Ireland vs Wales LIVE: Six Nations rugby final score and result as Andrew Conway strikes twice
Follow all the reaction live from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Ireland eased past reigning champions Wales 29-7 in the opening game of the Six Nations championship in Dublin on Saturday, picking up where they left off in November with a comfortable victory.
Ireland looked every inch one of the tournament favourites when they roared out of the blocks in the same manner that toppled New Zealand three months ago but still needed a second half burst to put the injury-hit visitors out of sight.
“It’s never going to be perfect in your first game but we’ve got everything to play for and we know there’s a massive test ahead next week,” captain Johnny Sexton said in a pitchside interview, referring to next week’s trip to France.
It took Sexton’s men just two minutes to take control. An attacking lineout that has proved so lethal of late was the starting point again with Bundee Aki crossing in the corner, aided by a nice looped pass from debutant winger Mack Hansen.
It felt like only a matter of time before the hosts would score again from hand but a couple of sloppy errors - including Sexton uncharacteristically missing two out of three shots at goal - invited Wayne Pivac’s side back into the game
A predictable attack from a side shorn of 680 caps through injuries to the likes of Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, George North and Taulupe Faletau was comfortably contained by Ireland’s choke tackle defence.
While a better side could punish Ireland later in the tournament for not being clinical enough to extend their lead beyond 10-0 at halftime, Andy Farrell’s side returned in a much more ruthless mood after the interval.
Andrew Conway put Ireland out of sight with two tries either side of a yellow card for makeshift Wales centre Josh Adams, first using every millimetre of his 1.8 metre frame to reach for the corner and simply collecting a pass to add another.
Centre Garry Ringrose snaked through the porous Welsh defence on the hour to make sure of the winning bonus point.
Ireland emptied their bench and with that lost a little bit of concentration, allowing Wales flanker Taine Basham in for a late try that ensured the visitors did not add a scoreless outing to an otherwise miserable afternoon.
The win extended Ireland’s winning run to nine games but they will face an altogether more difficult test in Paris if they are to make it 10 in a row.
Scotland cling on to beat England and retain Calcutta Cup
That just about does us for our coverage this evening. A remarkable win for Scotland, who retain the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 1984 after another performance of immense resilience and resolve. They are in Cardiff next week for an encounter with a Welsh side licking their wounds after a chastening afternoon at the Aviva Stadium.
The opening weekend of the Six Nations concludes tomorrow, with Italy in Paris for a meeting with France, who wil be without head coach Fabien Galthie after a positive Covid test. Do join us for that, but for now I leave with you with Jamie Braidwood’s report from Murrayfield:
Scotland cling on to beat England and retain Calcutta Cup in tense Six Nations battle
Scotland 20-17 England: The visitors had victory in their grasp thanks to Marcus Smith’s second-half try but late mistakes opened the door for Gregor Townsend’s side to earn a memorable win
England head coach Eddie Jones
“It was a good effort by our team, Scotland were a bit better than us and took their chances. Congratulations to Scotland - they deserve their victory.
“The referee is in charge - we accept his decisions. We don’t apportion any blame to Luke Cowan-Dickie, he was contesting the ball in a different area.
“We had opportunities in that second half to kick on a little bit and we weren’t clinical enough. We’ve only got ourselves to blame. We weren’t clinical enough today but we will be next week.
“Marcus Smith played really well and we were really happy with his performances but we thought George Ford could lift it for us. Given the quality of the competition, all we will worry about is the next game.”
A beaming Gregor Townsend has a chat with the BBC
“I don’t think any Scottish supporter has ever been as excited or nervous about a set of scrums as at the end there!
“It wasn’t decided on a penalty, it was decided on an error. There were tough conditions in the second half for both teams.
“Character, fitness, self-belief are all there. We were behind on the scoreboard and came back and the confidence came through us.
“Finn Russell was outstanding throughout the whole game. He nailed his kicks and was still able to find spaces in our shape.
“It means a lot for us but it means more for our country, our people here. We know how important this game is for our nation but we want to improve.”
Tom Curry reflects on defeat for England
“It was up and down, up and down. First half we put ourselves in some good positions; second half, discipline cost us.”
On Luke Cowan-Dickie’s yellow card and the penalty try: “If we are going to win big games, we can’t rely on just one moment in a game. It is a game of 80 minutes, not just one moment, we need to reflect and be better.
“Credit to them - they put a lot of pressure on at the tackle area and the breakdown. We probably weren’t accurate enough.
“It is an emotional day. We play rugby to win, so it is bittersweet.”
Stuart Hogg on Scotland’s win
“I’m absolutely chuffed to bits,” the Scotland captain tells the BBC. “For Darcy Graham to get that turnover at the end, the little pocket rocket. It was a full squad effort.
“We believe in ourselves as individuals and we believe in ourselves as a collective. I said last year that it was the start of something special. We will get back to the drawing board on Monday and next week is a challenge to back it up. We are not going to get carried away.”
Scotland win the Calcutta Cup
In a nice touch, Stuart Hogg allows Ben White the chance to lift the Calcutta Cup after a crucial role on Scotland debut. Princess Anne, clad in traditional tartan mask and scarf, has made her way down from the Royal Box to present the trophy properly to the Scotland captain, who salutes the crowd. A performance of immense guts and grit, with a couple of key moments of attacking invention.
Player of the Match Matt Fagerson speaks to the BBC
“We’ve been building the squad for two years and this is probably the culmination of it. It shows the heart of the boys to bring it home at the end and the crowd were a huge part of that.
“In the anthems, when the music went off, it was hard to hold back the tears. The crowd were massive. Awesome!”
F/T: Scotland 20-17 England
After that interminable scrum sequence, England didn’t quite seem to have an idea of how to manufacture a scoring situation after being asked to play away from the set-piece, and Scotland have clung on. They retain the Calcutta Cup for the first time since 1984!
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