Ireland 27-17 Wales: Home team maintains Six Nations championship aspirations with determined victory
Ireland maintained their slim chances of regaining the Six Nations title by securing a 27-17 bonus-point win against winless Wales in Dublin.
First-half tries from Jacob Stockdale and Jack Crowley set Andy Farrell’s team on the path to a Triple Crown clash with Scotland next weekend.
Wales responded with an impressive solo effort from prop Rhys Carre but ultimately could not avoid a 15th consecutive defeat in the championship, a streak that dates back to 2023.
Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne scored in the second half, sandwiching a try from Wales flanker James Botham, as the hosts built on a record victory away to England in round three, albeit in a somewhat disjointed manner.
While Ireland remains in the hunt for championship success, France, who currently lead the table, will secure the title with a round to spare if they defeat Scotland with a bonus point at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Wales, on the other hand, will aim to avoid finishing last for the third consecutive Six Nations when they face Italy on the final weekend, following a commendable performance at the Aviva Stadium.
Steve Tandy’s squad arrived across the Irish Sea buoyed by a strong showing in a 26-23 defeat to Scotland previously, with genuine hope of pulling off an upset.
However, Welsh aspirations for their first Six Nations victory in Dublin since 2012 took a hit within six minutes as Stockdale capitalized on a Stuart McCloskey pass to score his 20th international try.
It seemed like it might be a challenging evening for the visitors, but Conan’s 11th-minute try was ruled out after a review due to a knock-on by Tom O’Toole, before a Dan Edwards penalty reduced the deficit.
Wales began to find their rhythm and were unlucky not to take the lead when Carre was held up just short of the line by McCloskey.
The momentum shifted back to Ireland, and Wales flanker Alex Mann made a brilliant interception to relieve sustained pressure before Ireland extended their lead with Crowley scoring in the left corner.
Despite this, Wales trailed by only 12-10 at the end of a hard-fought first half after loosehead Carre powered past Robert Baloucoune and sprinted around 30 meters to score for the third consecutive match in impressive style.
Ireland back-rower Conan redeemed himself for his earlier disappointment by scoring four minutes into the second half.
Yet Wales continued to challenge their opponents.
After sustained pressure — and a brief altercation involving Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong and Wales substitute Nicky Smith — Botham crashed over in the 63rd minute, with Edwards’ conversion bringing the away team back within two points.
Ireland responded within five minutes and secured the bonus point when full-back Osborne capped off a well-executed team move with his third try in as many games.
Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams was sin-binned for an infringement during the buildup, while Crowley’s missed conversion attempt left his team with only a seven-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Crowley regained his focus to convert a penalty with three minutes left, effectively ending Welsh resistance and completing a personal tally of 12 points.
