Ireland 31 Wales 7
Ireland made it three wins out of three by overcoming spirited Welsh resistance at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday afternoon. The bonus-point victory put Ireland very much in the driving seat in the Six Nations Championship.
Dan Sheehan got the opening try after sustained Irish pressure in the first quarter of the game. James Lowe went over on the left wing for a second a few minutes later.
Jack Crowley got an early penalty and converted both tries, putting Ireland 17-0 ahead after just half an hour, and that’s how it stayed until the break.
Early in the 2nd half a Welsh fightback led to a penalty try, with Tadgh Beirne getting a yellow card. The game became more open and competitive early in the second half, and the 14-man Ireland resisted a period of intense Welsh pressure. At the other end, the Irish had a Bundee Aki try disallowed in the 59th minute because a knock-on in the buildup – though Aki would be named Player of the Match.
Ciaran Frawley went over for a try in the 67th minute to restore the 17-point lead.
Wales piled on the pressure again in the last seven minutes, but Ireland held out and finished with a valuable bonus-point try from Beirne, which Crowley converted.
Ireland: Ciarán Frawley; Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O'Mahony (capt), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Oli Jager, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Stuart McCloskey.
Wales: Cameron Winnett; Josh Adams, George North, Nick Tompkins, Rio Dyer; Sam Costelow, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee, Keiron Assiratti; Dafydd Jenkins, Adam Beard; Alex Mann, Tommy Reffell, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Dillon Lewis, Will Rowlands, Mackenzie Martin, Kieran Hardy, Ioan Llyod, Mason Grady.
