Sam Prendergast broke Welsh hearts in Cardiff by denying them a first victory for more than a year, but also kept Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam dream alive by kicking them to a 27-18 win.
Wales debutant Ellis Mee thought he had scored a potentially decisive late try with just eight minutes remaining, but that was ruled out for a tiny knock-on in the act of scoring.
Despite 14 matches without a win, the game had remained in the balance at 18-18 with 15 minutes to go, but 22-year-old Prendergast’s calm head nudged Ireland safely over the winning line.
Wales had trailed 10-0 early on thanks to a Jack Conan try but flanker Jac Morgan and winger Tom Rogers gave them a three-point lead at half-time, before Irish full-back Jamie Osbourne’s second international try started the fightback.
“We’re so proud,” Wales centre Max Llewellyn said.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game but we had faith that we were going to win.
“I’m so proud for the boys, we only had three training sessions before the game, and a lot of learning was done.
“It took a lot of pressure off the forwards who work so hard in the middle of the pitch. It’s nice to see after only three sessions we look better.”
Wales had started the game as 16-1 underdogs, a price that reflected their 15-month run without a victory.
And a disastrous start to their Six Nations campaign – failing to score a point against France and then beaten by Italy – spelled the end of Warren Gatland’s second spell in charge.
It meant that Wales went into their clash with Grand Slam-chasing Ireland with interim coach Matt Sherratt leading the side and a much-changed starting XV, with more than half the team that lost to Italy cast aside.
Ireland were forced into changes of their own, most significantly losing captain Caelan Doris, but also choosing to relegate 62-cap centre Bundee Aki to the bench.
It seemed not to matter in the early stages, as Doris’s replacement Conan crossed over and five of Prendergast’s 17 points gave them a double-figure lead before Wales had even got on the scoreboard. The Irish were 24-point favourites with the bookmakers in the run-up, a huge margin for an away side, and it looked appropriate.
But a smarting Welsh side were determined not to roll over and Gareth Anscombe, restored at fly-half by Sherratt after falling out of favour under Gatland, kicked them back to within touching distance. They were given another lifeline by the TMO when Garry Ringrose was given a yellow card for a head-on-head clash, eventually upgraded to a red, and when captain Morgan crossed over, it put Wales into a shock half-time lead.
A fine score by Rogers, one of the few players to have started all three Six Nations matches for Wales this year, inspired serious hopes of an upset, but when Ireland were restored to 15 it was with the arrival of Aki, who looked like a man possessed at points.
The experience of Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half, named official man of the match, was invaluable too and his smart cross-kick set up Osbourne’s try.
Mee thought he had produced one more twist in the game and made himself an instant hero with eight minutes to go but was denied on replay, and Ireland could breathe a sigh of relief.
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