Wales went into this game knowing that a win would bring themselves and England back into the Championship hunt.
Ireland were looking for an eleventh win on the bounce to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive.
Wales 23 – Ireland 16
First Half
Wales started with a high tempo and the pressure they applied to the Irish saw a succession of penalties conceded by the men in green.
O’Connell was pinged for not rolling away. Up stepped Halfpenny who stroked it over, 3-0 Wales.
O’Mahony went off his feet at a ruck, Halfpenny obliged from the tee, 6-0.
Heaslip held on as Jenkins jackalled; no mistake from Halfpenny, 9-0.
McGrath not rolling away and once more Halfpenny was unerring. 12-0 to Wales with just 13 minutes on the clock.
Leigh Halfpenny – punished Ireland from the kicking tee
Ireland were shell-shocked and just couldn’t get a foothold in the game. The Welsh coped with the Irish kicking game which had been dominant in earlier games: they fielded the Irish kicks easily and reclaimed their own.
An extended delay while Samson Lee was treated allowed O’Connell to rally his troops and interrupted Wales’ momentum.
When the game restarted Ireland began the process of clawing their way back into the game. A penalty against North for not rolling away gave Sexton a chance to respond immediately but he dragged it to the left and the margin remained twelve points.
A high tackle by Baldwin just a minute later allowed Sexton to make amends. It was a more difficult kick but he nailed it. Ireland finally on the scoreboard but still trailing 12-3.
Ireland abandoned their kicking game and decided to run the ball. They worked their way into the Wales 22 as a series of penalty advantages were played. The final penalty was awarded at a difficult angle for a kick to the posts so Ireland went to the corner.
Jonathan Sexton – had a bad day at the office
They decided to employ a Gatland-esque lineout with all but two backs involved. Best’s throw was wayward and Warburton got up early to claim. Ireland were penalised and Wales cleared. Ireland had to build again.
With just over ten minutes to half time Warburton was pinged for being off his feet. Referee Barnes gave him a yellow for his troubles having warned Wales about their discipline. Sexton converted the penalty and Ireland were back within striking distance at 12-6.
Wales forced an Irish knock-on and a penalty from the scrum allowed them to exit their half. They worked their way within range and a bullet pass from Webb allowed Biggar to slot a drop goal for 15-6.
Ireland responded from the restart making a series of half breaks to work their way close to the Welsh line. Lydiate was penalised for taking O’Connell out off the ball and Sexton made it a one score game. 15-9 at half time.
Second Half
The opening ten minutes of the second half saw Ireland dominate possession as they went in search of the try that would bring them back into the game. They pinned the Welsh in their own 22 as they looked to their big runners to breach the red line.
Ireland battered the Welsh line for phase after phase, but the red line held. With 16 minutes of the second 40 gone Ireland were pinged for going off their feet. The Welsh looked exhausted but they’d held out.
Their defensive efforts seem to give Wales new momentum as Davies made a burst from half way deep into the Irish 22. Only a poor pass from Biggar denied Halfpenny a try in the corner.
Wales weren’t to be denied though. Charteris stole yet another wayward throw from Best and 15 phases later substitute Scott Williams exploited a gap between Heaslip and Bowe to go over for the first try of the game. Halfpenny missed the conversion but Wales had daylight at 20-9 with just over 15 to go.
Scott Williams – scored a crucial try for Wales
Ireland needed to respond quickly and once more they set up camp in the Welsh 22. White-line fever denied them a score as they continued to pick and go under the posts with a huge overlap out wide. Ireland knocked-on and Wales survived again.
Ireland kept the pressure on and when they drove a five-metre lineout the Welsh brought it down illegally as Ireland were crossing the line. Barnes awarded a penalty try which Sexton converted. 20-16 into the last ten minutes.
The Irish continued to keep ball in hand after the restart and they found it difficult to make sufficient metres against the resolute Welsh defence. When Healy carried into the heart of the Welsh defence he held on and Halfpenny duly kicked to extend the Welsh lead, 23-16 and only five minutes left.
Ireland replaced Sexton, who’d had his worst game in a long time, with Madigan, as they went in search of a try and a possible draw. A combination of Irish mistakes and that amazing Welsh defence denied them and the Welsh claimed victory 23-16.
The wrap up
Wales put in a real shift in defence and forced turnovers at crucial times. They were more clinical and made the most of their chances. They go into the final weekend with a chance of pipping Ireland and England to the championship with a big win against Italy.
Ireland’s Grand Slam is gone but they still have a Six Nations Championship to play for. When they analyse this one they’ll feel they could have won if they’d gone wide instead of driving at the heart of a rock solid Welsh defence. They’ll learn more from this defeat than any of their three wins so far.
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The Game Changer
Ireland were pounding the Welsh line and had pinned them in their own half for over seven minutes. They’d gone through over 30 phases but still the Welsh line held.
A converted try for Ireland looked increasingly likely and it would give them the lead for the first time in the game. As Ireland drove again, through Payne, Sexton was pinged for going off his feet. The high fives between the Welsh players as the penalty was awarded showed how much it meant.
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The G&GR MOTM
O’Connell lead from the front for Ireland on his 100th cap.
The Welsh back three of Halfpenny, North and Williams dominated the aerial game. Biggar outshone a struggling Sexton and landed a crucial drop goal. Webb maintained a good tempo for Wales when they were in possession.
But today’s win was built on a rock solid defensive performance and for his work at the breakdown Sam Warburton is my MOTM. [/one_half]
The Details
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]Wales 23
Tries: S. Williams (61)
Penalties: Halfpenny (2, 7, 11, 13, 74)
Drop goal: Biggar (33)
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[one_half last=”yes”]Ireland 16
Tries: Penalty try (68)
Conversion: Sexton (69)
Penalties: Sexton (17, 29, 36)
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Cards & citings
Warburton – Yellow Card (28)
Davies – Yellow Card (78)
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Crowd
73,950
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The Teams
Wales
1. G. Jenkins, 2. S. Baldwin, 3. S. Lee, 4. L. Chateris, 5. A. Wyn Jones, 6. D. Lydiate, 7. S. Warburton, 8. T. Faletau, 9. R. Webb, 10. D. Biggar, 11. L. Williams, 12. J. Roberts, 13. J. Davies, 14. G. North, 15. L. Halfpenny.
Reserves: 16. R. Hibbard, 17. R. Evans, 18. A. Jarvis, 19. J. Ball, 20. J. Tipuric, 21. M. Phillips, 22. R. Priestland, 23. S. Williams.
Ireland
1. J. McGrath, 2. R. Best, 3. M. Ross, 4. D. Toner, 5. P. O’Connell, 6. P. O’Mahony, 7. S. O’Brien, 8. J. Heaslip, 9. C. Murray, 10. J. Sexton, 11. S. Zebo, 12. R. Henshaw, 13. J. Payne, 14. T. Bowe, 15. R. Kearney.
Reserves: 16. S. Cronin, 17. C. Healy, 18. M. Moore, 19. I. Henderson, 20. J. Murphy, 21. E. Reddan, 22. I. Madigan, 23. F. Jones.
See next page for a report on England v Scotland by Michael Korolishin
