That’s it for today. Michael Aylwin was at the Aviva Stadium and we’ll leave you with his match report.
New Wales captain Dan Biggar speaks: “We didn’t get much right. Credit to Ireland, they played really well, played the conditions well, strangled us, physically dominated us and they were good value for their win today.
“It’ll be tough watching back on Monday because the big thing we’d focused on all week was physicality and matching that from Ireland and we didn’t quite get it right if we’re honest.”
As for all the top names Wales had missing, Biggar added: “Obviously that’s an issue but the physicality was what we were missing today, physicality and discipline. Even if we’d had experienced players, sometimes we’ve come here and come on the back foot as well so a pretty disappointing afternoon. We know that we haven’t got long to get it right ahead of a massive game (v Scotland) next week in Cardiff. If we’ve got any aspirations of keeping hold of this trophy then it’s a must win next week.”
Thanks Luke. Let’s start with some reaction from victorious Ireland captain Johnny Sexton.
He’s asked if that was a great result. “Big time, against the reigning champions, to come away with five points, I would have snapped your hand off at the start of the game.
“When I looked out of the window this morning we knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. Thankfully, the rain stayed away for the most part but the wind played its part in both halves really. We knew if we could get a good foothold in the game in the first half playing into the elements, that second half we’d have the breeze behind us and we could use it to our advantage.
“It’s never going to be perfect in your first game like it was today, we’ve got lots to improve on. We will pick apart the performance like we always have but it’s a big thing to be doing it off the back of a win. Last year, first game, you know the Grand Slam’s gone, the Triple Crown’s gone, everything’s gone in one game and you’re up against it to win the championship. So we’ve got everything to play for and that’s where you want to be in this competition.
“We know there’s a massive test (v France) ahead next week. To go to Paris and get a result is incredibly, incredibly tough and we’ve going to have to be at our very best to get it.”
That’s it from me. I’ll hand you over to my colleague David Tindall for some reaction from Dublin ... and you can join me for Scotland v England right here:
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Full time! Ireland 29-7 Wales
Ireland take a lineout with the clock in the red ... they work through a few more phases and into the Wales 22. More desperate defending to do for Pivac’s men. Hansen makes a dart on the left, knocks on, and it’s over. A crushing win for Ireland, a scintillating display of running rugby, with plenty of forward grunt into the bargain. Their distribution and their ruck speed was so, so impressive and an injury hit Wales simply could not compete today.
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80 min: A positive for Wales to cling to? They won the final quarter. Unless Ireland score on this visit to the Wales 22 ...
78 min: Mack Hansen deservedly wins player of the match on dayboo, as the Australians would say. He ripped into his international career for Ireland and no mistake. His sensational first-minute break led to the opening try and set the tone for Andy Farrell’s men.
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77 min: “Feeling sick as a parrot - Welsh woman sitting in Bristol watching Wales as they struggle chaotically in Dublin today,” emails Joanne. “So difficult to watch disarray, despair and a fair bit of distress on the field ... Dry February just about to go out the window.”
Try! 75 min: Ireland 29-5 Wales (Basham)
Whoops! Ireland look to move the ball out of their 22. Beirne tries an offload having been tackled, but Basham is alert, grabs the ball and storms under the posts. Sheedy converts.
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74 min: Wales are still to trouble the scorers. This is a sobering afternoon for the champions. Everything’s clicked for Ireland, though, and they are looking increasingly confident in this high-tempo style. It’s 29-0 to Ireland.
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72 min: Keenan tries a 50-22 kick from deep but it rolls out beyond the in-goal area. How far will Ireland turn the screw, and how far can they benefit their points differential before the day it out?
70 min: Baird, Healy and Murray come on for Ireland. The Irish have a scrum ... Wales are under pressure yet again. Wales grab the ball back and Biggar kicks for touch. The captain shakes his head ruefully and then leaves the field.
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66 min: The important issue for Ireland, beyond this tournament of course, is figuring out how to prevent their peak coming the year before the World Cup.
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65 min: “As a fervent Wales supporter I have to say - this is an appalling display,” emails Iwan Thomas.
It’s not great, is it? But we did fear for Wales before today, factoring in Ireland’s red-hot form and Pivac’s injury woes. All things considered it’s still been a bit of a shambles. Adams struggled in defence and outside centre and blotted his copybook further with a needless yellow card.
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64 min: The evergreen Sexton goes off, Joey Carbery comes on. Another fine day for the Ireland No 10, but of course, he has to thank a superb effort from his pack to get the team moving on the front foot.
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63 min: Sheehan, Hume and Bealham are on for Ireland. Lake, Moriarty, Watkin, Gareth Davies and Gareth Thomas on for Wales.
61 min: I’m currently trying to make sense of the replacements on the Six Nations website but they have a Wales replacement, Lake, coming on for Ireland’s O’Mahony which I’m pretty sure is wrong ...
Try! 59 min: Ireland 29-0 Wales (Ringrose)
Another rampaging run off a turnover for Ireland. Hansen does well to feed Aki, Aki in turn passes to Ringrose and he romps over the line, leaving a number of Welsh tacklers in his wake. This is turning into a shambles for Wales. They competed well before the break but it’s falling apart now.
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56 min: Liam Williams knocks on with a sniff of a chance for Wales. He shakes his head.
Try! 52 min: Ireland 24-0 Wales (Conway)
Wales are a man down and on the back foot more than ever before now ... again, wave after wave of quicksilver Irish attacking comes crashing down into their 22 ... Wales cannot deal with the speed of passing and movement. Ireland run through the vacant 13 channel and are there are plenty of bodies on hand eager for another try ... Gibson-Park floats a pass to Conway, lurking on the right wing, and he has a straightforward task to touch it down for his second five-pointer of the afternoon. Sexton rakes a wonderful low kick, starting it left of the posts and letting the wind take it back and through. Lovely stuff from Ireland all round.
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48 min: Yellow card for Wales! Josh Adams
It was a penalty for Wales. Now it’s a penalty for Ireland, and 10 minutes on the naughty step for Adams. It’s the correct decision. He ignored the ball and slammed his shoulder and body into the Ireland fly-half. A couple of inches higher and it was a red.
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51 min: The TMO is still looking at it. The score is 17-0 to Ireland.
50 min: A bouncing ball – a grubber kick by the Wales No 9 Williams. Sexton and Adams both go for it ... Adams puts his shoulder in and smashes Sexton to the floor. He might be in trouble ... That was naughty by Adams in my opinion.
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49 min: Wales win a turnover in midfield when Sexton loses the ball in contact. Adams makes a dart on the left, but Wales simply cannot get any momentum. They are getting munched at the breakdown, the Irish are all over them when they have possession, and they can’t get numbers to support tackled players.
48 min: A forward pass by Rees-Zammit to Williams on the Welsh right. “He knows that’s got to go backwards,” says Shane Williams on commentary. You’d certainly hope so.
It was a wayward pass for Conway, or rather it was well short, but he had the space to move forward and grab it and then sprint for the corner ... his initial attempt to touch down is fractionally short, but he edges the ball forward a couple of inches and makes it. Sexton’s kick is good, just, bouncing off the post and in. It’s 17-0 and this is shaping up to be painful for Wales now.
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Try! 43 min: Ireland 17-0 Wales (Conway)
I think this is a try but the referee says ‘on field no try’. Conway is in at the right-hand corner after a smart break by Sexton down the middle, playing penalty advantage. They are checking it ... the TMO gives it.
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42 min: Ireland’s maul is pulled down illegally. Another lineout for Wales to defend right on their line.
41 min: Ireland begin the second half as they began the first, with ball in hand, trying to punch holes in the Welsh defensive line. They work through a few phases, win a penalty, and Sexton kicks for the corner early doors after the break.
Second half kick-off!
Here we go.
Half-time! Ireland 10-0 Wales
Much as expected Ireland have been in the ascendancy. But a 10-point lead is arguably a meagre return considering how dominant they’ve been. Wales are under pressure, and it is hard to see a way back, but they are not out of it completely. Wales have attempted 110 tackles, Ireland 63, but perhaps tellingly, Ireland have missed seven and Wales have missed nine.
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39 min: Hansen is in space on the left wing for Ireland, as he was in the first minute, but a pass slips through his fingers and it’s a lineout for Wales. There is a slow-mo shot of Furlong smashing through a couple of Welsh tacklers with the ball in hand. “100 per cent Wexford beef,” says Gordon D’Arcy on co-commentary.
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38 min: Josh Adams seems to be struggling when it comes to defending his 13 channel. And Wales have plenty of defending to do.
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37 min: Ireland crack the Welsh scrum on halfway and win a penalty. Sexton kicks for the corner.
34 min: Ireland throw some lovely shapes in midfield again, working their way into the Welsh half. A marvellous round-the-corner one-handed offload by Keenan to Van Der Flier has the green shirts rampaging down the left. But Wales turn it over, and Rees-Zammit is fed by Williams. The Gloucester wing nails a kick way down into the Ireland 22 and takes the pressure off – for now. Wales are on the back foot, and then some, but they are competing impressively and Ireland will feel they should be further ahead.
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32 min: Wales have made 68 tackles so far according to the stats on the Six Nations website ... Ireland 47. However, Wales enjoy a little more possession now, but again Ireland rush up in defence and shut them down. It’s hard to see a way back for Wales if Ireland can maintain this kind of intensity and fluency in attack.
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30 min: Wales make a bit more progress off their ball at a scrum. They work their way into the 22 but then strong, strong work by Conan for Ireland at the breakdown and he wins a penalty for his team and relieves pressure on the defence.
28 min: Wales get a lucky break from a high ball by Biggar. A lovely sniping, turning run by the scrum-half Williams and a fine offload almost gets Rees-Zammit away on the Welsh right wing.
25 min: Ireland have a scrum near halfway. Before packing down the Wales front row already look like they’ve taken a beating. But after the scrum Wales win the ball back in comical fashion when an awful pass by Gibson-Park bounces off Aki’s shin, and storm down their left wing with a run by McNicholl following a fine pass by Josh Adams. Ireland manage to arrest Welsh progress, though.
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21 min: Wales, for the first time, ask a few questions with the ball in hand after McNicholl and Jenkins link nicely on the left wing around halfway. A lovely kick of for the corner by Biggar ... Ireland lose their lineout and Wales are smashing into contact around the hosts’ 22. But Ireland win a scrum put-in. Pivac and his henchmen are pictured looking suitably ashen-faced in the stands. That was field position for the first time but they’ve lost the momentum now.
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Penalty! 20min: Ireland 10-0 Wales (Sexton)
An easier kick, and no mistake from the Leinster man this time.
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18 min: Wave after wave of Ireland attacking. They come again down the right with Sexton before working the ball over the opposite side of the field. Runners everywhere. Gibson-Park tries a little grubber but Rees-Zammit does well again in defence. It was penalty advantage, though, and Sexton will kick again.
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17 min: Conway races on to a high ball for Ireland and catches impressively. Gibson-Park then puts a challenging box kick down the middle, round the back ... Rees-Zammit has to contend with a horrible bounce with Hansen bearing down on him, but manages to gather and dot down in goal.
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13 min: Another penalty comes for Ireland, and Sexton misses again ... he smiles and throws his hands up, to demonstrate the strength of the wind that has steered both those kicks from left to right and away from the posts. Ireland could *almost* be virtually out of sight already at 13-0. As it is, it’s 7-0. It’s going to be a tough day at the office for Wales but they’ve been here before.
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12 min: Ringrose darts through a hole in midfield. Sexton then finds Van der Flier, charging on a good line, in the next phase of play. Ireland’s speed at the breakdown is causing all sorts of bother. Adams, playing in an unfamiliar position at No 13, looks rattled.
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9 min: Sexton, uncharacteristically, misses the penalty kick as it fades out to the right of the posts. Wales could have been double-figures down already ... they’ll take it.
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8 min: Ship steadied for Wales. Liam Williams claims a garryowen just outside the 22. But hang on a second. Wainright then coughs up a penalty in a central position, with Andrew Porter quickly competing at the breakdown and trying to rip the ball away, and the referee penalising the Welsh.
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6 min: Wales fluff up a lineout just inside the Ireland half. There’s a knock on, and it’s a scrum, Irish ball, Gibson-Park with ball in hand.
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Mack Hansen has had an immediate impact, safe to say. Ireland are all over Wales in their 22 following that sprint down the wing by the Connacht man. From the resulting lineout, Ireland spin it right, then Sexton finds Hansen, passing back the other way and stretching the overworked Welsh defence further. Aki is in tonnes of space on the left wing and romps over. Sexton adds the extras with a superb kick from out on the left touchline.
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Try! 3 min: Ireland 7-0 Wales (Aki)
Easy as that.
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2 min: A lucky break for Mack Hansen from an attempted grubber in behind the Wales defence, that flicks up nicely into his hands. He’s away, off down the left wing, but Wales manage to scramble and hold him up. The crowd roars!
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1 min: A knock on from the kick off by McNicholl and a scrum to start in the Ireland half.
First-half kick-off!
Biggar, the Wales captain, kicks off. The 2022 Six Nations has begun.
It’s not cold in Dublin – around 9C – but heavy rain is in the air and strong winds too. A big storm system is moving across the UK over the weekend and is going to have a say in both of today’s matches ...
Mack Hansen, of Connacht, makes his debut on the wing for Ireland today. Ireland’s Call is ringing around the Aviva Stadium as I write. The atmosphere sounds absolutely cracking. Can the hosts – and the favourites – deliver?
A message against racism and discrimination is warmly applauded by the crowd in Dublin. And now the Welsh anthem, which is always a stirring affair.
While Ireland are favourites, you look at that Welsh team and have to say they are not half bad ... this could be closer than many expect.
The Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit was pictured having his right ankle strapped a few moments ago. All appears to be well, however. And here come the teams! It’s on!
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Ireland fan John McEnerney fancies a home win but not by much ...
@LukeMcLaughlin both excited & nervous that’s what makes the 6N’s so special. We are stronger on paper & should win but Wales are always a handful. Ireland by a couple of scores.
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 5, 2022
“What a great start to the 6N this is,” writes Stephen Holliday. “I don’t think anyone can confidently predict the way today’s games are going to go, let alone an overall winner of the tournament.”
Andy Farrell speaks to ITV: “The aim is to keep improving game on game but obviously Wales will have something to say about that. For the lads that’s sat in the changing room now, it’s about ourselves, you know? It’s about us bringing the best out of each other … It should be great, we’re so grateful to have the crowd back, we felt the connection in November and hopefully can build on that and take them with us.”
Wayne Pivac has a chat: “It’s been work as usual with the group we have got, and they’ve trained really really well. Really looking forward to getting out there and obviously we’re going to have to make a big start.”
Pivac on Josh Adams playing at No 13: “Some would see it that way [as a risk]. But behind the scenes he’s been working at 13 for us for some time. We’ve tried to do it before, and then injury at the last minute has prevented it … hopefully he can make a difference. With George North not there, he brings pace, as George does, both in attack and defence. He’s a very strong player and hopefully we can get the ball into his hands today.”
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Sexton v Biggar. Good buddies since doing a Lions tour together.
Steven Pye writes about a boozy post-Calcutta Cup night out for both sets of players in 1988:
Leinster, heavily represented in Ireland’s matchday squad today with 11 out of 23 players, have scored 153 points in the previous two Champions Cup matches: 89 against Montpellier and 64 against Bath.
Interestingly, though, Sexton spoke of needing to get to know Jamison Gibson-Park again in camp with Ireland, as he’s not been starting at No 9 for Leinster. And Wales’s defence will be considerably more organised than either Montpellier and Bath ...
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We’ve been here before, haven’t we? A year out from a World Cup and on the eve of a Six Nations Championship, Ireland look capable of beating any side they face. Andy Farrell’s relentless commitment to keeping the ball in play saw them average more passes - 187.4 - and more rucks in possession – 113.1 – per game than any other team competing in the Six Nations or Rugby Championship last year. Commanding wins against England and New Zealand proved they can marry flair with fortitude.
There’s a late tweak to the Welsh bench, Ben Carter coming in for Seb Davies. As if Pivac didn’t already have enough injuries to contend with.
There's been a late change to the Welsh bench for this afternoon's fixture as Ben Carter comes in to replace Seb Davies who has withdrawn with a back spasm. #IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/jOYnHJRo8r
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) February 5, 2022
Who’s going to win the Six Nations? Predictions from our team of rugby writers:
Teams
The Ireland lock, Iain Henderson, misses out despite training this week. Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan both make the team having been in the same boat as Henderson and resuming training on Tuesday.
For Wales the injury list includes Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau, Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Ken Owens, Leigh Halfpenny, George North ... Josh Adams, notably, starts at outside centre, which would suggest Pivac is certainly hoping to play a bit of rugby.
Ireland: Keenan, Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Hansen, Sexton, Gibson-Park, Porter, Kelleher, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, Doris, Van der Flier, Conan. Replacements: Sheehan, Healy, Bealham, Baird, O’Mahony, Murray, Carbery, Hume.
Wales: L. Williams, McNicholl, Adams, Tompkins, Rees-Zammit, Biggar, T. Williams, Jones, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, Jenkins, Basham, Wainwright. Replacements: Lake, Thomas, Lewis, Carter, Moriarty, G. Davies, Sheedy, Watkin.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (SA)
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Preamble
No one fancied Wales last year. They won the title, of course, and came within seconds of collecting a Grand Slam in Paris. No one fancies Wales this year either, and although they may be reigning champions, Wayne Pivac’s side do appear to be right up against it in Dublin this afternoon. The injury list is worryingly long, the Welsh regions’ form is a concern and Covid-19 retains the power to disrupt. But the curtain-raising encounter in this year’s Six Nations remains a two-horse race and one in which the stand-in captain, Dan Biggar, does not intend to take a backward step.
Andy Farrell’s Ireland? They are fit and firing, coming off the back of a tremendous autumn campaign when the All Blacks were buried with a high-tempo, all-action style that reflects increasingly well on the work of the attack coach, Mike Catt. The Irish look strong in every position and have a clear collective idea of what they are trying to achieve via the prompting of 36-year-old Johnny Sexton. Farrell has emphatically silenced the doubters of earlier in his tenure, and Ireland seem set fair for next year’s World Cup.
But first things first. The target for each team in the tournament is a tone-setting victory and a first step towards Six Nations glory. Ireland are rightly confident but will get nothing for free. Team news, pre-match reading and more coming up.
Kick-off: 2.15pm
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