Sam Prendergast kicked 17 points as Ireland won the Triple Crown in Cardiff on Saturday with a closely-fought 27-18 Six Nations victory over Wales that extended the host nation’s losing streak to 15 matches.
Ireland's interim coach Simon Easterby had gambled with seven personnel changes for the game in the Welsh capital, and it looked as if that tactic might backfire as Wales – without a home victory in the Six Nations since February 2022 – took an unlikely 13-10 halftime lead.
The two sides scored a brace of tries apiece, one in each half through Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne for the Irish and Tommy Reffell and Tom Rogers for Wales.
While Gareth Anscombe kicked two penalties and a conversion, Prendergast made the difference with four second-half penalties as Ireland turned the screw on a Wales team coached temporarily by Matt Sherratt after Warren Gatland left the role.
"That was exactly what we expected, a proper test game in a beautiful stadium in front of some seriously passionate fans," Ireland captain Dan Sheehan told BBC, with his team having previously beaten England (27-22) and Scotland (32-18).
"We just have to stick to what we do all the time, that's our process, it's staying calm, we didn't panic and we had to eke it out one minute at a time."
Wales skipper Jac Morgan told S4C: "We know we put a lot of pressure on Ireland.
"There was so much confidence in our performance, we can be really proud of the way we played."
After a Garry Ringrose grubber into the corner of the Principality Stadium, Ireland put Wales under immediate pressure, fast recycling stretching the defence left and right until Conan drove through Tomos Williams for the opening try after just seven minutes, Prendergast converting.
Elliott Mee, making his debut on the wing after just 10 games for Scarlets, was on hand to scramble back to snuff out a clever Mack Hansen kick through, and then managed to knock the ball out of James Lowe’s hands with the line a’beckoning.
Wales won three early scrum penalties, but all in their own half. Ireland got a push-on next time the scrum set, won the penalty and Prendergast made no mistake with three easy points.
Anscombe, making his first Six Nations start since inspiring Wales to a Grand Slam victory against Ireland in Cardiff six years ago, booted two penalties in reply and Ringrose was yellow carded for a head-on-head tackle on Ben Thomas.
Ireland, playing in white instead of their normal green to prevent a problem for people with colour vision deficiency (CVD) with Wales in their traditional red, managed to deal with the first attack as the Welsh opted to go for the corner.
But an infringement again saw Wales go for the attacking line-out, the ball recycled into midfield with Reffell on hand to burrow over the line. Anscombe converted to make it 13-10 to Wales at halftime after an opening 40 minutes that only but the most optimistic pundits had predicted.
Ringrose’s yellow was upgraded to red, meaning Ireland had to play until the 52nd minute with 14 men before being allowed a replacement – in the shape of Bundee Aki, who had an oustanding cameo role in the final quarter.
DISBELIEF
And Ireland’s woes worsened when Blair Murray found a yard of space to play Rogers in at the corner early in the second period, the winger producing an acrobatic finish past Lowe.
Anscombe missed the conversion, but Prendergast kicked a penalty to bring Ireland back within five points of the hosts.
Jamison Gibson-Park then showed all his nous by producing an inch-perfect cross-kick for Lowe on the touchline. The New Zealand-born winger outjumped Rogers to pad the ball down for Osborne for a simple try.
Prendergast pushed the conversion wide as the two teams went into the last quarter at 18 points apiece.
Murray produced an outstanding tackle to hold up Hansen over the line, but Ireland suddenly had the ascendancy through two Prendergast penalties.
But Wales – now ranked 12th in the world – were not done, Mee denied what wold have been a remarkable second try, leaving the onlooking Louis Rees-Zammit, who left the Wales set-up to try his arm in the NFL, gasping in disbelief.
Prendergast had the last word, however, with his fifth penalty to condemn Wales to a 15th straight defeat, their last win coming in pool play at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.