Match in 60 seconds: Ireland see off Wales to record emphatic win

[team1]Ireland[/team1][score1]24[/score1][team2]Wales[/team2][score2]14[/score2][/score]

Ireland have won their Six Nations clash with Wales by 24-14 to record a second successive victory under new head coach Andy Farrell.

A late try from Wales flanker Justin Tipuric, converted by Leigh Halfpenny, reduced the deficit.

Wales’ loss was their first in the Six Nations in almost two years and ended their hopes of back-to-back Grand Slams.

Ireland wrapped up victory by scoring a bonus-point try with less than five minutes remaining on the clock.

Wing Andrew Conway crossed wide on the right to make it 24-7, although replacement fly-half Ross Byrne was unable to convert a difficult kick.

Dan Biggar of Wales in action against Josh van der Flier of Ireland today. Picture: Sportsfile

The match in 60 seconds

Key Moment: After Josh van der Flier’s grounding of a driving Ireland maul had given the home side the scoreboard separation they never enjoyed against Scotland early in the second half, and Johnny Sexton's wide-out conversion had opened up a 19-7 lead, Hadleigh Parkes' failure to properly ground the ball denied Wales the try that might have got them back in the game with 25 minutes remaining.

Talking Point: Well that was much better from Ireland. After the the scrappy win over Scotland in round one, Andy Farrell’s side looked much more fluent in attack against Wales, deploying plenty of variety on the front foot and getting full-back Jordan Larmour into the contest much more effectively than the Scots allowed. Larmour rewarded the service with a well-taken try to open the scoring on 19 minutes. Ireland also upped the ante with their set-piece and maul, which is another big positive for the new head coach.

Andy Farrell, Ireland head coach, pictured before today's match. Picture: Sportsfile

Key Man: CJ Stander may well have been man of the match for the second week in a row but head coach Farrell’s ability to get a much-improved performance from his squad amid a chorus of disapproval for his conservative selection deserves plenty of credit.

Ref Watch: Romain Poite gave an early indication of his preference for the dominant scrum when he awarded Wales a penalty as they defended an Ireland put-in on their five-metre line in the first minute. Ireland got little out of the French official for the duration, although his decision to go for a TMO check when Hadleigh Parkes crashed over showed the Wales centre had not grounded the ball.

Penalties Conceded: Ireland 10 Wales 6

Injuries: Centre Robbie Henshaw was removed after a clash of heads with Dan Biggar, from which neither returned following Head Injury Assessments on 43 minutes.

Ireland fans Emer and Ruth Gilligan from Co Clare, pictured at the match today. Picture: Sportsfile

Next Up: Ireland will not waste their down week in the competition with their feet up. Andy Farrell will reconvene his squad in Cork next week for a training camp alongside the Under-20s at CIT before returning to Abbotstown in advance of the big trip to Twickenham and a showdown with England on Sunday, February 23.

IRELAND: J Larmour; A Conway, R Henshaw (K Earls, 43 - HIA), B Aki, J Stockdale; J Sexton - captain (R Byrne, 71), C Murray (J Cooney, 72); C Healy (D Kilcoyne, 50), R Herring (R Kelleher, 66), T Furlong (A Porter, 66); I Henderson (D Toner, 66), J Ryan; P O’Mahony (M Deegan, 71), J van der Flier, CJ Stander.

WALES: L Halfpenny, G North, N Tompkins, H Parkes,J Adams (J McNicholl, 25); D Biggar (J Evans, 43 - HIA), T Williams (G Davies, 46); W.Jones (R Carre, 64), K Owens (R Elias, 73), D Lewis (L Brown, 66); J Ball (A Beard, 71), A W Jones - captain;, A Wainwright (R Moriarty, 46), J Tipuric, T Faletau.

Referee: Romain Poite (France).