Wales vs Ireland - Six Nations

First topic message reminder :

Date - Saturday 2nd February 2013, KO 13:30
Venue - Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Wales

Coverage - Watch live on BBC One NI, BBC One HD
Internet - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/
Radio - BBC Radio Ulster
Replay the Game - BBC iPlayer

Wales Team

15 L Halfpenny
14 A Cuthbert
13 J Davies
12 J Roberts
11 G North
10 D Biggar
09 M Phillips
01 G Jenkins
02 M Rees
03 A Jones
04 A Coombs
05 I Evans
06 A Shingler
08 T Faletau
07 S Warburton (capt)

Replacements

16 K Owens
17 C Mitchell
18 P James
19 O Kohn
20 J Tipuric
21 L Williams
22 S Williams
23 J Hook


Ireland Team

01 Cian Healy
02 Rory Best
03 Mike Ross
03 Donnacha Ryan
05 Mike McCarthy
06 Peter O'Mahony
07 Sean O'Brien
08 Jamie Heaslip (c)
09 Conor Murray
10 Jonathan Sexton
11 Simon Zebo
12 Gordon Darcy
13 Brian O'Driscoll
14 Craig Gilroy
15 Rob Kearney

Replacements

16 Sean Cronin
17 Dave Kilcoyne
18 Declan Fitzpatrick
19 Donnacha O'Callaghan
20 Chris Henry
21 Eoin Reddan
22 Ronan O'Gara
23 Keith Earls



TOURNAMENT RECORD

MATCH FACTS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
These two nations have clashed on 118 occasions since 1882. Wales have 65 wins; Ireland 47.

Wales have won their last three Tests against Ireland; two in the Six Nations, one at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Since 1985 Ireland have won 10 and drawn one in Cardiff, with Wales picking up just two wins.

Legendary Irish fly-half Ronan O'Gara has scored 100 points in 14 appearances against Wales. O'Gara and centre Brian
O'Driscoll are the record caps holders for Ireland against Wales.

WALES

Have lost their last seven games, their worst run since 2003 (when they lost 10 on the spin).
Should Ireland win this fixture, Wales would have lost five consecutive home games for the first time in their history (they lost four at home during that 10-defeat run back in 2003).
Have scored just seven tries in their last seven matches.
The Wales pack retained possession at 96% of their own put-ins during last season's Six Nations. However, they did win just 22 scrums across the whole tournament - fewer than any other side.
Alex Cuthbert made seven clean breaks in last season's Six Nations, more than any other player.

IRELAND

Prior to the win over Argentina in their final match of 2012 Ireland had lost five straight Tests, scoring just two tries in the process (this excludes XV versus Fiji). It was their worst run since 1998.
Ireland were top points scorers in last year's Six Nations, racking up 121 in total (an average of over 24 per match). This included 13 tries, the most they had scored in the competition since 2007.


Games played between Ireland and Wales: 118 18.13%
Games won by Wales: 65 55.08%
Games lost by Wales: 47 39.83%
Games drawn: 6 5.08%

Most wins in a row for Wales over Ireland: 5

Most wins in a row for Ireland over Wales: 5

Average Pts Per Game 13

Heaviest Defeat 3rd of Feb 2002 Ireland 54 - 10 Wales

Recent Record between Ireland and Wales

2012 - Ireland 21-23 Wales
2011 - Ireland 10-22 Wales (RWC)
2011 - Wales 19-13 Ireland
2010 - Ireland 27-12 Wales
2009 - Wales 15-17 Ireland
2008 - Ireland 12-16 Wales

Christ, is Howler really that bad a coach!?

Did he just say Rory breast? LOL

Best is phenomenal

Oh god. Wales couldn't catch a dose of the clap at moment.

Healy is immense. Amongst the best LHs in the World. Him & Best are Lions certainties.

JD2 is having a mare.

Whats the score?

Second awful pass from Davies

20-0

Cari wrote:Christ, is Howler really that bad a coach!?

Players have to take some of the flack. Stupid amount of error's

eirebilly wrote:Whats the score?

20-zip

Wales must score before 1/2 time to have a remote chance. Coombs having a good game.

Phillips is just a terrible 9. No energy about him and his passing skills are pathetic, may as well get Adam Jones in there i've seen him throw better passes!

Thanks lads

nathan wrote:I can't work out if Ireland are playing well or Wales making them look good.

Right now it's both! This should be a chance for them to get on the scoreboard. They desperately need it.

Jonathan Davies having worst game of his career.

nathan wrote:

Cari wrote:Christ, is Howler really that bad a coach!?

Players have to take some of the flack. Stupid amount of error's

Yeah, but it's so odd...most of these lads were in the Grand Slam squad.

Halfpenny having a go at goal for the penalty, just to get some points on the board. Well that's if Nugget hasn't given it the commentator's curse.

Why not give the kick to Biggar.

Going for goal?

Is this real?

glamorganalun wrote:Wales must score before 1/2 time to have a remote chance. Coombs having a good game.

He needs to watch his pen count though.

3-20 at 33 minutes.

3 points wales

You pick favourites and your team is doomed.

Warburton cost first lineout loss which lead to irish try.

Fine kick from Halfpenny, they really needed that.

Gibson wrote:Healy is immense. Amongst the best LHs in the World. Him & Best are Lions certainties.

Definitely. They're probably the only two players that are guaranteed to make the plane and starting team at the moment, head and shoulders above every other player in their positions.

Darcy injured? Earls on for the second half?

glamorganalun wrote:Why not give the kick to Biggar.

Halfpenny more reliable I'd say. Especially when all points are desperately needed.

quangut wrote:Going for goal?

Is this real?

Better than coming away with nothing. They need to build the score and there confidence.

quangut wrote:Going for goal?

Is this real?

Points are important for confindence. Well done halfpenny

Gotta say that the Irish are getting away with murder on the deck so far, Wales need to be more aggressive at ruck time as the ref isn't going to help.

Billy you git! Your prediction of Ireland by ten wasn't a joke!

Come on Wales FFS!!!!!!

Lol, Phillips just moans instead of trying to win the ball back.

How were Ireland not pinged after Warburtons carry there?! Two or three players playing the ball off their feet!

good spell for Wales this.

All Wales now. Thats more like em. Game on!

Quick ball Wales!!! Please get a fecking score here!

Bizarre call, Ireland have been off their feet at EVERY ruck there.

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not releasing you plebs!

Best looking like the top candidate for MOTM.

What a defensive effort that has to hurt the welsh

In the side by Best Irish penalty

Please get the commentator off, he's sooooo annoying!

PATHETIC PATHETIC PATHETIC

C R A P

Melon's weeing blood from his head now. There's some injuries here...blood sub. PJ on!

nathan wrote:Please get the commentator off, he's sooooo annoying!

Which one?

Best passage of play from Wales and will hopefully give them confidence. But points went begging there and they had to make that good period count. Great breakdown work from the likes of Best and Healy as well as the backrow.

I love how this French ref says Use it! I swear he said one time You're s**t and I think that sparked Wales' best passage of play out of spite.

Skill level is abysmal as is intelligence in attack.

So many errors

Ireland looking for points here

Poite could have been penalising some the irish tacklers that were slightly slow in getting out of the rucks... Details I guess

Bread of Seven gives away a penalty...

Best having a stormer...Wales schitting themselves I think.

Cari wrote:

nathan wrote:Please get the commentator off, he's sooooo annoying!

Which one?

Not the main one, the other one. Lol I don't know his name.