Ireland cruised to a 27-17 bonus point win in Dublin, defeating a stubborn Wales and keeping their Six Nations and Triple Crown hopes alive.
First-half tries from Jacob Stockdale and Jack Crowley looked to have put Andy Farrell’s side in the lead after a defiant stand from the Welsh defence, but prop Rhys Carre’s sensational breakaway score – his third of the tournament – cut Ireland’s lead to just two points at half-time.
Ireland extended their advantage with a Jack Connan goal four minutes after the restart, but James Botham hit back to keep Wales in check for the final 15 minutes.
But Jamie Osborne’s bonus-point try and Crowley’s late penalty ended Wales’ valiant effort and any hopes of a first Dublin win since 2012.
The defeat extended Wales’ Six Nations winless run to 15 games, but further improvements under manager Steve Tandy have given Wales hope that they can end their drought in Round 5 against Italy.
Ireland have moved into second place in the standings with three successive wins, leaving them with a chance of reclaiming the Six Nations title ahead of next Saturday’s Triple Crown clash with Scotland.
Ireland remain in Six Nations hunt
Jacob Stockdale’s 20th international try puts Ireland ahead.
Wales’ hopes of a first Six Nations win in Dublin in 14 years were quickly dashed as Stockdale dived into Stuart McCloskey’s pass and scored his 20th international try within six minutes.
Ireland came close to pulling away in the 11th minute with Connan’s cross, but the try was canceled out by Tom O’Toole’s knock-on and a Dan Edwards penalty steadied Wales.
The visiting team joined in the competition, but unfortunately they were unable to take the lead as Carre was blocked on the line.
Momentum soon pushed Ireland back when Crowley scored in the left-hand corner, but Wales held a narrow 12-10 lead at half-time as Carre swung past Robert Balkoon to complete a stunning 30-metre run for his third of the match.
Rhys Carre scores in three consecutive games to become Wales’ top try-scorer in this year’s Six Nations
Conan could not be ruled out diving in early in the second half, but Wales continued to thwart Ireland. Their pressure paid off in the 63rd minute when Botham powered over and Edwards converted to cut the gap to two points.
Ireland responded quickly, with a fluid move from full-back Osborne to score his third try in three games and earn him a bonus point.
Tomos Williams’ yellow card caused further problems for Wales, and although Crowley missed the conversion, he sealed the victory with a late penalty, denying Wales a bonus point.
Farrell: ‘Ireland win in a hard-fought battle’
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell told ITV:
“I actually thought this was the Test match it should have been, all credit to Wales and I thought they were outstanding.
“They’ve definitely improved under Steve Tandy, they’ve certainly improved defensively and it was a waste for us to get the bonus point and win.”
“We certainly defended really well in the first half but just before half-time we switched off. If you switch off like that at this level you’re going to be punished and full credit to Wales.”
“Wales kept fighting throughout the game. We showed good character so it was a hard-fought win.”
Doris: Ireland has a lot to work on.
Ireland captain Caelen Doris told ITV:
“It was really rough and lacked a bit of the clinical edge that it showed a few weeks ago.
“We tried to get a quick start and got a try early and then had a try disallowed, but then we gave them a little bit of momentum and we showed a little bit of purple towards the end of the first half.
“We have a lot of work to do if we want to perform well and get a good result here against Scotland.
“It’s a week where I don’t usually do my best, so it will give me more motivation to do better next week.”
“On my way back to Wales!”
Wales prop Rhys Carre scores back-to-back wins with sensational solo try
Wales prop Rhys Carre told ITV:
“We’ve shown improvement and we’re showing in these games that we’re going to continue to fight until the last play.
“I think we’re showing people that we’re back. Last week we were gutted, but this week we played until the last moment.
“We are working hard and moving towards our goals. We gave our all on the pitch for 80 minutes and I think the results are slowly improving.”
“We’re building something well.”
Lakes: Wales’ ‘monumental’ progress
Wales captain Dewi Lake told ITV:
“Obviously we were disappointed to lose the game, but we were within two points in the period of that game.
“I think the development of this group over the past four weeks has been remarkable.
“The changes in the game, how to adapt on and off the pitch, what I’m learning every week.
“I think we have a lot to gain from today.”
What’s next?
Saturday’s double-header begins with leaders France taking on Scotland at Murrayfield (kick-off 2.10pm) before England take on Italy at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico (kick-off 4.40pm).
Ireland wrap up their Six Nations final on March 14 at home to Scotland (2.10pm ko), Wales face Italy at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium (4.40pm ko), then France face England at the Stade de France (8.10pm ko).
