Five takeaways from Ireland v Wales

Add as a preferred source on Google

Following a 24-14 victory for Ireland over Wales in their Six Nations game, here’s our five takeaways from the clash at the Aviva Stadium.

Fine margins wins it for Ireland: Many expected little would separate Ireland and Wales and while it was a 17-point advantage until Justin Tipuric’s late crossing, it was the finest of margins that saw the victory ultimately go the way of the Irish. Whether it was CJ Stander’s titanic work at the ruck, the smart line-out move for Josh van der Flier’s try, or Hadleigh Parkes’ careless grounding over the whitewash, Ireland came out on top in the majority of those crucial moments. Yes, it finished as a bonus-point success but this triumph was created by an accumulation of small wins that saw the Welsh taste their first defeat in the Six Nations since February, 2018.

Wales play fast and (a bit too) loose: Wayne Pivac’s men produced some wonderful rugby at times, with their first try a perfect example of what the former Scarlets head coach is trying to implement, but there were a few too many mistakes. They barely got out of their half for 50 minutes of the encounter through a series of errors and that enabled Ireland to build a 19-7 advantage going into the last half-hour. Although Wales tightened up their game and went a bit more direct after that, which almost saw them cut the gap through Parkes, they again ceded possession and ended up chasing the game. Tipuric’s late try was in vain as the contest was already over.

Second week syndrome for Nick Tompkins: After enjoying a stunning debut against Italy, the centre found it much tougher going at the Aviva Stadium. He was particularly exposed in defence, regularly being shunted backwards and also making a poor read for Jordan Larmour’s try. They weren’t necessarily big errors but those missed tackles were evident in a side that didn’t initially give the hosts momentum. Once the likes of Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki started to win that midfield gainline battle, that created a solid platform for the Irish.

CJ Stander finding his way: There had been talk of his place in the XV being under threat due to a combination of Leinster’s number eights being on the rise and Stander’s supposed drop in form. While he is not the same player in terms of his carrying numbers and ability to break the defensive line, he’s still an effective force in this Irish back-row. In truth he looks to have adapted his game and in the last two games his work at the breakdown has stood out, so much so he picked up the man-of-the-match in both games. A no-nonsense showing again.

Jonathan Sexton must work on referee relationship: Frosty is one word to summarise Sexton’s demeanour with Romain Poite in this fixturee. While the fly-half is known for barking the instructions to his team-mates, whether that be for Leinster or Ireland, he must learn to adopt a different tone when communicating with match officials. At times, especially early on, Sexton came across prickly with Poite. But, to his credit, on the hour he seemed to improve in this area. Captains must build relationships with referees as Sexton’s learning quickly.

Features