Warren Gatland's second stint as Wales head coach began with a disappointing 34-10 defeat to Ireland at the Millenium Stadium.
Gatland was reappointed by Wales in December after Wayne Pivac, who succeeded him in 2019, was axed following a poor 2022 that saw them win just three out of 12 games and finish fifth in the Six Nations.
However, Gatland was unable to make an immediate impact as his side were beaten by the world number one ranked Ireland, with poor discipline and simple errors letting them down. Wales were comprehensively outplayed in the first-half, with Caelan Doris and James Ryan both scoring tries within the first ten minutes.
James Lowe then ran 60 metres to score a third Irish try after intercepting a pass from Dan Biggar as Wales attempted to force the game. Ireland looked comfortable entering half-time with the score 27-3, having been clinical in picking off Wales.
"Ill discipline from Wales," was the assessment of former Wales star Jonathan Davies on BBC One. "They haven't kept the ball, they've kicked too much and Dan Biggar is a bit too deep in the pocket.
"You can't take anything away from Ireland though. The pace of their game has been brilliant and the ball carrying has put Wales under a lot of pressure. They have been clinical."
Wales did put in an improved second-half performance, with Liam Williams scoring an early try to keep them in the game after a surprise line-out was taken short to George North. Wales enjoyed the lions share of possession and territory in the second half, but were unable to make it count as simple errors meant several try-scoring opportunities went begging.
Things were then compounded when Williams received a yellow card in the 65th minute after a challenge on Johnny Sexton, leaving the hosts down to 14 men for ten of the 15 minutes and still trailing by 17 points.
Ireland then wrapped up a comprehensive victory when World Rugby Player of the Year Josh van der Flier scored a bonus point try, with a 24-point win illustrating exactly why Andy Farrell's side are the favourites to win the Six Nations for the first time in five years.
