LEIGH Halfpenny has taken responsibility for Wales not going for goal with a pivotal penalty in the defeat to Scotland, but kicking coach Neil Jenkins has backed the prolific full-back to bounce back from his Murrayfield mistake.

Rob Howley’s team were behind 16-13 with half an hour left of the Six Nations clash in Edinburgh when the Scots were penalised for crossing on the right wing inside their own 22.

Skipper Alun Wyn Jones signalled his intentions to go for a leveller to Irish official John Lacey only for there to then be a change of plan.

Wales went to the corner and opted for a 13-man lineout only for Jones himself to be pinged for blocking, gifting Scotland an escape that they took to boss the rest of the game for a 29-13 victory.

Jenkins said: “I have had a good chat with Leigh and it’s clear he wasn’t decisive enough. He didn’t make his intentions clear, so Alun Wyn has made the decision to go to the corner.

“It’s that simple. Alun Wyn wanted the three, Leigh wasn’t decisive enough. That’s where the issues have come. It surprised everyone. I was already on the pitch with the tee.

“Dan (Biggar) has asked are we going to the corner, what’s going on and has gone with what Alun Wyn has said.

“Leigh has put his hands up and said he clearly wasn’t decisive enough. He didn’t grab the ball and say I am nailing this, I am taking this. He will accept that.

“He has said he’s made a mistake. That’s life. Everyone does it and we are going to move on. I have had a good chat with Leigh and we’ll keep that between us.”

Halfpenny missed a shot at goal that he would normally slot that would have made it 16-6 on the stroke of half-time while he dropped a simple up and under soon after the restart.

Jenkins said: “You are going to make the odd error in Test rugby. You don’t get out of bed every day and do every single thing perfect. At some point you are going to make the odd mistake, but you have just got to brush that off and go again.”

The Toulon full-back has become a world star by being ice cool under pressure and Jenkins, Wales’ leading points scorer with 1,049, has backed his protégé to return to form against the Irish a week on Friday.

“I have no problems with Leigh,” said Jenkins about the full-back, who is third behind Stephen Jones with 594.

“He is an outstanding goal kicker and I have no doubt he will be ready to rock next Friday if picked.

“Up until the one he has missed on Saturday, Leigh had been 14 on the bounce, from the first one he missed against Italy, which wasn’t an easy kick.

“Then he missed that one in the first half against Scotland, pushing it to the right.

“It was tough conditions. But he is human. He is 88 per cent for the championship. He’s a world class kicker. His stats speak for themselves.

“He has been there and done it and I believe he will keep doing it at highest level for Wales for a while to come yet.”

Skipper Jones said he felt he had been decisive enough in his actions, but in hindsight admitted he should have asked Halfpenny first.

“I motioned to the posts,” said the Ospreys lock. “I’m not a kicker and I thought it was a good shot.

“Obviously Leigh didn’t feel the same way hence we’ve gone to the corner.

“I had every faith in him, but probably on my part I should have consulted him first, but Leigh is a world class kicker and knows what he can and can’t do

“I think I was decisive because I motioned to the post a couple of times and the ref agreed with me, but obviously Leigh felt the conditions weren’t right.

“We were lucky we had the other option of going to the line out. Unfortunately that didn’t go well.”