RBS Six Nations: Ireland 16 Wales 16
IF there was a moral victory to be had, it was Ireland’s.Those don’t carry much weight around D4 these days, but given the pattern yesterday’s game took, given their absentees and given their lack of options on the bench when things turned against them, salvaging a draw was a testament in some ways.
It wouldn’t have seemed like it at 13-0 up after half-an-hour. Wave after wave of Irish attack in the opening quarter threatened to engulf the Welsh defence.
A move of 18 phases, started by a Simon Zebo break, brought the first three points after Gareth Davies was caught offside. The second penalty came after 15 phases of attack, with Johnny Sexton punishing the indiscretions on both occasions.
The whole flow of the game was towards the Welsh line in the opening 20 minutes. The intensity of the Irish defence was manic, best typified by Robbie Henshaw getting himself over the ball to win a penalty and relieve Wales’ one real spell of pressure in the first quarter.
Losing Dan Biggar at that stage looked a real blow for the visitors, and the game appeared to be edging away from them when Conor Murray – who really ought to have been man-of-the-match ahead of CJ Stander – found a gap inside Justin Tipuric to score the first try.
It had all begun from Devin Toner’s mountainous frame charging down a Gareth Davies clearance, allowing Ireland to pen Wales in.
The TMO was happy that Stander hadn’t touched down for a debut score but from the resulting scrum, Murray worked the ball right and made use of Henshaw’s strength, which took Ireland up to the line.
At 13-0 up on the half-hour, it was an exact reversal of what happened in Cardiff last year.
But by that stage, Warren Gatland’s side were showing signs of a revival. It was their dominance of the scrum that was beginning to really force the cracks.
When Keith Earls failed to return Liam Williams safely to the ground and conceded a penalty from which Rhys Priestland got Wales off the mark, the momentum swung very quickly and very definitely.
Liam Williams taking his eye off the ball from a deft cross-kick from the replacement 10 cost Wales a score. The full-back got there but the mere presence of his back-pedalling opposite number Zebo was enough to get Ireland off the hook.
But they drove the Ireland scrum back close to their own line twice in quick succession and there was an inevitability that the third would draw some proper reward.
Toby Faletau spotted the gap after the Welsh pack wheeled left and touched down superbly, and Priestland added the extras to leave Ireland just three up at the break, 13-10.
The weight of momentum had gone and Ireland never truly got it back in the second half. The second 40 minutes was more pedestrian as the tension took hold.
The longer it went, the more it seemed to be turning in Wales’ favour. They were able to introduce serious quality and experience from their bench, though it perhaps didn’t have the impact they would have desired.
The Irish defence must take huge credit. They nullified the Welsh scrum much, much better and set themselves up to protect from the driving maul, sacrificing a lineout contest to do so.
And while the visitors did have spells of possession in good areas, they failed to make a single line break in the entire 80 minutes.
Jamie Roberts battered the line, though it was the final quarter before he really started to make some headway, and neither of their wingers had much impact. Their attacking display was hardly sparkling.
But with the exception of Rhys Ruddock, the Irish replacements offered little different. The Welsh drift defence became utterly comfortable as the half wore on, with only one-off breaks from Zebo and Sexton troubling them.
Sexton was visibly angered by Jerome Garcés’ decision not to reward his choke tackle on Jonathan Davies during the 28-phase move that, via a brief turnover, led to the penalty that put Wales 16-13 ahead.
As much as they looked to the referee, it was more Jack McGrath’s awkwardness as an auxiliary scrum-half that allowed Wales to reverse the turnover and force a penalty from which Priestland looked to have won it.
At that stage, Ireland were crying out for something different in attack. It was beginning to look like a mistake not to include Stuart McCloskey amongst the replacements when they found themselves chasing the game and looking at a bench that offered little inspiration.
But Wales handed the home side an instant lifeline on the restart as Priestland’s sliced clearance led to an offside and Sexton nailed the kick from the 10-metre line to salvage a draw.
The Leinster man went off clutching his chest a few minutes from time, which leaves a doubt over his availability for Paris next weekend, although Joe Schmidt insisted he was just “sore” and would be fine. Ian Madigan’s fidgety cameo didn’t inspire.
It was Priestland who had the one real chance to win it in the dying minutes. Given the history of drop goals in this fixture, it would have been fitting.
But he screwed his effort well wide. A draw was more befitting of this 80 minutes.
There will be no Grand Slam for either, and no side has ever won the championship having drawn a game, but Ireland will take the point for having proved one.
Ireland: S Zebo; A Trimble, J Payne, R Henshaw, K Earls; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, N White; D Toner, M McCarthy; CJ Stander, T O’Donnell, J Heaslip
Replacements: R Ruddock for T O’Donnell (48), T Furlong for White (63), D Ryan for McCarthy (63), D Kearney for Earls (71), S Cronin for Best (75), I Madigan for Sexton (75)
Try: C Murray
Penalties: J Sexton (three)
Conversions: J Sexton
Wales: Liam Williams; G North, J Davies, J Roberts, T James; D Biggar, G Davies; R Evans, S Baldwin, S Lee; L Charteris, A Wyn Jones; S Warburton, J Tipuric, T Faletau
Replacements: R Priestland for Biggar (21), G Jenkins for R Evans (53), T Francis for Lee (58), B Davies for Charteris (62),
K Owens for Baldwin (63), Lloyd Williams for G Davies (71), D Lydiate for Warburton (72)
Try: T Faletau
Penalties: R Priestland (three)
Conversions: R Priestland
