Summary Wales beat Ireland 23-16 in their fixture
CARDIFF, Wales (AP) - Wales produced a defensive effort for the ages to beat Ireland 23-16 in a heart-stopper and stay afloat in the Six Nations, while ruining the visitors Grand Slam hopes at Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Ireland, bidding for only its third ever clean sweep, can still win successive championships for the first time since 1949 when it goes to Scotland next week, but it will probably depend on the results of the other two matches: Wales goes to Italy, and England, the other contender, closes the tournament at home to France.
Ireland captain Paul O Connell, playing his 100th match for his country, eschewed penalty kicks at goal for attacking lineouts four times, and came away with a try only once, and that a penalty try on the third attempt.
That cut Wales lead to 20-16 with 11 minutes to go.
Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicked over his fifth penalty with five minutes left to force Ireland to play for a barely consoling draw in what was a pulsating, thrilling match that exceeded the hype.
In the last frenzied minutes, Ireland tried attacking off lineouts in the left corner, but had a throw-in stolen, then a maul was grounded and a penalty conceded to Wales. When time was blown, Wales erupted in unabashed joy, having won three in a row to go to Rome next week still with a shot at a third title in four years.
Ireland lost not only a precious Grand Slam chance, but also lost for the first time in 11 matches and 13 months. And it has only a week to rebound from the deep disappointment of having Wales constantly on the ropes, but not being able to deliver the knockout blow.
They made Wales make 299 tackles. Ireland made 104. For at least eight minutes in the third quarter, they laid siege in the Wales 22. But Wales defense was mind-blowing.
They repelled ruck after ruck after ruck to the point where Ireland was ultimately pushed outside the Welsh 22. When Ireland received a penalty, Wales defense coach Shaun Edwards screamed and jumped in anger.
But Ireland, again, didn t want three points. The lineout was taken, a maul was rolled 10 meters to the Welsh 5. Jamie Roberts cut down Irish wing Tommy Bowe. George North sent opposite wing Simon Zebo flying back. Finally, after defending their line with bodies, shoulders, and fingertips, the Welsh received a penalty and cleared.
Ireland couldn t score the try, but Wales could.
Midfielder Jonathan Davies was put in space and ran into the Irish 22, but the attack died on the right wing. Roberts was subbed off hurt for Scott Williams.
Wales kept the blowtorch on, and produced a try out of nothing when Ireland s defenders dropped off their runners and Williams ran through a huge hole between No. 8 Jamie Healsip and Bowe. That made it 20-9 without the conversion, and a quarter to go.
With 12 to go, Ireland s nerves rattled again when replacement prop Cian Healy knocked on within a spit of the line. They still ended up with another kickable penalty, and went for another lineout. It worked again, and when the drive collapsed on the line, referee Wayne Barnes had no hesitation calling a penalty try. Sexton s conversion closed the gap to four with 11 minutes to go.
The nature of the tackling took such a toll, that the likes of Sexton and Conor Murray, the Irish halves who had marshalled their side for so long, didn t see fulltime. Neither did Wales centers Roberts and Davies, who was sinbinned in the final frenzy.
Wales began the second half with new props, and a front-row with a combined 18 caps. And still held.
Ireland came into the match conceding only an average nine points per game in the Six Nations under coach Joe Schmidt, and yet Wales was 9-0 up within 11 minutes.
Wales won the aerial battle to the point where Ireland stopped kicking in the second half, taking away a big part of their tactical strategy.
Knowing the unerring accuracy of each other s goalkickers, Ireland s discipline was also poor in that first half; Halfpenny didn t waste the gifts, including one shot on the halfway line, in kicking Wales to 12-0 easily.
Meanwhile, Sexton was slower to get going, but wasn t his usual commanding presence. He missed only one goalkick, but Ireland wanted tries in Cardiff, where they d lost only twice in 30 years.
So bad was the infringing in the first half, that Barnes warned both captains. At the next penalty, in the 28th minute, Barnes sin-binned Warburton on the day he claimed a Welsh record 34th cap as skipper.
But Warburton would have been proud as Roberts covered for him in a scrum they won a free kick from. Wales moved into the Irish half, set up for a dropped goal, and Biggar delivered from 40 meters, straight down the middle.
Wales always had an answer.
