It was a sobering afternoon for Irish women's rugby as they slumped to a 31-5 defeat to a powerful Wales side in their TikTok Six Nations opener at Cardiff Arms Park.
Ireland ran riot on their last visit to the venue two years ago, racking up seven tries in a 45-0 win, but the two sides have travelled in radically different directions since.
The hosts' victory was built primarily on overwhelming dominance up front, the Irish scrum utterly helpless in the face of the Welsh pack, being walked backwards at a rate of knots time and again in the first half.
As It Happened: Wales 31-5 Ireland
Wales 19-year old tighthead prop Sisilia Tuipulotu, in particular, had a field day, dominating the considerably smaller Irish front row and getting over for the hosts' fifth and final try, moments after she had a score chalked off for a mistake in grounding the ball.
Wales took the lead in the fourth minute as a good drive from the maul saw Alex Callender touch down in the corner, but they suffered a blow when Gwen Crabb was taken off with injury minutes later.
Scrum-half Keira Bevan added another try in the 14th minute, breaking forward through a gap, and the driving maul proved effective again for the Welsh as replacement Sioned Harries crossed in the 23rd minute.
They added a fourth just before the break when a smart move allowed Kerin Lake to burst through the Irish defence and hand the ball off to captain Hannah Jones who touched down underneath the posts.
Ireland were strangers to the opposition 22 in the first half, only encroaching that far very late in the half, when Sam Monaghan blocked down a clearing kick, forcing Welsh centre Jones to scuttle back to retrieve. But the Irish chasers immediately went off their feet at the ruck and the chance was gone.
The pain continues for Ireland as Sisilia Tuipulotu, moments after having a try disallowed, powers through to extend the Welsh lead.
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) March 25, 2023
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Greg McWilliams' side were considerably better after the break, though only after shipping yet another try.
After having a try belatedly ruled out by the TMO at the start of the half, the rampaging prop Tuipulotu showed great strength to power over the line in the 46th minute.
Just prior to that score, Ireland had been reduced to 14, replacement Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird sent to the bin for a deliberate knock-on, slapping the ball out of Bevan's hands, as the scrum half looked to spread wide.
Mercifully, that would be it for the Welsh, as Ireland spent most of the remainder of the game on the attack, perhaps aided by the home side running the bench with the result already secure.
After much huffing and puffing, Ireland eventually got over for their only score of the game, captain Nichola Fryday powering over from close range in the 65th minute after Nic a Bhaird's quick tap penalty.
Ireland are finally on the scoreboard as the TMO intervenes to allow Nichola Fryday's try.
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) March 25, 2023
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It was only ever going to be a consolation score, though Ireland pressed hard for a second score for the remainder of the game.
Afterwards, captain Fryday insisted that Ireland had grown into the game after an error-ridden first half, adding that the team "needed more time together" and would improve. On the evidence of today, it could be a long road.
