Wales v Ireland player ratings as key men struggle on…

Wales v Ireland player ratings as key men struggle on Gatland's return

Wales began Warren Gatland’s second stint in charge on a low note as they were emphatically beaten by Ireland at the Principality Stadium.

The visitors scored four tries en route to a 34-10 victory in the opening round of the Six Nations.

It was a poor effort from the hosts and you can read full analysis of the defeat here.

They began badly and went downhill from there, with Ireland dominating the collisions in the opening half and comprehensively winning the physical battle.

Ken Owens’ team did improve after the break, but their execution remained poor at key moments.

Here are the player ratings.

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Liam Williams 7

Look elsewhere for reasons as to why Wales lost. Defused several bombs, turned opposition ball over and tried to run, also scored a try. Harshly yellow carded.

Josh Adams 6

Nice footwork and some progress with ball in hand. One ball spillage, but clean in defence. A steady effort, then.

George North 5

On the scene for one Welsh turnover and a charge took him close to Ireland’s line — but not close enough. Worked hard but saw too many Irish ball-carriers pass him; held up by Sexton and van der Flier.

Joe Hawkins 6

One carry highlighted that the youngster has power to go with his footballing skills. There were missed tackles as well, but also a lovely pass in build-up to Liam Williams’ try. Pace of game did seem to catch up with him towards end.

Rio Dyer 5

Bounce of the ball didn’t help when hacking on towards Ireland’s line - but Hugo Keenan’s pace settled the argument, anyway. Ran up a blind alley later on. Did get involved and made metres, but failed to take a potential intercept.

Dan Biggar 5

Pushed the pass that was picked off by James Lowe for Ireland’s third try, then nailed deep in Ireland’s 22. Some good work with kicks over the top, but hit into next week by Ringrose.

Tomos Williams 5

Tried to pick up tempo but couldn’t come up with a decisive card. In fairness, he had a poor platform to work off.

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Gareth Thomas 5

Shut up shop impressively in defence and did try to carry, albeit he found it hard to make ground.

Ken Owens 6

The skipper tried to lead by example, putting in a monstrous 19 tackles, but one dart flew high over the Welsh lineout, another wasn’t straight five metres from Irish line. Big moments have to be converted.

Tomas Francis 5

One hit on Sexton shook the fly-half from head to toe, while Francis also won a penalty. On the debit side, he struggled to get his hands on the ball. Picked up a bump, replaced at half-time

Adam Beard 5

Gave away a silly penalty, couldn’t turn the tide in the physical battle, with Ireland utterly dominant.

Alun Wyn Jones 5

One lovely offload, many decent tackles, was in double figures for carries. But Ireland were dynamic when the game was won and lost in the opening half.

Jac Morgan 6

Held up by Porter on Ireland’s line, kept grafting in defence, one surge down the line. Finished with 20 tackles and made more metres than any Welsh forward.

Justin Tipuric 5

Lots of tackles but untypical creases in his game, including the concession of a turnover near Ireland's line and a pass that didn’t go to hand. Replaced on 54 minutes.

Taulupe Faletau 6

Indisciplined early on, with three penalties coughed up in opening 30 minutes. Tackled himself to a standstill but couldn’t make an impact going forward.