Ireland squeezed past a Welsh defensive masterclass at the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening, beating the visitors 27-17 in front of a nervy home crowd.
Here are the Ireland player ratings:
Backs
15 Jamie Osborne: In the absence of Hugo Keenan, Osborne has taken full ownership of the number 15 shirt, and in certain parts of the game, you could see why. It wasn’t an error-free performance, however. Among various little mistakes, he most notably failed to take a high ball cleanly from a Welsh attacking free kick as the visitors mounted pressure in the Ireland 22 towards the end of the game. 5
14 Robert Baloucoune: Finally living up to the reputation he gained in his younger years, he showed all his electric footwork to threaten the Welsh defensive line. Not immune to mistakes, though, he nudged one ball directly into touch and threw another at the feet of his wing partner, Jacob Stockdale. He awfully missed the tackle on Rhys Carre, which allowed the prop to extend his front-row pins and cross the line for Wales’ first try of the evening. Baloucoune finished the game with a stunning out-the-back pass to Ciaran Frawley and later made a great tackle to take Josh Adams into touch to halt a late comeback attempt. If he can limit his mistakes, he could be a real asset for the side. 5
13 Garry Ringrose: Attacked the line well and put in the tackles when necessary, but failed to make any real yardage in attack, even when he did manage to beat the defender. 6
12 Stuart McCloskey: Fresh from his demolition of England, the 33-year-old was heavily involved once again. He made 15 tackles and carried the ball 13 times, while also providing the role of secondary playmaker. The 33-year-old is making a very real case for the 12 shirt with the World Cup just over a year away. 8
11 Jacob Stockdale: Trusted with a return to the starting line-up after struggling in the opening match against France, the 29-year-old got off to a great start, scoring Ireland’s opening try after running a brilliant line. His evening continued in the same vein, issuing a brilliant offload to set up Osborne’s try, and generally being a menace with ball in hand, beating a game high of six players. 7
Ireland claim maximum to keep Six Nations title dream alive but improved Wales make them sweat
10 Jack Crowley: Once again given the chance to make the number 10 shirt his own, he showed why he’s seen as the more reliable of the fly-half options. Although he was caught with the ball in his hand a couple of times early on, he then settled in and took his try well. He didn’t panic when his side’s backs were up against the wall, and showed experience and calm to take the game out of Wales’ reach in the dying minutes. 6
9 Jamison Gibson-Park: The highly experienced Leinster star was key in ensuring that the men in green kept their cool and kept to the basics in the face of pressure and uncertainty. His forwards didn’t give him the greatest platform at times, but he used his boot to get his side out of trouble on multiple occasions, ensuring that the rugby was played away from the danger areas. 7
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Forwards
8 Caelan Doris: Another full 80 from the captain, he was a defensive rock as he put in a remarkable 17 tackles to ensure that Wales were never able to take full control of the match. 7
7 Nick Timoney: His first start of this Six Nations, and he made it count with a huge first hit on the Welsh attack. He did the grunt work throughout, ensuring that Wales never had multiple phases of quick ball from which to work. 6
6 Jack Conan: Back on the flank but still in the middle of all the action. He was unfortunate to have his first try scrapped after a knock-on at the base of the ruck by Tom O’Toole, but he did well to catch the ball for his try early in the second half. Did some great work in the breakdown, with one turnover in particular stopping Wales after some prolonged pressure. 7
5 Tadhg Beirne: The versatile forward occupied the second row and was kept busy. He will feel it in the morning, after a display that had him off and on the deck more times than a yo-yo. 6
4 James Ryan: Defensively, he was extremely quiet, but in attack, he was constantly on the ball, being used as the first-phase crash-ball. Another star who will look forward to the ice bath. Will want to reflect on his penalty count, however. 6
3 Tadhg Furlong: Outscrummed, ran far too high at times, got manhandled in contact and lost the ball on more than one occasion. Despite ending Aaron Wainwright in a double tackle, it was an evening to forget for the former world-beater. 3
2 Ronan Kelleher: He made the most of a rare start for the international side as regular hooker Dan Sheehan enjoyed a weekend off. He made a joint team high of 17 tackles and ran with plenty of purpose, and his lineout was spot on. 7
1 Tom O’Toole: Only his third ever start for Ireland, and it got off to a wonderful start, winning the first scrum penalty. He looked to be completely at home in the international shirt. 6
Replacements: Joe McCarthy almost matched Carre’s try-scoring exploits with an ambitious kick down the touchline, but otherwise the substitutes made little to no difference. 6