Six Nations: Five takeaways from Wales v Ireland as first-half masterclass too much for ill-disciplined Welsh

Adam Kyriacou
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Wales and Ireland Six Nations

Following a 34-10 victory for Ireland over Wales in their Six Nations fixture, here’s our five takeaways from the game at the Principality Stadium.

Ireland a class apart, especially in first half

They aren’t ranked number one in the world for nothing. Ireland flexed their muscles in this Six Nations opener and showed little signs of rust after the autumn and festive months as they put Wales to the sword in a dominant showing that saw them score four tries, throwing down a marker to their Championship rivals.

Leading 27-3 at the break after crossings from Caelan Doris, James Ryan and James Lowe, a further try from Josh van der Flier in the 73rd minute put the icing on the cake as Ireland, unlike Wales, showed a ruthless edge. Ultimately, that is what won the game as, despite Wales growing into the contest, they were wasteful.

Gatland’s back but with a new coaching staff

There was plenty of optimism within Wales following the return of Warren Gatland but this showed that he is not a miracle worker. For starters, he came with a completely new coaching staff, different to the one in his first stint in charge and different to the group that were under Wayne Pivac. It means that any improvement is going to take time as the new backroom team settle into their roles.

In both defence and attack, the Welsh didn’t look quite comfortable with what they were trying to do in the first half, but it was much better after the break. The hosts simply left themselves with too much to do, while their profligacy would have infuriated the head coach. There was enough in that display after the interval to provide Wales fans with some hope, but it was still a pretty abysmal start to the Six Nations for Gatland’s men.

No Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Furlong, no problem for Ireland

It says something about the depth in Andy Farrell’s squad that the absence of Furlong on Thursday’s team-sheet due to injury didn’t cause significant concern for Irish supporters, with Finlay Bealham a solid replacement. However, just hours before kick off on Saturday, news broke the Gibson-Park was also ruled out, which did raise a worry or two across social media as some fans feared the scrum-half’s high tempo game would be a significant miss at the base at the Principality Stadium.

They feared for nothing and Martin Johnson summed it up perfectly at half-time, saying that Conor Murray was “in the armchair with his slippers on”, with Ireland laying the perfect platform for the Munster scrum-half to pick his options. Yes, the second period saw a dip in the team’s dominance but the key duo’s absence was not felt.

Discipline haunts Wales

A hole in Wales’ game that Gatland will be looking to plug quickly. His side leaked penalties from the outset as they struggled to deal with the pressure Ireland’s attack put on them. It’s not a new issue, with the Welsh side conceding 10 or more in all of their November fixtures, but it got worse in their first 40 minutes against Ireland, conceding nine in the opening half.

Several penalties were basic errors, such as being offside, and could have easily been avoided. Liam Williams’ card compounded the discipline issues, and Ireland struck again. Wales looked desperate, which hurt them; Rhys Webb’s penalty for slapping Iain Henderson’s hand in the latter stages was just another example of it.

Smart lines and sheer physicality close to the ruck

Ireland may not have the size of France but they still have some hefty units and those individuals were absolutely brutal in the first half. The likes of Andrew Porter, Bealham, Ryan, Van der Flier and Doris all dominated the gain line and provided go-forward for the visitors. They made it easy for Murray, who hasn’t had a lot of time on the field recently, to dictate proceedings and get the Irish on the front foot.

Another key facet of their carrying is the lines they take, as well as their footwork and dexterity, which constantly shifts the point of contact. It is very difficult to stop and a big reason as to why Farrell’s men sit atop the world rankings. With the set-piece also working efficiently, they are close to being the complete team.

READ MORE: Six Nations: Dominant Ireland begin with bonus-point triumph over wasteful Wales

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