Ireland shows courage and cunning to overtake Wales in Nations Cup bow

Ireland 32 Wales 9

Ireland endured all kinds of interruptions as they lost two players before the game and both lost half during the game to launch their Fall Nations Cup campaign with a well deserved and indeed beautiful victory.

Better from set pieces and at the same time more intelligent and ambitious in attack, his superiority was everywhere, and all this while giving impressive debuts or full debuts to the spirited James Lowe, the equally impressive Jamison Gibson-Park, Rónan Kelleher and Billy. Burns.

Ireland had been forced to undergo a double pre-match reorganization caused by Jacob Stockdale’s sore calf and Iain Henderson’s “medical problem.” Quinn Roux came in, replacing the established combination in the Irish lineup, namely the second row. Stockdale was replaced by Andrew Conway, with Hugo Keenan switching to fullback, while Tadhg Beirne was added to the bench.

Roux reportedly had his best game in an Irish jersey. As is his custom, he clearly added a strong push into scrum time behind Andrew Porter, who had the best of both Welshmen, and even scored the first attempt of the game with a muscular finish from close range. Caelan Doris, on his second test outing in his preferred position of ‘8’, was almost predictably outstanding.

So Ireland adapted perfectly, and even kept on the rise when they lost to Johnny Sexton, in their 100th test match, after a high-caliber opening half hour by the Irish captain, when Billy Burns came in for your debut. He started off going into the fourth quarter, but Conor Murray underscored his innate soccer skills by substituting in the outhalf to help drive the boat home, even landing three kicks of three.

Admittedly, they too had trouble recycling their own ruck ball after the break on a night dominated by Mathieu Raynal’s whistle. The penalty count was a slightly ridiculous 18-13 in Ireland’s favor.

Lacking a similar carrier to Doris or Chris Farrell, Wales showed some ambition in the second half, but Ireland’s defense had the measure of a prosaic attack. And this was after Wayne Pivac kept faith in an established team.

Ireland set a high and fluid pace from the start, while Wales brought aggressiveness and poor discipline, but not much else. Lowe was heavily involved from the start, landing a good hit off Leigh Halfpenny and a good catch on a testy start as Peter O’Mahony and Alun Wyn Jones, both captains of the Lions on the series three years ago, renewed their relationships. . You could have put money in that.

By right, Ireland should have made more progress in the first quarter rather than trading triples. But Lowe couldn’t sustain a jump pass from Sexton after his clear break with Gibson-Park’s flawless wraparound move when a try was made.

Another delightful strike move, Lowe ghosting on Gibson-Park’s inside jump pass on a lineout maul before linking up with Sexton, led to a short-range penalty, where Ireland opted for a five-meter scrum to the post rights.

He didn’t set up the expected platform, and Gareth Davies caught Gibson-Park on base, but Caelan Doris and Sexton ensured the recycling and a series of close strikes from the forwards ended with Doris making a heavy carry before Roux overcame it. .

Sexton converted, but after Gibson-Park earned a fumble penalty from Sexton’s skilled grubber, the Irish captain limped slightly off his successful triple. Burns walked in and James Ryan assumed the captaincy.

Even after Leigh Halfpenny’s second penalty kick, Ireland’s ambition and scrum supremacy remained intact, frontal pressure won one against the head, and after Josh Adams denied Andrew Conway a try, Ryan pointed at the posts for Burns made it 16-6.

When Ryan opted to go up the line, Adams tackled Conway again after Gibson-Park played on the blind side. At that point Wayne Pivac replaced the pressurized Carré to secure the last scrum of the middle five meters from his line. The difference of 10 points was a respite for Wales.

The Irish scrum remained on top, but conceded three penalties in quick succession on their own rucks. Leigh Halfpenny was short from the middle before making it a one-score game.

Ireland needed a big play and Doris provided it, charging up a box kick from Davies and brilliantly keeping the ball on the field by scooping it up between her legs, like a tennis trick. Davies and Taulupe Faletau denied Cian Healy a try before Wales lifted the siege that followed when Biggar, unpunished, lay on Healy near the line, a bad miss by Raynal.

Compensation came via another penalty from Burns after a clear blunt from Gibson-Park. With their bench impacting, Wales injected some breadth into a sustained attack, but Halfpenny missed an eminently kickable penalty.

Ireland was being stressed now, putting together good back-to-back defensive sets in a grueling period after the hour, but after good takes from Conway and Burns, Lowe’s kick into space earned a breather.

Ireland were further disturbed by Burns’ departure, Murray went into the outhalf and unerringly hit a penalty after good pressure from O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and Dave Heffernan, when the Irish bench came into play.

Murray scored another offside after Finlay Bealham recovered a loose ball alert to seal the deal.

But Lowe, ravenous for work and a try, lunged for Doris’ pass as she smashed through the scrum base with an outside in line through Owen Watkin’s tackle. That was the icing on the cake.

Scoring sequence: 11 minutes Sexton pen 3-0; 17 minutes Halfpenny pen 3-3; Roux’s 23-minute test, Sexton with 10-3; 28 minutes Sexton pen 13-3; 31 minutes Halfpenny pen 13-6; 36 minutes Burns pen 16-6; (half time 16-6); 50 minutes Halfpenny 16-9; 54 minutes Burns pen 19-9; 67 minutes Murray pen 22-9; 72 minutes Murray pen 25-9; Lowe try, Murray with 32-9.

Ireland: Hugo Keenan (Leinster / UCD), Andrew Conway (Munster / Garryowen), Chris Farrell (Munster / Young Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster / Buccaneers), James Lowe (Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (Leinster / St Mary’s College, captain), Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster); Cian Healy (Leinster / Clontarf), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster / Lansdowne), Andrew Porter (Leinster / UCD), Quinn Roux (Connacht / Galwegians), James Ryan (Leinster / UCD), Peter O’Mahony (Munster / Cork Constitution) , Josh van der Flier (Leinster / UCD), Caelan Doris (Leinster / St Mary’s College). Replacements: Ed Byrne (Leinster / UCD) for Healy (60 minutes), Billy Burns (UIster) for Sexton (29 minutes), Dave Heffernan (Connacht / Buccaneers) for Kelleher, Finlay Bealham (Connacht / Buccaneers) for Porter, Tadhg Beirne (Munster / Lansdowne) for Roux, Conor Murray (Munster / Garryowen) for Burns (65 minutes), Will Connors (Leinster / UCD) for van der Flier (70 minutes), Keith Earls (Munster / Young Munster) for Henshaw (71 minutes ).

Welsh: Leigh Halfpenny (scarlet); Liam Williams (Scarlets), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Owen Watkin (Ospreys), Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues); Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints), Gareth Davies (Scarlets); Rhys Carré (Cardiff Blues), Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Will Rowlands (Wasps), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, captain), Shane Lewis-Hughes (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Taulupe Faletau (Bathroom). Replacements: Wyn Jones (Scarlets) for Carré (40 minutes), Elliot Dee (Dragons) for Elias, Samson Lee (Scarlets) for Francis (both 52 minutes), Jake Ball (Scarlets) for (52 minutes), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues) for G Davies (54 minutes), George North (Ospreys) for J Davies (60 minutes), Callum Sheedy (Bristol) for Biggar (67 minutes), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons) for Faletau (71 minutes).

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)