So here we are — six weeks out from Ireland’s first Rugby World Cup match, and the campaign really begins in earnest with a return to Cardiff.
As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail niall@the42.ie, tweet @the42_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.
Welcome along to our coverage of Ireland’s opening World Cup warm-up game!
Joe Schmidt has handed a few of his fringe players starting chances at a sold-out Millennium Stadium and it’ll be fascinating to see which of them takes their opportunity.
If you’re still desperately attempting to find somewhere to watch this on TV, check out this article on how to tune your Sky box into BBC Wales.
Schmidt sharing a joke with Ian Madigan, who is part of the Ireland bench this afternoon in Cardiff.
TEAM NEWS: Here’s a quick reminder of that experimental Welsh side which features four new caps.
Wales
15. Hallam Amos
14. Alex Cuthbert
13. Tyler Morgan
12. Scott Williams (capt)
11. Eli Walker
10. James Hook
9. Mike Phillips
1. Nicky Smith
2. Richard Hibbard
3. Aaron Jarvis
4. Jake Ball
5. Dominic Day
6. Ross Moriarty
7. Justin Tipuric
8. Dan Baker
TEAM NEWS: Here’s the Irish XV
Ireland
15. Felix Jones
14. Andrew Trimble
13. Keith Earls
12. Darren Cave
11. Fergus McFadden
10. Paddy Jackson
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Jack McGrath
2. Richardt Strauss
3. Mike Ross
4. Iain Henderson
5. Donnacha Ryan
6. Jordi Murphy
7. Tommy O’Donnell
8. Jamie Heaslip (captain)
HOW CAN I WATCH THE MATCH?
If my updates aren’t going to be enough for you, don’t worry, I won’t take it personally.
Click here for some TV tricks that Sky customers can use to access BBC Wales >
Here come the teams – Wales led by centre Scott Williams, Ireland by Mike Ross as he wins his 50th cap.
We’ve had the anthems, belted out by 74,000 fans wedged into the Millennium Stadium.
Ireland’s World Cup campaign starts here…
KICK OFF: James Hook gets us underway.
1 mins — Early Wales possession drives them inside Irish territory but Tommy O’Donnell gets in to force an early turnover.
Ireland pinged for a player going in off their feet at the breakdown and it will be a Welsh penalty.
6 mins – Wales secure the lineout and carry the ball up as far as the Irish 22. Phillips and Ross Moriarty combine but Mike Ross puts in a tackle to stop them.
7 mins – Wales held up just short of the Irish 22 and then appear to run out of patience and kick the ball dead. That was a bit wasteful.
Nice work by the Irish backs sets Keith Earls free on the left wing but as he tries to loop back around with Eoin Reddan, it comes off the scrum-half’s fingers and it’s a knock-on.
Ireland force the turnover with Wales backed up on their own line…
TRY IRELAND! Ireland 5-0 Wales (Heaslip)
Ireland make that turnover count and Heaslip is able to dart in to the left corner for the opening score. Wales allow him to go on to touch down in a much more central position … but Paddy Jackson still misses a straightforward conversion. That’s a bad, bad miss.
Still, first blood to Ireland.
More good Ireland play but again it comes to nothing. Felix Jones chooses a great line and Ireland look threatening on the edge of the Welsh 22. Paddy Jackson opts to go for the grubber though and the ball bobbles dead for a Welsh lineout.
Good Irish territory and possession again as they work the ball through the phases but it’s turned over as Donncha Ryan carries it into contact.
Good kick in behind by Keith Earls and it’s a Welsh lineout five metres out.
Ireland put them under pressure and they force another turnover. It will be an Irish scrum.
Brilliant opening 15 minutes by this Irish side.
Good Irish hit at the scrum but the front rows pop up and we’ll have a reset.
Cave drives for a yard or two on the first phase off that Irish scrum, and then it’s Earls’ turn. He bobbles the ball though and it falls into Welsh hands to scramble clear.
Ireland 8-0 Wales (Jackson penalty) Referee Glen Jackson pings Wales and Jackson will have a chance to make amends for his missed conversion. It’s about 35 metres out, and 15 in from the left touchline, but he nails it. That won’t hurt his confidence one bit.
Richardt Strauss is in a spot of bother here. He drove head first into Dominic Day’s thigh and he’ll be taken off to be assessed under the concussion protocols. He’s ok to walk off the pitch, Rory Best coming in to replace him for now.
Magnificent feet by Keith Earls who dances past Scott Williams and leaves him for dead. He should score but Richard Hibbard and Hallam Amos do brilliantly to hold him up and Ireland will have a five-metre scrum.
TRY IRELAND! Ireland 15-0 Wales (Darren Cave) Paging the Welsh defence. The Welsh defence to the Millennium Stadium please.
This couldn’t be much easier for Ireland. Reddan holds the ball up for a split-second at the back of the scrum and it allows Cave to pick his line and thunder through. The Welsh attempts to stop him are virtually non-existent and Ireland have a second try.
Jackson tacks on the extras. Ireland lead by 15.
25 mins – This is one of the first sustained periods of Welsh possession in Irish territory. There’s a hint of a forward pass but Glen Jackson lets play go and moments later, brings it back for a Welsh penalty.
James Hook kicks to touch, seven metres short of the Irish line.
26 mins – Richardt Strauss is back in… and Iain Henderson snatches the lineout which allows Eoin Reddan to alleviate the pressure.
Andrew Trimble is first man up in the chase, hounding Eli Walker, and Ireland do brilliantly to isolate him and force the turnover.
29 mins – Wales take advantage of the broken field and manage to run the ball back from deep inside their own territory to close to the half-way line. Good work from wing Eli Walker in particular there.
TRY IRELAND! Ireland 22-0 Ireland (Keith Earls)
This ought to bring a smile to the face of every Irish fan. Andrew Trimble absolutely mullers Eli Walker in the tackle, the ball pops up into Keith Earls’ hands, and he sprints free to score.
It’s no more than Earls deserves in a brilliant first half — but he owes Andrew Trimble a lemonade later.
Jackson converts.
32 mins – Ireland should have another! James Hook gives the ball away carelessly, Felix Jones breaks, and he has Trimble on his shoulder.
It’s a footrace to the corner but Scott Williams covers across just in time to drag him into touch, yards short.
Ireland 25-0 Wales (Jackson penalty) No mistake by Paddy Jackson as he slots another penalty.
34 mins -- There’s the first real concern for Ireland and Joe Schmidt. Trimble, who has been one of the standout backs in this first half, goes off injured and Simon Zebo is on to replace him on the wing.
Here’s another look at that Earls try — and the Trimble hit. OOOOF.
TRY WALES! Ireland 25-7 Wales (Hibbard) Ireland caught napping in the final minutes of this first half and it allows Wales to score with one of the oldest tricks in the book.
Hibbard throws to the front of the lineout, it’s popped back to Tipuric, and he offloads back to Hibbard who steps into the corner.
Hook converts and it’s looking a little bit more respectable for Wales now.
TMO! It looks like Eli Walker might have another Welsh try on the stroke of half-time…
Not for me – it’s a superman effort by Walker who dives over the bobbling ball but he just can’t get enough pressure on it.
NO TRY! But a wake-up call for Ireland.
HALF TIME: Ireland 25-7 Wales
That was pretty manic. Back in five.
SECOND HALF: We’re back underway in Cardiff. Can Wales carry on the momentum they had before the break?
WALES SUB: Taulupe Faletau is on to replace Dan Baker in the back row.
43 mins – Wales have all of the possession in these first few minutes and Ireland concede the first penalty of the second half, going in off their feet at the breakdown.
Hook kicks Wales up to the Irish 22.
44 mins – Scott Williams fumbles the pass from James Hook and it’s an Irish scrum now on the 22. Chance wasted for Wales.
45 mins – Simon Zebo is down and looks to be hurt after he was caught by the flying arm of Ross Moriarty — a man who, you might remember, has previous against Ireland.
Glen Jackson asks the TMO to have a look.
YELLOW CARD! Moriarty is binned and he can’t have too many arguments.
47 mins – Ireland go close again as Donncha Ryan combines with Zebo. Wales somehow manage to hold up the mass of Irish bodies.
TRY IRELAND! Ireland 30-7 Wales (Zebo)
Second time lucky for Zebo. Eoin Reddan is held up just short but Tommy O’Donnell digs it out and fires a short pass to Zebo who manages to avoid the despairing dive of Alex Cuthbert to score.
It’s right out in the corner so it’s no real surprise that Jackson can’t convert.
IRELAND SUB: Change in the second row as Dan Touhy comes on to replace Iain Henderson.
50 mins – Zebo tries to gather his own grubber in behind the Welsh line but Hallam Amos is in a good position to cover and Wales regain possession.
IRELAND SUB: Dave Kilcoyne in for Jack McGrath at loosehead.
Wales make a few changes as well — including Gareth Anscombe on for James Hook at out-half. Was that Hook’s last chance to book a place on the plane?
TRY IRELAND! Ireland 35-7 Wales (Jones)
Ireland inside the Welsh 22 and Darren Cave does brilliantly to inch towards the line with a Welsh defender hanging out of his ankle.
It’s recycled back and Simon Zebo fires a lovely skip pass out to Felix Jones who strolls in for another Irish try.
Jackson misses the conversion but again, it was a tough one.
IRELAND SUB: Chris Henry is on for Jamie Heaslip who has been nothing short of immense today. Jordi Murphy will shift over to number eight, I guess.
If Ireland are trying to keep the lid on the hype and expectation, they could do with taking the foot off the gas for the last 25 minutes here.
Admittedly, this Welsh performance is well below their high standards.
And yes, it’s only a warm-up game.
Here’s a question from Chris Purcell:
60 mins – Chris Henry didn’t last very long. He’s shown a yellow card for slowing Welsh ball at the breakdown and he’s off to the bin.
62 mins – My word, a huge tackle by Earls yards from his own line to force Dominic Day to fumble. A perfect hit.
Ireland will have the scrum and chance to relieve the pressure.
65 mins – Welsh penalty and Anscombe kicks play back up to the Irish 22. Can they make hay against the 14 men?
66 mins – Hal Amos won’t want to see this one again! He thinks he spots a gap in behind the Irish line but as he goes to put boot to ball, he swings and misses with a complete fresh air.
Oops.
IRELAND SUBS: Madigan is on, and it looks like he’s going to go in at centre with Keith Earls making way. Kieran Marmion is on for Eoin Reddan as well.
70 mins – A lot of the zip is gone out of this game in the second half. Joe Schmidt is clearly taking the opportunity to do a little bit of experimentation — it looks like he has switched Felix Jones onto the wing and moved Zebo to full-back,
TRY WALES! Ireland 35-14 Wales (Tipuric)
I had to open my mouth, didn’t I? Wales find space down the left and after an initial break from Justin Tipuric, Tyler Morgan and Hal Amos keep the play alive. Tipuric is back up on Amos’s shoulder for the offload and he scores.
Anscombe adds the extras. Just the 21 points in it now.
75 mins – Worrying scenes here as Tommy O’Donnell crashes to ground and he looks to be in serious discomfort here. He’s surrounded by medical personnel with a stretcher and oxygen being brought out to him.
Here’s hoping he’s ok.
Keith Earls is named man of the match during this break in play. TOD is still being treated inside the Welsh 22.
Still no movement here, although O’Donnell does appear to be conscious and talking. It looks to be a shoulder or arm injury.
Tommy O’Donnell is driven off at a very slow pace as the medics take every precaution. We’ll have more on his condition as soon as we get it.
76 mins – We’re back underway after that lengthy break.
78 mins – Ireland have the ball in hand inside Welsh territory and they’re just forcing it through the phases.
We’re into the last minute here. Let’s just wrap this one up before anything else bad happens.
Wales launch one last attack with the clock in the red.
TRY WALES! Ireland 35-21 Wales (Cuthbert)
Ireland have used all of their subs so they’re down to 14 for the final few minutes. Wales take advantage and with the Irish defence stretched, they skip a pass out to Alex Cuthbert who goes over right in the corner.
Gareth Anscombe — who has really caught the eye since coming on for Hook — nails a difficult conversion. Has he forced his way into plans?
FULL TIME: Ireland 35-21 Wales
That’s the game. Ireland were magnificent in the first half, slightly less so as the intensity dialled down in the second half.
The injuries to Andrew Trimble, and particularly Tommy O’Donnell, will be the biggest concern though.
That’s all from me. Thanks for reading — and stay with us for plenty of reaction and analysis over the course of the evening.
