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They say Welsh rugby fans are the best in the world - and here's further proof.

Members of a Scottish rugby club feared they would miss the Six Nations opener in Cardiff after being left stranded by the side of the M4 when a tyre burst on their coach.

After an hour of waiting, with kick-off looming, more than 40 burly-looking Scots dressed in kilts resorted to desperate measures... hitch-hiking on the side of the motorway!

One by one cars driven by members of the Welsh public stopped to give them lifts to the game and rescue the day.

Some drivers even dropped off some of the Scots into Cardiff city centre and then headed back out onto the motorway to collect more. Other passing motorists who witnessed their plight came off the M4, went back to the previous junction and rejoined to help out.

Linlithgow RFC players and officials were so bowled over by the warm acts of kindness that they have sent an open letter to WalesOnline to publicly thank the strangers who helped them out.

In the letter, written by former Linlithgow captain and President Gerry Keating, he says: "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those drivers for their generous gesture of getting every single one of us to the game.

"We have made so many fabulous friends in Wales through rugby and this confirms my love for the Wales connection with Scotland."

He signs off with a rugby quip: "PS, our pick-up driver said we were lucky as he was not sure if he would do the same for an English bus!"

Linlithgow RFC, based 20 miles west of Edinburgh, have been making the 800-mile round trip to Wales for the match for the past 42 years and have developed a special affinity with Welsh rugby during that time.

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They had stayed overnight in Llanelli on the Friday, playing against WRU National League side Furnace United, before boarding the bus on Saturday morning to the game.

The burst tyre occurred between junctions 35 and 34 and police had to help the 45 Scots on board into a layby where they were stuck around 15 miles outside of Cardiff.

An hour passed and still there was no sign of the tyre being fixed, which is when a sense of panic and frustration crept in.

Club coach Matt Dixon takes up the tale.

"Some of the guys tried to work out where the nearest train station was so we could get to Cardiff that way, but you can't do too much on the side of the motorway.

"I think desperation began to kick in and one or two began thumbing for lifts. Others started putting it out on Facebook that we were stranded, a kind of call for help.

"It must have been quite a sight, 45 burly Scotsmen in their kilts! But a car stopped for the first few and so the others thought they would give it a go, too.

"Then more and more cars just stopped. Some passing motorists even came off, went back to junction 35, and came back down to pick us up.

"Others dropped some off as close to the Principality Stadium as possible, then came back out to pick up more of us.

"Let's just say a few were crammed into the cars, but every single one of us got to the game. In fact, it ended up being the earliest I have been inside the ground for a Wales v Scotland match!

"The message we want to send out is a massive thank you to everyone who stopped to help us out. Their kindness is truly appreciated by each and every one of us."

After the game, the Linlithgow party headed to a Cardiff pub before the coach, tyre finally fixed, turned up to take them back to Llanelli. They headed back up to Scotland on the Sunday.

"We've been coming down every two years, but this tale is certainly one that will give the guys plenty to talk about on future trips," smiled Dixon.

It wasn't just Welsh rugby fans who helped out. Another who did was Faaiza Bashir, 32, who was travelling from Bridgend to her home in Cardiff.

She said: "I saw a coach with hordes of kilted men on the hard shoulder. I don't know anything about rugby but had heard there was a game and knew they must have been worried about missing it.

"I pulled up and four men jogged to catch me up. We put the giant penguin and car seats in the boot and headed towards Cardiff. I wasn't worried for myself - most humans are decent people and these looked clearly stranded.

"They said they were cold and I joked that they would be with only kilts and t-shirts on.

"I wasn't in a rush but knew Cardiff centre would be rammed so dropped them to Heath High Level station and explained it was only 10 minutes away. I told them I would wait for them in case there was a problem with the trains. Luckily they got on straight away.

"I watched the match out of camaraderie and felt sorry that they had come such a way for such a poor result for the Scots.

"I still dont understand what a scrum is but it was nice to see polite young fellows enjoying themselves and to have a little joke about nationality on the way. My very English accent confused them, and I was confused as to why they were in Llanlelli - but I guess sports are to bring people together in friendly rivalry and I was happy to support that."

There is one pay-off line. Linlithgow tweeted about the incident and joked: '"Sadly everyone made the stadium in time! "

That, of course, was a reference to Wales' 34-7 thumping of Gregor Townsend's side.

At least Linlithgow had better joy from their own game, having drawn 5-5 with Furnace United the night before.

The biggest winners of the weekend, though, were the Welsh fans who helped out and whose acts of kindness clearly won't be forgotten.