LIVEIreland v Wales, Six Nations championship
Ireland’s Bundee Aki is tackled by George North and Josh Adams. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady
Thanks a lot for your company for this early-afternoon Six Nations game. Andy Farrell has plenty of so-called work-ons despite that victory and we do too and will have reaction and analysis throughout the day and weekend.
Simon Lewis has filed his match report from the Aviva.
The last act of the game is Tadhg Beirne barrelling over to round out an eventful afternoon for him, and more importantly to secure that bonus point. Crowley splits the posts with his final kick.
Donal Lenihan is asked for his player of the match and Bundee Aki will have to make a little more room on his sideboard after another excellent performance.
Sustained pressure from Wales but they're short. James Ryan is yellow carded and that'll be the end of his afternoon's work.
Ireland Conor Murray is on for Gibson-Park and Wales are given a lecture about their discipline. Oli Jager gives away a penalty and, as I type, James Ryan too.
Ciaran Frawley dives over after a pass from Gibson Park, moments after Aki was held up sort. That was needed - though Crowley fails from the conversion kick.
The crowd ratchet the volume up after a flat few minutes.
Ireland attack inside the 22 and Wales concede a penalty for pretty cyncial hand in the ruck. Pressure mounting.
Scratch that.. as Jack Crowley lines up the conversion, the officials chalk out the try because of a Henshaw knock on.
Ireland lose the advantage too and we restart with a scrum.
Huge pressure pays off in the end as Aki darts over.
Gibson-Park had a snipe but was held up, Nash was stopped on the line before Aki then powered over the line.
Kelleher wins a jackal penalty brilliantly. The cameras pan to an unimpressed looking Paul O'Connell.
Ireland on the front foot now again.
Tadhg Beirne is back on and makes an immediate impact with a brilliant steal.
Oli Jager is on for his international debut and Ronan Kelleher and James Ryan trot on too.
The players must be wrecked, I'm tired watching this extended period of ball in play time. Some kick tennis, inventive play by Ciaran Frawley and a series of big tackles ends in a Welsh penalty.
Jack Conan in on for van der Flier who may be heading for a HIA.
Big decision or two. Yellow card for Beirne for changing his bind and Wales are awarded a penalty try. We have a game.
Here we go for the second half. Can Wales mount another second-half fightback, like the Scotland game?
A really dominant performance from the hosts and a third half on the trot that the visitors to the Aviva have drawn a blank. Gatty will need to earn his corn at the break.
Wales, desperate to get the scoreboard going, pile on pressure but leave with nothing again - that's tough going. Dafydd Jenkins is penalised for latching.
Huge pressure from Ireland after Crowley kicks beautifully to the corner. First McCarthy has a snipe before the ball is worked out to Lowe, after class work from Nash, and he touches down. Crowley adds the extras.
Here's that opening try and the Fields rings out for the first time on 25 minutes or so
Dan Sheehan scores another try as Ireland's maul rumbles over. Crowley nails the conversion.
A couple of big scrums from Ireland and they've asserted their dominance in what Donal Lenihan describes as 'the game with the game'.
Ireland go for the corner and this is a big opportunity.
Big, low tackle from Gareth Thomas on big Joe McCarthy, who hangs onto the ball to long and is penalised.
Quick thinking sees Ireland go quickly at the lineout and Dan Sheehan powers down the tramline. Bundee Aki’s ultimately knock-on and he's visibly annoyed with himself.
Jackal penalty awarded after huge work from Andrew Porter, who celebrates the referee's whistle like John Mullane winning a free.
Jack Crowley gets Ireland up and running by drilling his first penalty from in front of the posts, more or less.
First penalty of the game goes to Wales dues to a green knock-on before moments later Aki does brilliantly to steal the ball and Ireland win the second penalty of the afternoon.
Ireland with the early pressure; they spread the ball wide and Robbie Henshaw chips ahead and chases but Tomos Williams touches down over the line.
And here we go...
An interested spectator in the stands as Johnny Sexton is flashed up on the big screen to applause. Here comes certified banger, Bread of Heaven.
As Michael D meets the players, some interesting pre-game analysis from Bernard Jackman on RTÉ:
The team are in the tunnel and we're moments away from the anthems...
Some pre-game reading? Brendan O'Brien caught up with skipper Peter O'Mahony yesterday for a good conversation about pre-game nerves -- which he may be grappling with it right now -- and much more.
Andy Farrell has been chatting to RTÉ's Clare McNamara and is typically relaxed. He says it's a good opportunity to show what he can do at 15 and seemed pretty unimpressed with Welsh ambitions to start fast: 'That's Test match rugby, everyone wants to do that," he says.
As one of Wales' great poets famously said; what's up, pussycat?
We're strapping in for an afternoon of early-spring Six Nations action with Ireland welcoming Warren Gatland's side to Dublin 4.
Kick-off is scheduled for an hour's time and we'll bring you live coverage throughout, as well as reaction and analysis from the Aviva with our colleagues Brendan O'Brien and Simon Lewis in the soft seats for us.
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