Ireland 31-7 Wales: Andy Farrell’s side continue their march towards back-to-back Grand Slams and secure bonus-point win to consign Warren Gatland’s men to a third straight defeat

In the end, the result was completely predictable.

Ireland stayed on course for a second successive Six Nations Grand Slam thanks to an 18th straight home win at the Aviva Stadium and Wales were condemned for a third consecutive time in 2024. Warren Gatland’s side were unable to pull off what would have been a huge upset and the final score was of the margin most had expected before kick-off.

But what will surely frustrate Wales head coach Gatland the most is that his young side were not only beaten, but also shot themselves in the foot.

Wales conceded a whopping nine first-half penalties, the same number they had conceded in their first two games against Scotland and England.

It gave Ireland, a party that hardly needs a helping hand, the platform to entrench itself in the opposition half and take control. Andy Farrell’s men led 17-0 at half-time.

Game is over.

Ireland were actually not at their best in the first 40. And Wales were much better in the second, especially in terms of discipline. This Six Nations had a consistent theme for Wales.

They still have to string together an 80-minute performance. Against Scotland they were terrible in the first half and better in the second. Against England it was the opposite.

The Dublin display in Wales was similar to the one they produced in Cardiff in the first round. They responded to home tries from Dan Sheehan and James Lowe with a penalty try.

But in the end, Ireland went home with a bonus point win, with Tadhg Beirne scoring their crucial fourth try with the final action of the match.

As the Aviva Stadium filled with expectant Irish supporters on Saturday afternoon on the eve of kick-off, the television camera spotted Johnny Sexton, who had already taken his seat.

The former Ireland captain – now retired – was loudly cheered.

Knowing they were more than against it before a ball had been kicked or passed, Wales couldn’t help themselves. There were five away penalties in the first 15 minutes.

Nick Tompkins grabbing Lowe around the neck was an indiscretion and it allowed Jack Crowley to open the scoring with a penalty from 42 yards.

Ireland was dominant in terms of territory. But the Welsh defense held up impressively initially, repelling one Irish maul attack well, thanks to help from Aaron Wainwright in particular.

Tommy Reffell also won Wales a bad luck penalty to ease the pressure. But Wales camped in their own half for the first quarter.

On the rare occasions they attacked, Wales struggled to cross the winning line. Star player Bundee Aki and Andrew Porter won the break penalties in Ireland.

But against a team as good as Ireland, you can only play in your own half for so long without conceding points, no matter how well you defend.

Hooker Sheehan was eventually run over from an Irish lineout maul.

It was coming. Crowley converted. The Wales scrum was also under a lot of pressure. Besides their poor discipline, it was a bad combination. Gatland looked understandably frustrated.

The Welsh penalties kept coming. Referee Andrea Piardi, who became the first Italian official in the Six Nations, correctly warned Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins.

Crowley kicked to the corner. The outcome was inevitable. Lowe finished in the corner after a nice pass from Calvin Nash. Wales had just 30 percent of the ball in the first half and 38 percent of the territory. They would never recover from that and trailed by 17 points.

Young Wales full-back Cameron Winnett kept his own up and down at the start of the second half. And after Joe McCarthy was penalized, Wales did indeed cross the line.

It was not shown that the ball was on the ground, but it was ruled that Beirne had changed his binding in the maul and therefore illegally prevented a score. Piardi awarded a penalty try and sent Beirne to the sin bin for 10 minutes. The automatic seven points woke up the home crowd.

Given Wales’ penalty count, it may have seemed harsh on Ireland to see Beirne booked, but it was the right decision.

Aki steamed through a hole. Wales prop Gareth Thomas played an interminable phase with just one boot after losing the other in a ruck. Winnett showed his talent, whining this way and that.

Wales finally had some hope and field position.

But immediately after returning from the box, Beirne came up with some brilliant defensive work to steal the ball from Wales hooker Elliot Dee.

It stalled a Wales lineout attempt. Ireland went straight to the other end and Aki crashed after some nice Irish attacking rugby.

But Piardi and his officials ruled out the scoring for what was deemed a downer by Robbie Henshaw.

Wales cleared their lines and by the hour both teams had cleared their benches. Mackenzie Martin and Oli Jager were among the new faces for their Wales and Ireland debuts respectively.

Ireland’s pressure finally turned when third fullback Ciaran Frawley marked his first Test start with a try. Crowley converted and the race for a bonus point was on.

Ireland was now back in control. Replacement Ryan Baird charged forward three times like a man possessed.

Late Welsh pressure saw Irish replacement James Ryan shown a yellow card after a series of repeated fouls, but even with a man advantage Wales could not get over.

And there was still time before the final whistle for Beirne and Ireland to have the last laugh as they continued their perfect record this year.