Hello everybody. It’s finally here.
Ireland will kick off their Six Nations campaign against Wales at the Principality Stadium in just over a half an hour’s time.
The world’s number one-ranked team will be seeking to get their campaign off on the right foot. But with the roof closed in Cardiff and Warren Gatland back in the hotseat, could an experienced Wales side roll back the years?
We won’t be long finding out.
As you’ve probably been informed already, there are two changes to Ireland’s matchday 23, with starting scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and replacement loosehead Cian Healy ruled out through injury.
It’s a huge day for Conor Murray, who starts at scrum-half, while his Munster teammates Craig Casey and Dave Kilcoyne are drafted onto the bench.
📋 Team Update: Jamison Gibson-Park and Cian Healy have been ruled out of today’s game through injury.
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) February 4, 2023
Conor Murray comes into the starting team, with Craig Casey and Dave Kilcoyne named on the bench. #TeamOfUs | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/gjav17LU3x
Meanwhile, Wales announced on Thursday that Leigh Halfpenny had been ruled out of their team due to injury and will be replaced at fullback by Liam Williams.
Just under 15 minutes to go. How are the nerves?
Poll Results:
Anthems. Jaysus, Old Land of my Fathers is a belter.
1′ – Wales 0-0 Ireland: Off we go. Johnny Sexton, playing in his last Six Nations (we think), gets us underway at the Principality.
1′ – Wales 0-0 Ireland: Ireland get excellent field position with a lineout in the Welsh 22′ after a sweeping backs move. Great skip pass in there by Stuart McCloskey before James Lowe chipped and Wales hurriedly cleared to touch.
2′ – Wales 0-7 Ireland: TRYYYYY! Phenomenal start by Andy Farrell’s side. Error-free from kick-off.
From their early lineout, they build pressure and it’s Caelan Doris who eventually punctures the Welsh line after a strong carry by James Ryan.
Sexton converts. 7-zip.
8′ – Wales 0-7 Ireland: Ireland are attacking fluidly, powerfully and brilliantly. Huge carries by Ringrose, Porter and co. They win a penalty six yards from the Welsh line. They tap and go! Another advantage…
9′ – Wales 0-14 Ireland: TRYYYY! It’s James Ryan who burrows over for Ireland’s second with a little bit of help from Tadhg Beirne. Sexton is left with a simple conversion.
This has been an exceptional opening 10 minutes by every player in green.
11′ – Wales 0-14 Ireland: The Fields of Athenry is ringing triumphantly around the Principality at the moment.
There’s a lot of road left to run in this game, but Wales and their fans are stunned.
12′ – Wales 0-14 Ireland: Brilliant defence by Hugo Keenan who concedes a five-metre scrum after Rio Dyer fly-hacked a loose ball downfield. Ireland unlucky not to win a scrum beforehand when the ball was clearly knocked on by a Welsh hand in the tackle. Instead, they’re forced to defend their line.
It’s a huge scrum by Ireland! But Wales win a penalty advantage off next phase.
14′ – Wales 3-14 Ireland: Dan Biggar takes the easy three and Wales are on the board. That’s 250 up for Biggar in the Six Nations.
16′ – Wales 3-14 Ireland: Wales concede a penalty on the ground inside their own half after a superb take in the air by Keenan.
Ireland kick to within 20-odd yards of the Welsh line and their attack eventually fizzles out when Wales almost make a steal at the breakdown only for Liam Williams to knock the ball on.
Scrum Ireland, 10 yards from the Welsh line.
19′ – Wales 3-17 Ireland: Finlay Bealham wins a penalty in the scrum and Sexton chips over. Good response by Ireland to their first scare of the game, and the lead is back out to 14.
Wales have already conceded five penalties and we haven’t yet played 20 minutes.
21′ – Wales 3-24 Ireland: TRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYY! It’s James Lowe with the intercept score from deep inside the Irish half!
Wales were attacking well, building phase after phase, and Lowe makes a brilliant read to pickpocket the hosts and take it to the house.
Sexton nails the extras again. Ireland lead by 21.
24′ – Wales 3-24 Ireland: Ah, that’s huge defence by Ireland. Garry Ringrose with the leg tackle on Dan Biggar saves a certain Welsh try, and then Josh van der Flier and Lowe combine to win the turnover penalty on the deck.
Audible cheers from the men in green as referee Karl Dickson sounds his whistle. That’s a massive moment.
28′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Faletau concedes a penalty — Wales’ eighth — and Sexton nudges Ireland further in front. It’s a four-score game in Cardiff as we enter the 28th minute.
29′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Another brilliant Ireland attack — including a lovely break by McCloskey — eventually results in a Welsh penalty for not rolling away. The Welsh players give James Ryan some lip. Peter O’Mahony and Andrew Porter ‘get involved’. A schemozzle, and nothing more.
You could say this for almost everybody in green as of now, but Andrew Porter is having a huge game.
34′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: A brilliant chance for Ireland goes abegging as Doris loses the ball in contact. Wales are sucking in air as we prepare for the scrum.
Ireland have been relentless, here.
What a start this has been.
38′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Wales win a scrum penalty and get Ireland on the back foot. George North with a powerful carry takes them to within inches of the Irish line. But what a defensive intervention by Porter! He holds up a Wales attacker — I didn’t quite see who — over the line, and Ireland escape with a goal-line drop-out.
42′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Wales try a couple of things, but they come to nothing unfortunately for the hosts. Stuart McCloskey collects a kick through and pokes the ball dead for half-time.
A brilliant half of rugby by Ireland, who lead by 24 at the break but still need to shore up this game — and score a fourth try, if possible!
41′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Dan Biggar gets us back up and running for the second half.
Ireland have won their last 14 games in which they were leading at half-time. Can they pull away, here, or will Wales make a fist of it?
43′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland: Garry Ringrose just absolutely incinerated Dan Biggar in a tackle. It’s fractionally late and Biggar is feeling its full effects, but Karl Dickson is happy with the timing.
Wales win a penalty as an Irish forward gets trapped at the bottom of a ruck. Biggar dusts himself down to kick his side as far as the Irish 22′.
44′ – Wales 3-27 Ireland:Better from Wales who start to knock on the door. Ireland concede a penalty for offside.
Wales kick to the corner.
45′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Try for the hosts! It’s a brilliantly executed score, eventually finished off by Liam Williams who walks it in from five yards.
Andrew Porter is also penalised for diving on top of Williams late after his finish. So, after Biggar converts, Wales will restart with a penalty.
The Welsh crowd are alive again.
47′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Not a great time for a crooked lineout by Ken Owens.
Ireland scrum. They win a penalty. Sexton takes them up to halfway.
50′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Hugo Keenan makes a monstrous take in the air but James Lowe is pinged for blocking off the Welsh kick-chaser.
Wales immediately go to the corner.
51′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: A huge Irish turnover! Caelan Doris keeps Justin Tipuric on his feet. Maul called. It goes to ground. Ireland ball!
Huge moment as Ireland came under big Welsh pressure.
54′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Unbelievable break by Liam Williams and he pops it to Justin Tipuric.
The openside’s pass wide to Rio Dyer, however, is too high and Dyer falls into touch as he catches the ball.
Wales so, so much better in this second half. Ireland riding out some scares.
55′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Unbelievably stupid penalty conceded by Iain Henderson, who’s just on the pitch.
He follows through on Liam Williams after a kick. Williams makes a meal of it, but that was so needless by Henderson.
Penalty Wales from where the ball landed, which was on the Irish 10′.
56′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Wales have had 65% possession in the second half. They attack off a lineout but Ireland win the ball back.
Unreal pickup by Keenan who scoops a loose ball. And what’s Johnny Sexton doing?!? He tries a crossfield kick inside his own 22′ and it’s caught by Rio Dyer! Dyer down the left… he’s hauled down.
Moments later, a huge turnover by Peter O’Mahony allows Ireland to finally clear their lines. This is frantic, frenetic stuff.
60′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Ireland build and build and build without generating much momentum in Welsh territory.
In fairness to the hosts, their linespeed and intensity in the tackle is so much improved in the second half.
Ireland eventually win a penalty, though, and though it’s kickable, Sexton opts for touch.
61′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Brilliant turnover on the ground by Rhys Carré who catches Andrew Porter isolated. Frustrating breakdown of a promising Irish attack.
63′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Huge tackle by Conor Murray who claws down a rampaging Rio Dyer. Ireland under pressure but replacement Bundee Aki wins the jackal penalty!
Hang on, Aki has been retrospectively pinged for an off-the-ball tackle on George North. Dearie me, that looked very, very soft.
Wales to the corner!
64′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: James Ryan with the lineout steal! Ireland escape once more!
65′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Liam Williams is sin-binned for a high hit on Sexton. He was a bit unlucky, there. That’s a big, big loss for Wales for the next 10 minutes. Williams has been outstanding.
68′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Wales get a twist on an Ireland scrum in midfield and Craig Casey is caught in possession. Wales win a turnover penalty on the next phase and go to the corner.
Absolutely massive moment by Sexton as he holds up George North with a little bit of help from Van der Flier. Scrum Ireland, and big celebrations by the away side.
That was Sexton’s last involvement and Ross Byrne is on to steer Ireland home in the last 11 and a half minutes.
71′ – Wales 10-27 Ireland: Aki is having a stormer!
Ireland are on the attack in the Welsh 22′… It’s scintillating rugby again by the bench!
73′ – Wales 10-34 Ireland: TRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! And there’s the bonus point for Ireland!
A wonderful, incremental attack eventually pays dividends as Josh van der Flier waltzes over under the sticks.
Dan Sheehan was huge in some of those moves.
Stick a fork in this one!
Mack Hansen comes so close to a fifth Irish try with the last play, collecting an awkward crossfield kick by Ross Byrne — but he’s bundled into touch by Alex Cuthbert. And with that, Karl Dickson blows the final whistle.
A brilliant first half. Some hairy moments in the second. But overall, what a start to their Six Nations campaign.
That’s all she wrote, but Murray Kinsella and Ciarán Kennedy will be writing more about the game this evening — so do keep an eye out.
Ireland are off the mark with maximum points. Thanks for joining our live updates today. Catch you for the next one if you can’t get near a telly!
