Captain Caelan Doris admitted Ireland lacked a “clinical edge” in their 27-17 Six Nations win over Wales in Dublin on Friday night.
The Irish could never shake off the resilient Welsh, whose display suggests their 15-match Six Nations losing run could come to an end against Italy in their final game next weekend.
For Ireland, the bonus-point victory keeps their slim title hopes alive. France can end them if they also secure a bonus-point win over Scotland on Saturday.
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Doris conceded Ireland were well below the level they showed in their 42-21 win over England at Twickenham a fortnight ago.
“It was scrappy, we lacked a bit of the clinical edge we had a few weeks ago,” he said.
“We targeted a fast start and got the early try, and then let them build a bit of momentum. They had a bit of a purple patch at the end of the first half.
“So we want to finish the championship strong against Scotland.”
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His Wales counterpart Dewi Lake had said on Friday the Welsh relish being cast as underdogs, and it showed as they snapped away constantly.
“We’re always disappointed to lose, but the positives and the way we played is something to be proud of,” Lake told S4C.
“In the end we couldn’t cross the line. We had all the opportunities in the first half, maybe we didn’t take them as much in the second. The win is coming, I can feel it.”
Ireland opened the scoring through Jacob Stockdale, who had been restored to the starting lineup after being omitted following the opening defeat by France.
The 29-year-old was once the undisputed first-choice wing, but injuries and a dip in form had seen him drop down the pecking order.
He more than justified his selection – scoring a try and providing the decisive pass for Ireland’s final score.
“That was pretty special for me,” he told ITV. “It’s been a hard few years and it’s nice to get back on the scoresheet on this pitch and in front of these fans. I’m very thankful for it.”
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Man of the Match Jack Conan, who had shaken off the illness that ruled him out of the win over England, admitted Ireland’s display had been far from perfect.
“We probably let them off the hook a few times and sloppy mistakes gave them easy access,” he said. “As always we will try to be better next week.”
Even if the title might have been decided by then, Conan relished the prospect of securing the Triple Crown if Ireland beat Scotland.
“That would be pretty special,” said the 33-year-old.
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Wales could look back on a second successive encouraging performance after pushing Scotland close, and were right back in it at 12-10 down at half-time thanks to one of the tries of the tournament by prop Rhys Carre.
He produced a sidestep worthy of some of the great Welsh backs of the past and somehow powered 30m to the line.
“I don’t think so, that was up there,” he said when asked if it was his best try. “I saw some space and went as hard as I could and no-one caught me.”
Carre, who has now scored three tries in his past three Tests, was proud of the overall effort.
“We’re showing improvement and we showed we’re in a fight to the last play of these games. We showed our people we’re coming back.”
– AFP
Photo: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images
The post Ireland relieved after scrappy win appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Captain Caelan Doris admitted Ireland lacked a “clinical edge” in their 27-17 Six Nations win over Wales in Dublin on Friday night.
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