Ireland blew Wales away during a dominant first quarter to get their Six Nations off to winning start in Cardiff.
Tries from Caelan Doris, James Ryan and James Lowe put Ireland 24-3 up inside 22 minutes, and although Wales fought their way back into the contest, Josh van der Flier's bonus-point score late on sealed a first Six Nations win at the Principality Stadium in a decade.
Here is how we rated the players...
Hugo Keenan – 9
Rock-solid under the high ball and dangerous on the counter, Keenan also made a vital intervention to deny Rio Dyer a try on 11 minutes. Broke three tackles and carried for 87 metres in what was yet another impressive showing from the full-back.
Mack Hansen – 6
Saw little ball during the first half but made his presence felt with some big moments in defence. Was exposed out wide as Wales rallied but showed some lovely touches and went close to scoring at the death.
Garry Ringrose – 7
Another strong outing from the centre, who punched holes in the Wales defence early on. Made a vital tackle on Dan Biggar to prevent Wales from scoring out wide on 23 minutes, and melted the out-half with a shuddering hit shortly after the restart. Also worked hard in attack, making 10 carries and breaking three tackles.
Stuart McCloskey – 7
An excellent first half from the Ulsterman, who produced a trademark powerful run and offload on the half-hour. Was strong on both sides of the ball and justified his retention at inside centre.
James Lowe – 7
Picked off Dan Biggar's pass and sprinted clear for a try at the end of a dominant first quarter for Ireland, although he almost gifted Rio Dyer an intercept in the second half. Won two turnovers, used his boot to good effect, and while there were a few missed tackles and handling errors, it was a positive return to action.
Johnny Sexton – 8
Picked up where he left off on his return from injury. Was hugely influential during Ireland’s blistering start, although he needed Keenan to save his bacon after one loose pass. Dictated proceedings, choke tackled well and was five from five off the tee as he finished with 12 points.
Conor Murray – 7
Pre-match concerns over whether Murray starting would slow Ireland down were quickly dispelled as he put Caelan Doris over for an early try. Box-kicked well and made a couple of snipes, but got sucked into rucks as Wales fought their way back into the contest.
Andrew Porter – 6
An ill-disciplined performance from the loosehead, who conceded six penalties. Countered that by making a superb try-saving tackle on Jac Morgan along with some powerful carries through traffic.
Dan Sheehan – 8
Impressed in the set-piece, where his lineout darts were on the money. Sheehan also carried hard, breaking five tackles, and won a defensive turnover.
Finlay Bealham – 8
No Tadhg Furlong? No problem. Bealham stepped up on his first Six Nations start, making 13 tackles – missing none – and was solid at scrum time.
Tadhg Beirne – 7
Shook off an early knock to make his presence felt in defence and at lineout time. Was well-marshalled at rucks but did make 12 tackles before departing early in the second half.
James Ryan – 8
Drove over from close range for his first Ireland try since September 2019 as the visitors flew out of the traps. Unsettled Wales at lineout time and made a brilliant steal on his own five-metre line on 63 minutes to curb the home momentum.
Peter O’Mahony – 7
Claimed five lineouts and helped ensure Murray had quick ruck ball during that dominant first quarter. Nine carries and five tackles from the experienced flanker.
Josh van der Flier – 8
Explosive in contact, Van der Flier went over untouched for the bonus-point try. The openside made 17 tackles and won a big turnover during the second half.
Caelan Doris – 9
Less than two minutes were on the clock when Doris crashed over for Ireland’s first try. The No 8 topped the charts for tackles (19) and carries (15) in another standout performance.
Replacements
Rob Herring – 6 (for Sheehan 74)
Popped up with a couple of late carries as Ireland finished strongly.
Dave Kilcoyne – 6 (for Porter 74)
Made his tackles but would have liked to see more action.
Tom O’Toole – 7 (for Bealham 60)
Impressed in the loose on his first Six Nations appearance.
Iain Henderson – 6 (for Beirne 54)
Was lucky not to be sin-binned within seconds of his introduction when he clattered into Liam Williams.
Jack Conan – 6 (for O’Mahony 60)
Made his presence felt during the final quarter.
Craig Casey – 6 (for Murray 64)
Conceded a penalty after being caught napping at the back of a scrum. Directed traffic well in the lead-up to Van der Flier’s bonus-point try.
Ross Byrne – 6 (for Sexton 69)
A lovely cross-field kick to Hansen almost resulted in a late try.
Bundee Aki – 7 (for McCloskey 60)
Popped up with a big turnover to halt 10 phases of Welsh pressure.
