Eire edged previous a valiant Wales 27-18 on Saturday to win the Triple Crown and preserve their hopes of a report third straight Six Nations title.
Wales got here inside a whisker of ending their dropping streak — now at 15 video games — with Ellis Mee’s leap over the road within the last 10 minutes being deemed a knock-on having initially been awarded as a strive.
Eire high the Six Nations desk with 14 factors from three matches, whereas Wales are backside with one, however interim coach Matt Sherratt can have few complaints over the efficiency of his aspect.
The reigning champions, who misplaced centre Garry Ringrose to a 20-minute purple card within the first half, had been beneath strain for a lot of the sport, particularly within the scrum.
Their defence was glorious, nevertheless, and so they scored tries via quantity eight Jack Conan and fullback Jamie Osborne, earlier than the boot of flyhalf Sam Prendergast carried them to victory.
Wales had been vastly improved from the aspect who slipped to dour defeat after dour defeat beneath former coach Warren Gatland, and scored tries via flanker Jac Morgan and winger Tom Rogers, earlier than falling in need of what would have been a shock victory.
The Wales gamers regarded as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders as they performed with invention and the liberty to run the ball at each alternative.
Eire took an early lead due to a strive from Conan, however Wales settled into the sport and put strain on the guests.
4 scrum penalties and the purple card for Ringrose helped their trigger and having trailed by 10 factors, Wales led 13-10 at half-time.
Ringrose obtained a yellow card, later upgraded to purple on bunker overview, for a harmful deal with on Wales centre Ben Thomas that resulted in head-on-head contact.
Wales took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Morgan burrowed his method over the tryline beneath a pile of our bodies.
The house aspect prolonged their lead early within the second interval as they made their numerical benefit depend when Rogers dotted down within the nook with a spectacular flying end.
Eire landed a penalty earlier than Bundee Aki got here on on the completion of the 20-minute purple card and the guests had been restored to fifteen gamers.
They scored an excellent second strive as a cross-kick to the nook was athletically tapped again by winger James Lowe into the arms of Osborne who levelled the sport at 18-18.
Trailing by six factors, Wales thought they’d scored a late strive via winger Mee that was chalked off by the Tv Match Official for a knock-on, and the unerring boot of Prendergast saved Eire ticking over on the scoreboard.
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Info from Reuters contributed to this report.
