties at the start of the second-half, either side of a successful Halfpenny kick, kept the Scots to within 3 points of the score at 16-19. But when Davies scored the visitors' second try of the match in the 65th minute, which was also converted by Halfpenny, the Welsh stretch their lead to 10 points.
This effectively ended the match as a contest. Glasgow Warrior, Jon Welsh, did not give up; he scored his late try in the 80th minute, with Laidlaw adding the extras to again reduce the gap to three points.
The Welsh were not totally convincing and seemed below the levels of their spirited rivals, but a win is a win. They will play France in Paris next, while the Thistle are meeting Italy at home.
