Wales vs. Ireland: Score and Reaction from 2017 Six Nations Round 4
Wales ended Ireland's bid to win the 2017 Six Nations tournament in Round 4 on Friday, beating their rivals 22-9 in Cardiff.
George North and Jamie Roberts scored one try each, while Leigh Halfpenny was effective from the tee. Johnny Sexton and Paddy Jackson scored all of Ireland's points with the boot.
Wales took control early with a lineout, but a turnover halted the momentum, setting up a frantic opening period. The ball moved at a rapid pace, with both teams charging hard.
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Ireland's scrum was very solid early on, and the visitors held a slight edge in play. Defensively, the Irish barely gave up space, while the attack led to this remark from Benchwarmers:
"Sean O'Brien & Cj Stander looking good in the opening 20mins #WALvIRE pic.twitter.com/1MtpV4n2ye
— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) March 10, 2017"
A high tackle from Rhys Webb gave Sexton his first chance at the posts, and unlike in the previous matches, Ireland took the three points.
Sexton intercepted a pass from Dan Biggar shortly after, as the visitors kept pushing their advantage. But an offside call at the ruck gave Wales the chance to win a ton of ground, pinning their opponents back deep.
Wales kept pushing, and the relentless pressure took its toll on their opponents. Sexton didn't get up after a hard clash with Jonathan Davies, who accidentally kneed the Irish star in the head. He went off for a head injury assessment but was able to return after 27 minutes.
Sportswriter Ewan MacKenna feared for Sexton after yet another head injury:
And Wales struck almost as soon as Sexton left the pitch, with North receiving the pass from Halfpenny and finishing off a lovely move from the hosts.
Per OptaJonny, his consistent scoring rate is astounding:
Halfpenny couldn't come through with the conversion, keeping the score at 5-3.
Ireland clusmily gave the ball away after gathering, but as soon as they recovered, the maul did its thing. Ireland patiently worked their way into Jackson's range, and as soon as they won a penalty from a makeable position, the substitute converted from the tee.
Wales won the scrum in a promising position with 10 minutes left in the half, but Ireland stood their ground until Conor Murray had to be checked by a doctor.
Wales pounced, and with just minutes left to play, Sexton was yellow-carded for killing the ball on the line. Halfpenny took the three points to give his team the lead heading into half-time, and with Murray nursing an injury and Sexton in the sin bin, things looked up for the hosts.
Unsurprisingly, Ireland found themselves under tremendous pressure as soon as the second half started. A huge kick set up a maul for the hosts, and Webb did well to attract the attention of the defenders before playing in North for his second try of the match.
Halfpenny nailed the conversion this time, per Welsh Rugby Union:
The Irish kept shooting themselves in the foot, coughing up possession almost immediately. Another lengthy bout of pressure almost resulted in more points, but fortunately for the visitors, an illegal collapse broke down the attack.
And with Sexton back on the pitch, the visitors started to improve. A high tackle from Biggar gave the fly-half another chance from the tee, and he easily reduced the deficit to six points.
Biggar continued his rough night by missing a drop goal with 20 minutes left to play, striking the post.
A series of lineouts challenged the tired legs of both teams, and the Irish maul worked its way into Welsh territory, setting up another huge lineout. Robbie Henshaw seemed to score the vital try for Ireland, but referee Wayne Barnes made a huge call, giving a penalty to Wales.
Off The Ball agreed with the officiating:
Ireland returned and won the scrum five meters from the line, but an offside call allowed Wales to clear. The pressure from the visitors opened themselves up for counter-attacks, and Roberts found himself on the end of a booming kick from Sexton, ending Ireland's bid to win the Six Nations with another try.
Per Welsh Rugby Union, coach Rob Howley praised his squad after the win:
England host Scotland on Sunday, while France visit Italy. Wales will travel to France for their final match in Round 5, and Ireland take on England.
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