It was another sobering afternoon for Wales at the Aviva Stadium, a venue they have not won at for 12 years.
Wales threw everything they had at Ireland but ultimately they had no answer to the power and the cutting edge of their Celtic cousins. International rugby is all about winning, which is something Wales have failed to do so far in the Championship, but there are some green shoots of recovery from a Welsh perspective.
A handful of players stood up to be counted for Wales but it is Ireland who are on the verge of winning back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams. Rugby correspondent Steffan Thomas picks his winners and losers.
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Winners
Cameron Winnett
The 21-year-old has been the real success story of Wales’ Six Nations campaign so far. Given Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams have dominated the number 15 jersey for the past decade to lose both in one fell swoop would have got most Wales fans worried but Winnett has stepped up to the plate.
The Cardiff full-back was outstanding in Dublin with his top class positional play, and solidity under the high ball reminiscent of a young Halfpenny. Winnett also offers a cutting edge in attack while he makes little to no mistakes, and is calm under pressure.
He has so much time on the ball, and looks like someone who has been playing international rugby for a long time. Winnett is likely to get even better over the coming years, and is someone who could really hit the heights as an international.
Aaron Wainwright
The Dragons No 8 has really come to the fore for Wales during the Six Nations, and is now clearly the long-term successor to Taulupe Faletau. Yes, the Wales pack came off second best at the Aviva Stadium but Wainwright was as good as any player on the field with his carrying, lineout ability, and all-round skillset.
Wainwright is one of those players who has the perfect blend of athleticism, and physicality. A lot can change in the space of a year or so but Wainwright is one of the few Wales players who has a real shot at making the next British & Irish Lions tour.
Ireland’s Caelan Doris is the clear front runner to wear the No 8 shirt but Wainwright is right in the mix when it comes to making the touring squad.
Dillon Lewis
Wales’ scrum creaked quite badly during the first-half with Keiron Assiratti taken to the cleaners, sometimes illegally, by Andrew Porter. Lewis himself has had his problems at scrum time in the past but he solidified the set-piece after taking the field in the second-half while he added more in the loose.
If Wales are to stand any chance of beating France in a fortnight’s time a solid set-piece is non-negotiable. France are a tougher proposition than Ireland in the scrum making the front-row selections vitally important.
Lewis has clearly improved as a scrummager since joining Harlequins, and his experience along with his second-half performance may catapult the 28-year-old into the starting XV to face France.
Mike Forshaw
It may seem strange to give credit to Wales’ defence after shipping 31 points but the visitors tackled themselves to a standstill, and contained Ireland’s attack for large periods of the game. Wales made 192 tackles, only missing 33 in what was a defensive performance full of guts and determination.
Forshaw had a tough act to follow in Shaun Edwards but he is beginning to stamp his mark on this Wales side. Of course, the problem for Wales is they spend too much time without the ball while they lack carriers up-front which is something they will have to fix moving forward.
Ireland, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne
It’s going to take some team to stop Ireland winning back-to-back Grand Slams. Andy Farrell’s side weren’t at their best against Wales but they still won with something to spare.
It is hard to think of a better centre in world rugby at the moment than Saturday’s player of the match Bundee Aki. The 33-year-old caused havoc with his explosive ball carrying, his offloading, and prowess both in defence and at the breakdown.
As for former Scarlets star Beirne he is also among the very best players in world rugby. Beirne was responsible for giving away a penalty try but also prevented Wales from crossing for a cast iron score with his first act after returning to the field.
Finished the game with a try of his own.
Losers
Wales’ scrum
This was an extremely tough afternoon for Wales tighthead Keiran Assiratti who came under huge pressure in the scrums. Yes, Andrew Porter should have been penalised for not driving straight but perhaps the Wales pack should have dealt with it better.
Assiratti had a fine game against England at Twickenham and there were always going to be bumps along the road, but the scrum did improve significantly once Dillon Lewis took the field. The Cardiff prop is likely to be a key player for Wales heading towards the next Rugby World Cup but his starting position to face France is under threat from Lewis.
Wales’ lack of cutting edge
In the first three rounds Wales have created opportunities and put sides under pressure but they have been unable to get enough points on the board. There is plenty of effort and determination in this Wales side but they can’t quite nail the key moments.
When Beirne got sent to the sin bin Wales lay siege to the Ireland line and if they had scored during that 10-minute period they’d have been only three points behind with momentum on their side. The best sides in the world would have made the most of their man advantage and made Ireland pay, but Wales failed to do so.
In part this could be down to a lack of experience but international rugby is about winning and you aren’t going to come out on the right side of the scoreboard if you don’t take your chances. Wales have only scored 37 points in three Test matches, which is nowhere near good enough.
Dearth of ball carriers
Wales have a handful of promising players in their ranks who will only get better but they have a real lack of carriers throughout their side. When you look at the Ireland side, they have a number of dynamic and explosive carriers who can make serious metres post-contact but Wales lack this type of player.
Wales’ pack battled hard and they do have some very decent players, but for all of their huffing and puffing they struggled to get over the gain-line. This is a large part of the reason they scored only seven points.
It’s very difficult to see how Gatland can fix this given there is a lack of carriers across the board in Welsh rugby.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
