Opening score: Simon Zebo
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Ireland produced a brilliant first-half display to clinch the opening fixture of the Six Nations with a 30-22 win over Wales in Cardiff.
A dire performance from Wales in the opening 40 minutes left them with a mountain to climb in the second-half, at which they threw everything to bounce back from a 30-3 scoreline to 30-22 in an utterly dominant half.
Ireland appeared to mentally crumble under the depth of their 27-point lead, producing brilliant defence at times but unable to escape their own half as Wales pounded away at the visitors try line, falling short of cutting down the whole deficit in a classic.
Superb hands from Brian O'Driscoll built the opening opportunity for Simon Zebo to touchdown in the left hand corner for the first score of the afternoon, with Jonathan Sexton converting.
Sexton's control with the boot and sharp hands from the Irish backs kept Wales pinned back and after a set of punishing phases, Ireland were held up in the right-hand corner. Wales held out from the resulting phase of play and Sexton settled for a penalty to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Best then charged down Biggar's kick before gathering the loose ball and sending the ball wide first to Heaslip before an audacious bit of skill from Zebo saw him use his feet kept the attack going, Cian Healy pouncing from close range to leave Wales on the ropes.
Another Sexton penalty stretched the lead to 20-0 with half an hour gone, Wales imploding with another loose pass from Davies going straight into touch in the Irish 22. Healy's attempt to drive out of his 22 resulted in a penalty at the breakdown to Wales, with Halfpenny putting his side on the board.
Warburton's cheap block on Zebo handed Ireland another attacking lineout, with O'Brien setting the foundations for a final flourish in the first half. Another penalty against Wales at the breakdown yielded one more opportunity for Sexton, who slotted the kick to leave the half-time score at 23-3.
Ireland carried on where they left off at the start of the second half, a scrum on the Welsh 22 setting up a series of relentless drives before O'Driscoll clawed his way over the line from the bottom of a ruck for Ireland's third try.
A response from Wales was essential and it came through sustained drives forward into the Irish half, hard yards culminating in a Welsh lineout five metres out from the try line. A pre-planned move saw Toby Faletau held up narrowly short, before Alex Cuthbert found space between the rushing Irish defenders to score the first try of the afternoon for Wales.
Cuthbert's score seemed to light a fuse under Welsh backsides as they went for broke, Faletau storming down the left touchline before a crucial hand from O'Driscoll brought the surge to a halt.
A tap penalty sent Wales backwards rather than nearer to the line as the Irish defence turned desperate, Gilroy producing a memorable tackle on Halfpenny before Romain Poite sent Rory Best to the sin-bin for entering from the side.
The extra space was then capitalised on by Halfpenny, the full-back burrowing under the double tackle of Rob Kearney and Jamie Heaslip to score in the right corner, missing the conversion to make the score 30-15.
There was to be no let up in the Welsh response as Cuthbert thundered down the right wing, but breakdown defence from Healy was enough to relieve the pressure with a penalty.
A crucial Welsh scrum yielded a penalty for Biggar to find the corner once more, Ireland mentally struggling with the hosts resurgence. Faletau appeared initially to crash the ball against the base of the post, falling marginally short as Conor Murray was sent to the bin.
Wales were utterly dominant but unable to cross the Irish line, Davies missing a simple overlap as the green wall heroically held firm with time running out.
The hosts inevitably came again though - Craig Mitchell appearing to dive over the line before the TMO confirmed Wales third try of the afternoon, narrowing the score to 30-22.
Ireland finally relieved the pressure by pinning Wales deep in their own half to close out a brilliant opener to this year's tournament - a classic with each side forcing the other into submission for lengthy periods in each half. Ireland march on dreaming of a title. Wales have hope.
Man of the match: Streetwise, skilful, a magnificent return to form from Brian O'Driscoll stole the show in Cardiff.
Moment of the match: An outrageous piece of footwork from Simon Zebo to control possession in the build-up to Ireland's second try.
Villain of the match: Unnecessary petulance from Mike Phillips after being brought back from a tap penalty was needless.
The scorers:
For Wales:
Tries: Cuthbert, Halfpenny, Mitchell
Con: Halfpenny 2
Pens: Halfpenny
For Ireland:
Tries: Zebo, Healy, O'Driscoll
Cons: Sexton 3
Pens: Sexton 3
Yellow Card: Best, Murray
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Ian Evans, 4 Andrew Coombs, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Olly Kohn, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 James Hook, 23 Scott Williams.
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Declan Fitzpatrick, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Keith Earls.
Comments
shrimps says...
@ new_j4a
hahaha
Posted 09:08 06th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@shrimps, I just googled you on planetrugby and regret the time I have already wasted engaging with a rather childlike idiot like you, as carpelone and others have pointed out some time ago.
Posted 21:53 05th February 2013
shrimps says...
my comment was about youre previous comment obviously, i do not support ireland, let alone a front tier country rugby team, or go into victim mode or abuse the referee when my team wins. you have been yet again completely wrong. the wales were as bad as ireland being offside of the ruck and they were very bad for not keeping their own bodyweight - that was a minor point i left out from before, but you went there. there were 3 forward passes only for that try and there are slow motion replays on the bbc channel. you know you are wrong which is why you argue about laws with me, not facts of the match. in all your comments, you offer no fact other than one comment regarding the raking (which no replays were shown for and a welsh player put his boot into sexton's face), only rebuttal and ifs and buts. you must be a troll. and if you are not, then you are a somebody who makes many assumptions that are incorrect and offers little facts for himself. you offered money too, but you were too afraid to even reply. good because you were wrong another time for that too. obviously, you are best avoided i think i will choose to ignore you whilst i am quite in the lead. there are other more clever posters and more pleasant posters on this website who do not only pettily argue.
p.s. it's funny tried to make a trick question. you tried so hard, you pointed to what you were hiding - maybe i didnt even know until you asked that, you will never know - and you thought you were clever!!!!!! what a good boy. i am guessing you are young!!
Posted 20:08 05th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@shrimp, actually it is you who are completely wrong in all your assertions about the ref. If there was any omission on the part of the ref, it was the failure to penalize Ireland for constantly loitering on the wrong side of the ruck. Welsh supporters have reason to be disappointed. You claim that there were 3 forward passes before one of the tries from Wales....not true! Your comments about "many high tackles," forward passes, "raking of jonathan sexton's face!!!!" make it clear to any sensible rugby fan that you are an idiot who doesn't know anything about the game. (Sexton wasn't raked, he was kicked by a prone unsighted player when his face was on the wrong side of the ruck--AGAIN. Do you even know what the term raked means?). Have you seen any citing for these offenses you claim you saw? Of course not. You probably think that the citing commissioner is in on the big scam to cheat against Ireland? Idiot!
Posted 14:09 05th February 2013
makemehappy says...
@APV1 "es' front row was disappointing. I thought they would have bested the Irish in the set piece, but they were a lot more even than I had expected. " Are you serious. In the tight they gave them a good beating. Even the ref worked this out in the end!
Posted 13:24 05th February 2013
shrimps says...
@ new_j4a
you are wrong regarding each assumption you offered here, other then me being correct. please improve the quality of your posting.
Posted 12:25 05th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@shrimps, well done. Correct answer. So we conclude that you are just a typical Irish supporter who goes into victim mode and abuses the ref even when he wins?
Posted 08:45 05th February 2013
shrimps says...
@ new_j4a
you failed to provide the relevant details of the pass. i know the misconception which your argument is aiming at. you offer to put up money and i accept, but you ignore it. all talk, no substance. i will take that into account for the future. either that or you are stupid for making a baseless assumption of my knowledge of this sport.
Posted 21:05 04th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@leinster_goy, that's a bit sensitive of you? lacroix just voiced his rugby opinions. What is it with you Leinster fans.....biggest whingers and ref abusers (outside of the northern transvaal), most ignorant of the laws, abusive attack on the poster at the hint of an opinion that might be at odds with the immediate beatification of Sexton....he really is very ordinary you know......good 10, but miles off great....in a couple of years nobody will have a clue who you are talking about. You really are going to be in bad shape after England and France smash Ireland.
Posted 15:02 04th February 2013
carpelone says...
new_j4a
I know what you are up to.
Posted 14:14 04th February 2013
rugby_rockstar says...
BOD wants another lions tour and if he keeps playing like this then Manu Tuilagi better start showing us his best week in week out rather that just when he feels like it. From a lions fan's point of veiw its a win - win situation.
As for Jonathan Davies... his stock has dropped.
Posted 14:08 04th February 2013
Houston_11 says...
APV1
I didn't bother reading four pages worth of comments, especially as most are from the French but the most level-headed, logical comment I've seen was yours. Over the moon for Ireland to win - we deserved it I thought.
Warburton needs to stop being touted as the Lions captain - for me he's lucky to make the tour at the minute. The only thing playing in his favour is that Warren Gatland is in love with him.
BOD was amazing - so was Falateau. Really outplayed Heaslip in my opinion. Rory Best and Cian Healy were fantastic. Definitely Rory Best to start at hooker for the Lions - Healy will start or be in the matchday squad.
Halfpenny and Roberts were also pretty solid. But the one man Wales need to consider removing is Mike Philips. The phrase 'over the hill' is the biggest understatement I could make here. Such slow delivery from the rucks - no wonder it was easy for the first 50 minutes.
The best weekend opener of the 6 Nations I've seen - roll on this week!
Prediction:
Ireland
France
Scotland
All to win.
Posted 13:44 04th February 2013
makemehappy says...
A script more suited to a Rocky film!
Shame the ref refused to deal with Ireland's scrum and their hands on the ball after just about every tackle. Can't argue that they won though as Wales were dreadful beyond belief for just over 40 mins.
Interesting to hear that 'Gilroy was a revelation' in one post - he clearly struggled in several phases.
Posted 13:09 04th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@shrimps. Actually, let's make this really simple. Answer yes or no or don't know. If a ball is passed by a player exactly as he crosses his 22 meter line and is caught by his team mate exactly as his team mate crosses a point on the field exactly 23 meters from their own goal line i.e. the ball travels forward relative to the field of play exactly one meter towards the opponent's goal line, is the pass forward? Yes or No or undecided?
Posted 12:28 04th February 2013
new_j4a says...
@shrimps. okay, lets keep this really simple. Tell us what you think makes a pass forward. Just define it. You claim there were 3 forward passes leading up to a try by Wales. How did you decide that they were forward? There is no point in getting into a debate about scrums where the materiality of an offense (i.e. Irish 1 fails to bind and puts his hand on the ground in several scrums in first 15 min) comes into consideration. A forward pass, like a knock on, is absolute--the ref has no discretion to decide materiality, though he may play advantage. This makes it simple to discuss even with people like yourself whom I suspect suffer from a schoolboy misunderstanding of the laws of rugby. So tell us: what is a forward pass? Then we'll know whether to take the rest of your ref critique seriously or not.
Posted 12:21 04th February 2013
startledwombat says...
[Off-topic posting ahead] I have a question about your otherwise excellent match report, PR:
What's the difference between a "planned move" and a "pre-planned move"?
Maybe this is where the top coaches can really shine.
Posted 11:58 04th February 2013
APV1 says...
What a match! A cliche inasmuch as it was a game of two halves, but I really enjoyed it.
Critique..?
Zebo has some Robinson-esque feet. What a talent - I could watch him run like that every week.
Warburton just played himself out of the Lions and certainly out of the captaincy role. He needs to be on his brilliant best for the rest of the 6N if he wants to be considered.
BOD was rather good, wasn't he?
Faletau was great and is now in real contention for the Lions.
Wales' front row was disappointing. I thought they would have bested the Irish in the set piece, but they were a lot more even than I had expected.
But overall a great entertaining match, which sets up the 6N very well...
Posted 11:02 04th February 2013
pierredelot1 says...
Love these comments about the referee and although his performance at the set wasn't great the rest was pretty well judged. I confess to always having difficulty with this Irish scrum, especially the front 3. To me they just can't hold it up and have developed some great tactics to get away with it. Healey isn't too bad but against good technicians its the one part of his game that is just not at the top level. Ross is average at best. Getting those two penalties in the first half must have had them grinning like mad, knowing exactly who had not been able to take the drive. Second half they were shown up for it. Trouble was Wales, just didn't get there, sad to say that with that number of defeats in a row, they should be looking at the input of coaches and the captaincy. BOD was his great belligerant and skilfull best, he certainly shut up those who thought he was past his sell by date, as D'Arcy surely is. Best example of true centre play over the whole weekend. The Lions must beckon. Davies for Wales had a mare, Phillips too slow , Tipuric should have been on from the start, Biggar vin ordinaire, poor wingers must have been bored to tears, but Coombs had a great debut. With home advantage next Sunday it should be fun, because the Irish won't get out out of the box that quick against England. Lets just hope for a referee, who understands and is willing to referee the front rows properly, could definately be the crunch game of the tournament, aspecially with France going down the pan in Italy. Great games though for the opening days, at last open heads up rugby, with the exception of Wales whose performance first half was abysmal.
Posted 10:54 04th February 2013
rugby_rockstar says...
I think its obvious that Wales are missing a go to play maker. It was Shane Williams. Now Biggar just passes to one of four clones and everyone knows whats going to happen.
I don't know if they are issues with Eli Walker's defence, but they need to look at the balance of the backline and if walker can't tackle then look somewhere else, but to be honest, the nly thing that makes that scoreline remotely respectable is the fact that Ireland did the matches worked out how many tries wales needs to score to get back into the game and said to themselves, "that'll do. on to next week."
Posted 10:50 04th February 2013
leinster_goy says...
lacroix is a lot like Toulousain, isn't he? a frenchman with (oddly) impeccable written english who posts stupid troll comments. no doubt he's a mature responsible adult and parent with a comfortable public sector job who loves to visit online rugby boards and "get down" with us kids - just like Toulousain...
also interesting that the general tone, syntax and structure of lacroix's posts closely resemble those of other troll(s) on this site
Posted 10:33 04th February 2013