Partick Horgan’s side followed up wins over Scotland and Italy to give themselves a fighting chance of becoming Under 20 Six Nations champions for 2008, but with England enjoying a 100 per cent record, Horgan’s side will have to hope for a slip up either against Scotland on Saturday or Ireland next weekend.
However, Wales did what was asked of them on Friday evening. After a frantic first half that saw the home side run in leading 6-5, two second half penalties from Leigh Halfpenny meant that Wales won the match by the narrowest of margins with an 11-6 score line.
But were it not for dogged defending on their own line as the clock ticked down, the outcome for Patrick Horgan’s side would have been very different.
The home crowd at Dubarry Park willed their side on in the dying seconds and an increased tempo in the last five minutes stretched Wales to near breaking point.
Eric Elwood’s side will look at the video this week and ask themselves why they didn’t raise their game to that level much earlier and especially in the first half when Wales looked comfortably the better side at points.
It was a frenetic end in which Ireland were desperately trying to level a match that had trickled away from them through Halfpenny’s accurate kicking.
Ireland almost landed they try they were looking for in the final minutes of normal time, when centre Eoin O’Malley drove over with a pile of bodies on his back brought hope to the expectant crowd. But when the Italian referee sought the help of the TMO, the score was discounted leaving Ireland six points adrift and the minutes ticking away.
In the end they ran out of time pressing Wales but all too late and desperate to swing the score line.
Although it was Ireland that went into the break leading 6-5, it was the Welsh that would have felt they had the lion’s share of the attacking play in the first 40 minutes. And few would argue. Certainly the vast amount of the first 40 minutes was spent in the Irish territory with Wales launching wave after wave of attack and the Irish line largely holding. When the breach did finally arrive it took a long skip pass and an awkward bounce to defy the closing Irish defence.
No doubt Wales will look on the opening spell as one where they had comprehensive territorial advantage, although not enough to show for it, though No.8, Lloyd Philips, did show a burst of pace to get the touchdown.
That arrived after Irish outside half, Martin Dufficy, landed a penalty to give Ireland a 3-0 lead on ten minutes as the teams found their way. Almost immediately after that score Wales were on the Irish line pushing for points. Ireland will look to what was over a 20 minute phase as testament to their strong defence, but with little showing in attack, it seemed inevitable Wales would harvest something for their industry.
That arrived on 26 minutes as a sweeping move down the left was redirected and from the centre a lopping ball was thrown wide right with the Irish defence stretched. Cochrane was up to meet Phillips but the ball bounced before meeting both of them and just clever enough for the Welsh back row to scoop into his hands and break for the line.
The conversion missed gave Wales just a 3-5 advantage. To their concern they also gave way two kickable penalties leading in to the closing of the half, one of which Dufficy pulled left from 40 metres and the other he landed for Ireland to once again take the lead at 6-5.
Ireland noticeably increased the pace in the second half playing into the wind but it was Halfpenny on 56 minutes that gave Wales the lead with a penalty from under the posts. Leading 6-8, Ireland had their chance to kick ahead but Dufficy was wide with his effort before Halfpenny stepped up once again to stretch the Welsh lead to 6-11 on 70 minutes.
It was only then when Ireland realised that the probability was that they were going to lose this match having beaten Scotland so well last time out, that they threw all into attack. But the bigger Welsh team held and their collective defence was sound enough to inflict the Irish with a disappointing home defeat.
Scoring sequence: 10 mins M Dufficy pen 3-0; 26Â mins L Philips try 3-5; 35mins M Dufficy pen 6-5. Halftime. 56 mins L Halfpenny pen 6-8; 70 mins L Halfpenny pen 6-11
Ireland: D Kearney; S Scanlom, E O’Malley, C Cleary, C Cochrane; M Dufficy, D Moore; P Karayiannis, J Harris-Wright, , B Barclay, D Nolan, E Sherriff, K Essex, P Mallon, P Ryan. Replacements-T Conneely fork Essex 57 mins. I Madigan for Dufficy 70 mins; S Douglas for Barcaly 72 mins; S Archer for Harris-Wright 73 mins
Wales: D Evans; L Halfpenny, J Davies, C Owen, N Rees; D Biggar, R Webb; R Bevington, R Lawrence, P Palmer, H Pugh, J Groves ©, J Turnbull, L Phillips, N Cudd. Replacements-R Prosser for Palmer 58 mins; R Williams for Pugh 75 mins; S Hobbs for Lawrence 76 mins; R Prosser for Davies 76 mins
Referee: S Falzone (Italy)
