THIS WON’T BE remembered as a great Irish performance but it was a cracking win in what proved to be an enthralling contest.
Winning matters most in international rugby and Ireland have claimed the Triple Crown and maintained their bid for a Grand Slam and/or Six Nations title.
There are many aspects Ireland need to improve – their handling, scrum, and game management in particular – but they did enough to quell the Welsh revival and leave Cardiff with a win, something that has been beyond many Irish teams in the past. And really, the lasting impression of the day was how Matt Sherratt got such a beautiful tune out of Wales. They were excellent, as Ireland had warned us would be the case.
The atmosphere under the roof of the Principality Stadium was electric, putting the Irish players into a mettle-testing setting for what proved to be an immense battle. You have to be in the stadium to appreciate how much of a cauldron it is.
Simon Easterby and his players know better than anyone that there were elements of fortune in their victory. For starters, they benefitted from the 20-minute red card trial being in play for the Six Nations.
Ireland looked shaky for a chunk of that window before the outstanding Bundee Aki came on in the 52nd minute to replace Garry Ringrose. Easterby and his tactical leaders will be frustrated with how they managed the minutes after half time.
Wales had edged in front at 11-10 just before the break so Ireland needed to ride out the remainder of the red-card window calmly following half time. Instead, they made rash decisions twice in quick succession.
First, Jamison Gibson-Park quick tapped a penalty deep in his own half and was lucky Ireland got the ball back with a lineout on the halfway line. Surely they needed to pressure Wales with their kicking game next but instead they ran an intricate power play from that lineout, with Dan Sheehan’s pass just out of Sam Prendergast’s reach. The Irish out-half knocked on, Wales countered brilliantly, and Tom Rogers thrillingly finished their second try. It was poor game management from 14-man Ireland.
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Wales played a massive part in a brilliant game. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
And yet, they deserve credit for recovering from 18-10 down, denying Wales another score for the remaining 36 minutes of the game. Rugby can be a wild sport and things can flow against you. The best teams find a way to eke out a win on those days.
Of course, it was a close-run thing as Ellis Mee nearly scored in the 73rd minute after another Irish error, Prendergast kicking out on the full after taking a pass back into his own 22, but the scramble defence from Mack Hansen and Jamie Osborne to deny Mee was typically excellent. Ireland might still have led anyway – the touchline conversion would have been difficult – but it was a huge moment they won by a matter of inches, with TMO Ian Tempest’s calm review crucial.
Ireland never give up on seemingly lost causes and though they will self-critically review a defensive display that saw the inventive Wales make seven linebreaks, there was great intent too as Peter O’Mahony led the tackle count with 19 as he played the full 80 minutes after Ireland had lost Jack Conan to a lower-back injury early in the second half.
Just after Rogers’ try, Ireland settled themselves well as Prendergast launched a towering garryowen for Hansen to win back in the air before Gibson-Park rolled a clever kick into the left corner. It was what they had needed to do only a few minutes earlier and this pressure play resulted in a penalty that the Irish out-half slotted for 18-13.
The introductions of Aki and Finlay Bealham in the following minutes were important, with the inside centre delivering some massive breakdown moments including the turnover penalty that allowed Prendergast to finally give Ireland some breathing room at 24-18 with a long-range shot in the 70th minute.
Bealham steadied a scrum that had conceded penalties and momentum, while his powerful carry in midfield laid the platform for what was one of the defining moments of the game – Prendergast’s delightful spiral 50:22 down the right.
That 54th-minute kick was reminiscent of a classic Ronan O’Gara touch, a fizzing low spiral that sickened the Welsh. Jarrod Evans would have felt he was perfectly positioned on that side of the backfield but Prendergast, having had to check and take the pass on his inside shoulder, conjured a magnificent kick on his own 10-metre line to clear Murray and get the ball to bounce just before the touchline.
Prendergast made errors again and his tackling was poor, yet that moment alone showed his game-changing talent. The Irish coaching staff are fully behind the 22-year-old, as was underlined once again by Jack Crowley only coming on in the 73rd minute and at fullback for the second game in a row.
Easterby and co. believed Prendergast was the man to guide their team home and he did so. His place-kicking was excellent when Ireland needed it to be. Just six caps into his Test career, the Kildare man is part of a Triple Crown-winning team and there may be more to come.
Ireland are all in on Sam Prendergast. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Ireland scored directly from the lineout Prendergast’s 50:22 earned, with Gibson-Park using penalty advantage to hang the ball in the left corner where James Lowe came up with a superb play, exploding up into the air from near the corner flag and calmly batting the ball infield for Osborne to dot down. It was a moment of poise from Lowe amid the chaos.
A superb long left-footed kick from Lowe, clearing Mee in the backfield this time, put Ireland into another good attacking position a few minutes later. In their time of need, one of Andrew Goodman’s smart lineout plays saw Robbie Henshaw and the sniping Gibson-Park make big gains before Wales were caught offside.
Murray then did a remarkable job of holding Hansen up over the tryline when a try looked nearly certain on the advantage play, but Prendergast slotted the penalty and Ireland had their noses in front at 21-18 in the 67th minute.
There was still drama to come, but they will view their recovery with some pride.
They will also reflect on how they let such a good start to the game slip away. The direct ball-carrying power of the likes of Josh van der Flier, Andrew Porter, Lowe, Joe McCarthy, and finally Conan was impressive before the number eight scored in the seventh minute. McCarthy spotted space and surged past three defenders before Conan skillfully took a pop from Gibson-Park in his right hand while simultaneously using his left arm to fend Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams, pumping his legs through the contact before dexterously reaching out to dot down one-handed.
But from that pleasing position of a 7-0 lead, Ireland invited Wales back into the game with a series of handling errors – knock ons from Henshaw, Lowe, and Sheehan, as well as another spill from the Irish captain – and scrum penalty concessions.
They know they had a huge let-off in the 25th minute when Williams couldn’t hold Jac Morgan’s inside pass with the tryline begging after a clever Welsh lineout attack, although Ireland soon missed a big chance of their own when Osborne’s 30th-minute pass to Ringrose on the left was poor. It was another example of the inaccuracy that had crept into their game.
It all leaves Ireland with many reasons to have a very focused build-up to their huge clash with France in Dublin in two weekends, not that any additional focus would really have been needed. The Six Nations title is on the line for Ireland.
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Bundee Aki was brilliant off the bench. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Ireland’s coaches will undoubtedly underline to their players that they did indeed win in Cardiff, even with that familiar whiff of chaos in the air under the roof at the Principality Stadium. This victory needed plenty of the resilience, composure, and ability to bounce back from errors that this Ireland team have made their calling cards.
They did it having made seven changes and given several relatively inexperienced players big opportunities.
Some of the younger guns made mistakes but will have gained a massive amount from coming through this test and claiming silverware. This was only Ireland’s 14th Triple Crown and winning historic silverware shouldn’t be dismissed.
Yesterday’s carnage in Cardiff was a true joy to behold, a proper Test match in its truest sense. Wales played a huge part in the gripping spectacle on an afternoon when Ireland had enough resolve to get the job done.
Now it’s onto the next one with a Grand Slam in the balance.
- This article was updated at 11.08am to correct ‘Blair Murray’ to ‘Jarrod Evans’ in the 15th paragraph.
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This was a cracking Ireland win in an enthralling contest in Cardiff
THIS WON’T BE remembered as a great Irish performance but it was a cracking win in what proved to be an enthralling contest.
Winning matters most in international rugby and Ireland have claimed the Triple Crown and maintained their bid for a Grand Slam and/or Six Nations title.
There are many aspects Ireland need to improve – their handling, scrum, and game management in particular – but they did enough to quell the Welsh revival and leave Cardiff with a win, something that has been beyond many Irish teams in the past. And really, the lasting impression of the day was how Matt Sherratt got such a beautiful tune out of Wales. They were excellent, as Ireland had warned us would be the case.
The atmosphere under the roof of the Principality Stadium was electric, putting the Irish players into a mettle-testing setting for what proved to be an immense battle. You have to be in the stadium to appreciate how much of a cauldron it is.
Simon Easterby and his players know better than anyone that there were elements of fortune in their victory. For starters, they benefitted from the 20-minute red card trial being in play for the Six Nations.
Ireland looked shaky for a chunk of that window before the outstanding Bundee Aki came on in the 52nd minute to replace Garry Ringrose. Easterby and his tactical leaders will be frustrated with how they managed the minutes after half time.
Wales had edged in front at 11-10 just before the break so Ireland needed to ride out the remainder of the red-card window calmly following half time. Instead, they made rash decisions twice in quick succession.
First, Jamison Gibson-Park quick tapped a penalty deep in his own half and was lucky Ireland got the ball back with a lineout on the halfway line. Surely they needed to pressure Wales with their kicking game next but instead they ran an intricate power play from that lineout, with Dan Sheehan’s pass just out of Sam Prendergast’s reach. The Irish out-half knocked on, Wales countered brilliantly, and Tom Rogers thrillingly finished their second try. It was poor game management from 14-man Ireland.
And yet, they deserve credit for recovering from 18-10 down, denying Wales another score for the remaining 36 minutes of the game. Rugby can be a wild sport and things can flow against you. The best teams find a way to eke out a win on those days.
Of course, it was a close-run thing as Ellis Mee nearly scored in the 73rd minute after another Irish error, Prendergast kicking out on the full after taking a pass back into his own 22, but the scramble defence from Mack Hansen and Jamie Osborne to deny Mee was typically excellent. Ireland might still have led anyway – the touchline conversion would have been difficult – but it was a huge moment they won by a matter of inches, with TMO Ian Tempest’s calm review crucial.
Ireland never give up on seemingly lost causes and though they will self-critically review a defensive display that saw the inventive Wales make seven linebreaks, there was great intent too as Peter O’Mahony led the tackle count with 19 as he played the full 80 minutes after Ireland had lost Jack Conan to a lower-back injury early in the second half.
Just after Rogers’ try, Ireland settled themselves well as Prendergast launched a towering garryowen for Hansen to win back in the air before Gibson-Park rolled a clever kick into the left corner. It was what they had needed to do only a few minutes earlier and this pressure play resulted in a penalty that the Irish out-half slotted for 18-13.
The introductions of Aki and Finlay Bealham in the following minutes were important, with the inside centre delivering some massive breakdown moments including the turnover penalty that allowed Prendergast to finally give Ireland some breathing room at 24-18 with a long-range shot in the 70th minute.
Bealham steadied a scrum that had conceded penalties and momentum, while his powerful carry in midfield laid the platform for what was one of the defining moments of the game – Prendergast’s delightful spiral 50:22 down the right.
That 54th-minute kick was reminiscent of a classic Ronan O’Gara touch, a fizzing low spiral that sickened the Welsh. Jarrod Evans would have felt he was perfectly positioned on that side of the backfield but Prendergast, having had to check and take the pass on his inside shoulder, conjured a magnificent kick on his own 10-metre line to clear Murray and get the ball to bounce just before the touchline.
Prendergast made errors again and his tackling was poor, yet that moment alone showed his game-changing talent. The Irish coaching staff are fully behind the 22-year-old, as was underlined once again by Jack Crowley only coming on in the 73rd minute and at fullback for the second game in a row.
Easterby and co. believed Prendergast was the man to guide their team home and he did so. His place-kicking was excellent when Ireland needed it to be. Just six caps into his Test career, the Kildare man is part of a Triple Crown-winning team and there may be more to come.
Ireland scored directly from the lineout Prendergast’s 50:22 earned, with Gibson-Park using penalty advantage to hang the ball in the left corner where James Lowe came up with a superb play, exploding up into the air from near the corner flag and calmly batting the ball infield for Osborne to dot down. It was a moment of poise from Lowe amid the chaos.
A superb long left-footed kick from Lowe, clearing Mee in the backfield this time, put Ireland into another good attacking position a few minutes later. In their time of need, one of Andrew Goodman’s smart lineout plays saw Robbie Henshaw and the sniping Gibson-Park make big gains before Wales were caught offside.
Murray then did a remarkable job of holding Hansen up over the tryline when a try looked nearly certain on the advantage play, but Prendergast slotted the penalty and Ireland had their noses in front at 21-18 in the 67th minute.
There was still drama to come, but they will view their recovery with some pride.
They will also reflect on how they let such a good start to the game slip away. The direct ball-carrying power of the likes of Josh van der Flier, Andrew Porter, Lowe, Joe McCarthy, and finally Conan was impressive before the number eight scored in the seventh minute. McCarthy spotted space and surged past three defenders before Conan skillfully took a pop from Gibson-Park in his right hand while simultaneously using his left arm to fend Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams, pumping his legs through the contact before dexterously reaching out to dot down one-handed.
But from that pleasing position of a 7-0 lead, Ireland invited Wales back into the game with a series of handling errors – knock ons from Henshaw, Lowe, and Sheehan, as well as another spill from the Irish captain – and scrum penalty concessions.
They know they had a huge let-off in the 25th minute when Williams couldn’t hold Jac Morgan’s inside pass with the tryline begging after a clever Welsh lineout attack, although Ireland soon missed a big chance of their own when Osborne’s 30th-minute pass to Ringrose on the left was poor. It was another example of the inaccuracy that had crept into their game.
It all leaves Ireland with many reasons to have a very focused build-up to their huge clash with France in Dublin in two weekends, not that any additional focus would really have been needed. The Six Nations title is on the line for Ireland.
Ireland’s coaches will undoubtedly underline to their players that they did indeed win in Cardiff, even with that familiar whiff of chaos in the air under the roof at the Principality Stadium. This victory needed plenty of the resilience, composure, and ability to bounce back from errors that this Ireland team have made their calling cards.
They did it having made seven changes and given several relatively inexperienced players big opportunities.
Some of the younger guns made mistakes but will have gained a massive amount from coming through this test and claiming silverware. This was only Ireland’s 14th Triple Crown and winning historic silverware shouldn’t be dismissed.
Yesterday’s carnage in Cardiff was a true joy to behold, a proper Test match in its truest sense. Wales played a huge part in the gripping spectacle on an afternoon when Ireland had enough resolve to get the job done.
Now it’s onto the next one with a Grand Slam in the balance.
- This article was updated at 11.08am to correct ‘Blair Murray’ to ‘Jarrod Evans’ in the 15th paragraph.
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