Ireland bank the bonus with opening day rout of poor Wales

Connacht's Australia-born wing Mack Hansen was man of the match on his Ireland debut in a fine start for Andy Farrell's side.

Ireland's Garry Ringrose (right) celebrates with Andrew Conway after scoring a try during the Six Nations match at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Picture date: Saturday February 5, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story RUGBY Ireland. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire. 

Six Nations: Ireland 29 Wales 7

Ireland got their 2022 Guinness Six Nations campaign off to a flying start in Dublin on Saturday as they romped past injury-hit Wales with a convincing bonus-point victory.

Two tries from wing Andrew Conway just after half-time were the meat in the Irish sandwich after Bundee Aki had opened the scoring inside three minutes and before Garry Ringrose claimed the fourth of the afternoon on the hour mark as they punished the defending champions, seriously depleted by a host of senior players missing through injury.

Wales avoided being nilled with a try from Taine Basham in the last 10 minutes but the day belonged to Andy Farrell’s men who registered a ninth consecutive Test victory.

Ireland had engineered the perfect start to their campaign, getting debutant Mack Hansen, the eventual man of the match, quickly into the game with a confidence-boosting run down the left wing as the Connacht player left Welsh opposite number Louis Rees-Zammit in his wake to get his side on the front foot with just a minute on the clock.

The bounce from his kick inside was not favourable but Ireland earned a lineout inside the Wales 22 and did not leave without the first seven points of the championship, the visitors straying offside and with the penalty advantage the backline struck from 10 metres out, Hansen’s long pass out wide to his left wing reaching Bundee Aki to score the opening try after just two minutes. Captain Johnny Sexton kicked the conversion from wide out and Ireland were up and running.

They could have been further ahead inside the opening quarter but Sexton missed successive penalties and when Welsh discipline failed them in front of the posts, the veteran fly-half promptly took the chance to recalibrate his shooting boots and push his side into a 10-0 on 20 minutes.

That is the way it stayed throughout the second quarter as Wales gathered some momentum and retained the ball efficiently without ever threatening the Irish line, the home side going in at the half-time break much the happier at 10-0 to the good.

Ireland's Garry Ringrose is tackled by Callum Sheedy and Owen Watkin of Wales

The mood got even brighter when the second half got underway, Ireland applying pressure from the off and making ground when Josh Adams, the Lions wing making his first start as a Test 13, was caught offside by referee Jaco Peyper. Sexton immediately pointed to the corner and from the resulting lineout maul earned another penalty. Sexton doubled down and returned the ball to the corner and from five metres out Ireland struck off the lineout, the captain instrumental in carving out an opening with a further penalty advantage, first wrong-footing Welsh defenders with a deceptive show and go to cut inside and then in the next phase sending a pass wide right to the waiting Andrew Conway whose long stretch found the corner for Ireland’s second try on 43 minutes.

Sexton added two points and then was involved in a pivotal moment, colliding with Adams as the bouncing ball eluded them both. Referee Peyper saw nothing wrong but Sexton had been floored and asked the TMO to check the incident after which the South African official deemed it had been a reckless challenge from the Welshman.

Adams received a yellow card and Ireland quickly took advantage, some concerted pressure inside the Welsh 22 after Conway had made some clever yards over halfway. Then Josh van der Flier broke into the visitors’ 22 before Tadhg Beirne carried to the line, sucking in defenders that left Conway free in the right corner. Sexton found him with a long pass and the Munster wing had his second try inside six minutes, the skipper adding his third conversion of the afternoon to send Ireland 24-0 ahead with 30 minutes remaining.

Wales still had nine minutes to hold out without Adams but could not stop Ireland from claiming the bonus point in that time, losing the ball near halfway as the home side cashed in once more. They did so at speed, Hansen cutting inside from the left into midfield, passing to Aki who fed centre partner Garry Ringrose, the 13 taking the ball at speed and arcing around the Wales defence with Conway on his shoulder looking for a hat-trick opportunity. The wing had to watch, though, as Ringrose cut back inside and scored on his own with a superb finish for Ireland’s fourth and a 29-0 lead just before the hour mark.

The game was undoubtedly won at that point but head coach Andy Farrell will be disappointed his side went through a stretch of sloppy play thereafter, a series of penalty concessions allowing Wales into the opposition half from where flanker Taine Basham grabbed the try that avoided an embarrassing blank, replacement fly-half Callum Sheedy converting.

Ireland are up and running and will head into a showdown with championship favourites France in Paris next Saturday with confidence sky high.

IRELAND: H Keenan; A Conway (J Hume, 60), G Ringrose, B Aki, M Hansen; J Sexton - captain (J Carbery, 60), J Gibson-Park (C Murray, 69); A Porter (C Healy, 66), R Kelleher (D Sheehan, 60), T Furlong (F Bealham, 52); T Beirne, J Ryan (R Baird, 66); C Doris, J van der Flier, J Conan (P O’Mahony, 52).

WALES: L Williams; J McNicholl (O Watkin, 60), J Adams, N Tompkins , L Rees-Zammit; D Biggar - captain (C Sheedy, 70), T Williams (G Davies, 57); W Jones (G Thomas, 52), R Elias (D Lake, 52), T Francis (D Lewis, 52); W Rowlands (B Carter, 74), A Beard; E Jenkins (R Moriarty, 52), T Basham, A Wainwright.

Yellow card: J Adams 50-60 Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa).