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8 hours ago
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YELLOW CARD! Gary Ringrose (Ireland)
34 mins. The home side are in the 22, but Ireland are again fanned out across the field and inviting Wales to give it their best. It’s a bit of huff and puff from the attack, but there is a penalty against Ireland. The advantage is playing out and Ringrose flies in high on Ben Thomas, it’s head on head and the centre is off for a yellow card review which I believe will be upgraded to a red.
32 mins. A scrappy lineout from Ireland on halfway leads to awkward possession that doesn’t really get going. It then coming to a halt as WillGriff John puts in a huge counter-ruck to win a penalty for his team – the prop is having quite the half.
30 mins. Ireland are back in the Wales half for the first time in a little while and they are very close to scoring again. The ball comes left to Hansen in midfield who throws and outrageous one-handed over the head pass to Osborne, but his pass to Ringrose is not good and flies into touch. A better execution from the fullback and that was another try.
28 mins. It continues to be neat and better from Wales in the middle third, but Ireland are putting no-one in the ruck and are containing the attacks like an older brother with his hand on the head of a feisty, haymaking sibling.
24 mins. Wales move the ball right quickly all the way to Mee who has moved off his left wing. As Osborne moves towards him the winger kicks it forward for Tomos Williams to chase, but Sheehan gets there first to cover it.
It’s hard to fully articulate just how much better Wales’s attacking shape is, which is some achievement given Matt Sherratt has only had then for three training sessions.
PENALTY! Wales 3 - 10 Ireland (Gareth Anscombe)
22 mins. Thomas makes up for that scrum by hammering Sheehan to dislodge the ball on the Irish 22. Wales move it right quickly and a penalty is awarded that Anscombe wastes no time in teeing up to put his side on the scoreboard.
PENALTY! Wales 0 - 10 Ireland (Sam Prendergast)
20 mins. Nicky Smith is off for Wales for an HIA, this brings on Gareth Thomas who is promptly folded in the scrum giving a kickable penalty that Prendergast calmly slots.
19 mins. As worrying as the scrum is for Ireland, so the breakdown is for Wales where if they are not being penalised they are losing possession. The precision is way off and Ireland are more than happy to snaffle the loose balls.
16 mins. More snappy phases from Ireland, the ball coming out of the ruck quickly due to Wales not committing many to the breakdown. This allows all the Irish tricks of planned phases and angled running to flourish, but it comes to an end as Mee gets a hand in on Lowe to force a knock-on. This leads to another scrum and another penalty for Wales!
Ireland’s scrum is getting marmalised.
13 mins. A story of two contrasting set pieces areas so far for Wales as the second scrum results in another penalty to the home side, this time Nicky Smith doing a job on Clarkson, that is followed by an overthrown lineout. Ireland have the ball back in the Wales half.
10 mins. Wales have the ball around the Ireland 10m line and they already look far better organised than in their last two games. Anscombe is working the attack well, but the promising position is ruined after there’s an overzealous clearout by a red player that the ref determines took a defender beyond the horizontal. A relieving penalty to Ireland.
8 mins. A summation of what Ireland are all about with that try; efficient, powerful and not wasteful of an opportunity. Wales’s heads went down early under Gatland and this is a test of whether Sherratt has injected a bit more belief as they’ve not done a huge amount wrong to be behind.
TRY! Wales 0 - 7 Ireland (Jack Conan)
6 mins. A strong first phase attack from Ireland moves the ball left quickly. They are into the Wales 5m zone and the visitors inevitably drift offside as they defend frantically. The ball is put in the corner for a lineout which is won and two phases later Conan drives over the line.
4 mins. The scrum ends with a Wales penalty after WillGriff John forces Porter to the floor. The clearing kick and lineout gives phased possession in the Ireland half, but the ball is not secured and Ringrose puts in a delightful drilled, bobbling kick up the right touchline. It’s a 50:22 and Ireland will have the ball in the Wales 22.
2 mins. A sensible recycle and clear from Wales is returned with interest by Ireland with a kick putting Murray under pressure as the green chasers bear down on him. The fullback bounces the kick forward off his hands and the visitors will have and attacking scrum in the Welsh half.
Kick Off
Ref Christophe Ridley blasts his whistle and Prendergast boots us underway.
The roof is closed, “Thunderstruck” is booming out as the pyrotechnics flash and pop. Into the cacophony emerge the teams led by their young captains Jac Morgan and Dan Sheehan. We’ll have the usual formalities before kick off.
“Fingers crossed for the Triple Crown!” japes Martyn Fairbrother. “Realistically, though, hoping for less bad than against France.”
Pre match reading
Get in touch on email with your thoughts on the match or anything else. What are your realistic targets as Wales fans in what could be a very tricky afternoon? And if you’re of the green persuasion, are you wearing the favourites tag lightly?
Teams
Matt Sherratt restores some semblance of order by recalling Gareth Anscombe to the ten shirt, moving Ben Thomas into a more familiar role of inside centre. Elswhere in the backs there’s a recall for Max Llewellyn at 13, Scarlets youngster Ellis Mee is on the wing and Blair Murray is at fullback. The latter two changes forced by injury to Josh Adans and Liam Williams.
In the forwards, WillGriff John is in at tighthead while Tommy Reffell is given the the job of disrupting Ireland’s terrifying breakdown work in the back row.
Ireland on the face of it have made a lot of changes, but many are more a return to the norm as players come back from injury - Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy the most obvious – or a rotation of quality for quality like Henshaw replacing Bundee Aki at centre. Jamie Osborne at fullback and Tom Clarkson at prop appear to be genuine “let’s have another proper look at you at this level” selections.
Wales: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Ellis Mee; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, WillGriff John; Will Rowlands, Dafydd Jenkins; Jac Morgan (capt), Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Gareth Thomas, Henry Thomas, Teddy Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Rhodri Williams, Jarrod Evans, Joe Roberts.
Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Mack Hansen, Gary Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan (capt), Tom Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony, Josh Van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Cian Prendergast, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Bundee Aki.
Preamble
A match of contrasts awaits. Wales are a team on zero wins from fourteen attempts, shorn of a legendary head coach for the second time and a squad with so many lineup changes it’s like Mark E Smith is is charge. But, in defence of the actual new man in charge, Cardiff’s Matt Sherratt, many of this week’s selection swaps do put people back in the position they regularly play – a novel idea that only bold new thinking could deliver. Apparently.
Ireland meanwhile come off the back of dishing out a whomping to Scotland – their second win of the tournament – and have taken the selection approach that you don’t change the engine in the threshing machine simply because what you’re feeding into it is softer this week. Plus, the Triple Crown and the possible third championship on the bounce is still on.
So begins the second post-Gatland phase for Wales; redefining what constitutes success, in the face of what will undoubtedly be an onslaught on home turf.
