Triple top for Ireland, new hope for Wales

SO Ireland secure the Triple Crown and remain on course for the Grand Slam, while the Welsh losing run continues – but that hardly begins to tell the story of this compelling encounter.

- By SIMON THOMAS

The Irish players will have left the field at a packed Principality Stadium knowing they had been in one hell of a game.

At the same time, the Wales players can hold their heads up high having restored some much needed pride to the nation with a display that just about no-one saw coming.

Ireland were 25-1 on with the bookies going into the game and most Welsh fans would probably have settled for keeping the margin of defeat down below 20 points.

Yet, early in the second half, the hosts were leading 18-10 after tries from Jac Morgan and Tom Rogers and their supporters were in dreamland.

Going into the final 15 minutes, it was all still to play for at 18-18 and it was only by the narrowest of margins that Wales were denied another try amid a crescendo of a climax as debutant Ellis Mee just came up short.

In the end, it was the boot of 17-point fly-half Sam Prendergast that saw Ireland over the line and they can now move on to their quest for a Six Nations cleansweep with games against Italy and France to come.

But they will do so with puffed out cheeks and a big sigh of relief having been given a major scare.

As for Wales, well it’s hard to know where to begin. It’s been such a torrid time with a record 14-Test losing streak culminating in the departure of coach Warren Gatland.

That saw Cardiff ’s Matt Sherratt brought in on an interim basis for the remainder of the Championship.