Wales encouraged by Scot display - but concerns must lie within camp for Ireland showdown

KICKED WHILE DOWN: Scotland's Finn Russell (second left) celebrates with his team mates after scoring a try in a comeback win over Wales. Pic:L Nigel French/PA

Wales head coach Steve Tandy should be encouraged by the signs of upward mobility displayed by his team during this Guinness Six Nations campaign but there remain serious doubts about their ability to end a 14-match losing streak in the championship against Ireland on Friday night.

Such concerns appear to lie within the camp itself with Tandy lowering expectations this week despite the boost in belief that has followed their narrow home defeat to Scotland in round three.

A full house at the Principality Stadium got behind their beleaguered side 13 days ago as Wales nearly ended that miserable run stretching back to the fourth round of the 2023 Six Nations. That the Welsh let slip a 20-5 lead with 25 minutes to go was a testament as much to an inexperienced team’s naivete as it was the Scots finally getting their act together to run out 26-23 victors in Cardiff.

There was no better example of that than Finn Russell’s quickly taken restart deep into the corner for Darcy Graham to pick up and score Scotland’s third try on 57 minutes. 

The cheap concession of five points plus Russell’s conversion was all the more galling for Wales supporters having seen the ball sail over the head of an unprepared and unaware James Botham, his back to the centre spot as he ambled back to his position.

ENDGAME: Finn Russell dives for the endline. Pic: Nigel French/PA

Which gives some context to Tandy’s response when asked if his Wales team had reached a point in their journey where he believed they could go to Dublin and beat a rejuvenated Ireland side. 

The first-season head coach referenced the round-one shellacking at Twickenham, when his side slumped to a 29-0 half-time deficit on the way to a 48-7 defeat to England, followed a week later by a 54-12 home thumping by France. 

So while elements of the performance against Scotland last time out represented a huge step forward, "We are at the point where we can go there and be competitive,” Tandy said.

"That's where it is. If we are competitive and bring large parts of what we did against Scotland then I think we'll be in the game to get the result we all want.

"But I think just because we've had one good performance, or a performance that probably stacked a lot of moments together... I think if we start thinking automatically that we are going to get a win based on that I don't think that's where we are on our journey.

"It's going to be a different challenge. Last time we were away from home against England you look at the start we had. The emotional control going to Ireland is a different stress point for us but I think it is exciting and it will be a really good test for us on that development piece.

Such circumspection was a feature of Andy Farrell’s public utterances ahead of Ireland’s similarly dreadful opening round performance, when France raced into a 29-0 lead after 46 minutes before securing a 36-14 victory.

Yet the Irish head coach is talking from a very different viewpoint from that night at Stade de France when he admonished his players for lacking intent. 

A narrow escape at home to Italy was barely convincing but the 20-13 victory was a step in the right direction and skillful man management in omitting a certain number of senior players following the Paris setback was rewarded with a performance for the ages in round three when Ireland battered England with a record 42-21 win at Twickenham.

IRISH PRIDE: Ireland players celebrate a massive win at Twickenham. Pic: Adam Davy/PA

Now the trick for the management will be to guard against a comedown from the highs of two weekends ago and transition smoothly into the role of hot favourites on home soil. The head coach believes that should be a given.

“Honestly, we don't look at the betting like you guys would have done,” Farrell said. “It's just about having respect for ourselves really, isn't it? It's about making sure that we're able to push on, not just be as good.

“We want to kick on and understand why certain things happened and went well, but also why certain things didn't happen and where we're going to improve and kick on our game.

“So, I think preparation, the reviews, how we're going about our business in regards to our preparation for Wales and training has shown that we're in the right place to try and execute that.” 

Farrell insisted victory would not be the sole definition of success for Ireland in front of a full house on Friday night as he continues to give Test experience to his wider group of players. 

He'll hand a first Six Nations start to Nick Timoney in the back row and potential championship debuts off the bench to hooker Tom Stewart and centre Tom Farrell as well as an international debut to back-up scrum-half Nathan Doak on the occasion that starting nine Jamison Gibson-Park earns his 50th Ireland cap..

“It's not about the score, or the win. Honestly, I said it to you a couple of weeks ago and it's about the performance, about our attitude of progressing.

“I think one of the things that we're seeing, and let's be right, this is only three games now, so we're not saying that anything's been mastered at all.

“We've started something and we need to make sure that we keep on pushing that forward, and the biggest thing that I've seen, progression-wise over the three weeks, is we've got a bit more presence within the squad. That's what you get when you lose 100-cappers and presence, and people who make the room feel right.

“People are understanding that now and taking the mantle with that, and that helps the competition for places, for sure.” 

IRELAND: J Osborne (Leinster); R Baloucoune (Ulster), G Ringrose (Leinster), S McCloskey (Ulster), J Stockdale (Ulster); J Crowley (Munster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); T O’Toole (Ulster), R Kelleher (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), J Ryan (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster); J Conan (Leinster), N Timoney (Ulster), C Doris (Leinster) - captain.

Replacements: T Stewart (Ulster), M Milne (Munster), T Clarkson (Leinster), J McCarthy (Leinster), J van der Flier (Leinster), N Doak (Banbridge/Ulster), T Farrell (Munster), C Frawley (Leinster).

WALES: L Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears); E Mee (Scarlets), E James (Scarlets), J Hawkins (Scarlets), J Adams (Cardiff); D Edwards (Ospreys), T Williams (Gloucester); R Carre (Saracens), D Lake (Ospreys) – captain, T Francis (Provence); D Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs), B Carter (Dragons); A Mann (Cardiff), J Botham (Cardiff), A Wainwright (Dragons).

Replacements: R Elias (Scarlets), N Smith (Leicester Tigers), A Griffin (Bath), A Beard (Montpellier), O Cracknell (Leicester Tigers), K Hardy (Ospreys), J Evans (Harlequins), L Hennessey (Bath).

Referee: Karl Dickson (England).