Rugby: Kiwi James Lowe scores on his debut as Ireland thrashes Wales in the opening of the Nations Cup in Dublin

Kiwi James Lowe is off to a great start to his international rugby career with Ireland, scoring a try on his debut against Wales in the new Fall Nations Cup.

Wales were sentenced to a sixth consecutive loss to Ireland, who comfortably won the opening match 32-9.

Ireland overcame two late player withdrawals and injury forced exits by both of their media on an empty Lansdowne Road.

The Irish dominated the first half as lock Quinn Roux scored the only try, and Wales fought back in the second half, but still did not threaten the home team’s try line. Wales are on their worst losing streak in seven years, and Georgia will smell blood when they meet next week.

Coach Andy Farrell’s experimental Ireland selection, two weeks after a failed attempt to win the Six Nations in Paris, triumphed when new international matches Lowe, on the left wing, was a constant danger and splashed at the end, and the middle midfielder Billy Burns He played like a polished veteran in his 35 minutes after replacing the injured Jonathan Sexton. With a first start, scrum half Jamison Gibson-Park also fired up the team with a quick serve.

Lowe, who has played four times for the Māori All Blacks, became eligible to represent Ireland after qualifying through residency earlier this month.

Sexton, Burns and Conor Murray each kicked two penalties as they punished a Welsh team that couldn’t maintain discipline without the ball, struggling at scrum in the first half and lineouts in the second. Leigh Halfpenny kicked every point for Wales.

The start and stop nature of the match underscored the disappointment at the early cancellation of the France-Fiji match on Sunday, on paper the best meeting of the first round.

Ireland started with setbacks before kickoff when blocking Iain Henderson (“medical issue”) and fullback Jacob Stockdale (sore calf) had to withdraw, bringing in Roux and Andrew Conway, and moving Hugo Keenan to fullback.