Ireland made hard work of their 27-17 win over Wales to bring them to three wins for the Six Nations Championship. Ireland vs Wales will be a game that will be remembered by Welsh fans for a while.
They will be chasing a Six Nations showdown for the Triple Crown against Scotland. They still have an outside chance of winning the Championship.
Ireland scored early but struggled to capitalise on the early pressure. This was partly down to the incredible Welsh defensive effort and some struggles from the Ireland team to string together some multi-phase gainline ball. They relied on a try and a penalty in the last 15 minutes to seal the game.
Steve Tandy’s defensive system was crucial in Ireland vs Wales
The Welsh defensive performance was outstanding, and they were brilliant at frustrating the Irish attack. Ireland’s line breaks that killed England were few and far between. They consistently pushed Ireland to the outside and allowed them to force the errors. They made an astonishing 157 tackles in the first half, and the fact that 122 were made by the forwards shows how well they kept Ireland contained. In total, Wales made 240 tackles and finished the game with an amazing 11 dominant tackles. Some of the first half double and triple tackles by players like Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake and Aaron Wainwright.
Some of the second row and back row performances were relentless as Alex Mann made 34 tackles, Dafydd Jenkins made 29, and James Botham made 28. What made it even more impressive was the fact that they all missed only two tackles each.
Rhys Carre: Best ball carrying prop in the world?
Carre has been a massive positive for Wales in this Six Nations campaign. He has scored three tries in the four matches. The first two came from big carries directly from tap penalties. He was held up on 22 minutes from a tap play, but made the difference with his try when the clock was in the red in the first half. His carry saw the try come from about 30 metres out. He dragged Robert Baloucoune in and then powered off the left food and smiled as he crossed the line. This made it tries against France, Scotland and Ireland.
Tadgh Furlong’s scrum woes continue
Furlong got hooked again as his difficulties at the scrum were put on show again. He was fine in the first half against Rhys Carre, but when it came to Nicky Smith, it was a different story. The big problem is the pictures that referees are perceiving around Furlong in the scrum. In the first scrum between Furlong and Smith, Smith closed the gap shortly before the engagement. Furlong stood up to allow for a reset and was penalised. Smith then drove through the scrum after the whistle, and Karl Dickson saw nothing wrong and allowed for a heated battle in the scrum. Smith’s driving at the scrums which followed was exactly straight, but due to the picture Dickson had in his head. This can only be built on the perception that is being built in the wider media on the Irish scrum and Furlong itself.
Wales have the performance without the result
After an incredibly tough period, the last two games have shown massive improvements in how they have been playing, without picking up a win in this campaign. The defence was incredible, and there are parts of the Welsh attack that they can be proud of. They have now got massive positives to bring to the Principality when they will have what feels like a massive game against Italy.
