IRELAND 36 WALES 12
IAN GOLDEN, Millennium Stadium, Featherstone, Saturday

IRELAND cruised to a win over Wales, with the exact same margin of score to the previous week’s Welsh victory in Neath.

If there was a ‘Celtic Cup’ style trophy for this two-match series, which perhaps there should have been in order to spice things up a bit, the final result would have been 36-36 on aggregate, and we could have had a golden-point finale.

As it was, the spoils were shared, although Ireland did score more tries over the two weeks, missing six kicks in this game, while Wales’ Matty Fozard hit the mark every time.

Wales made very few changes from their win last week, with Sam Bowring promoted to the starting line-up to replace the retired Rhodri Lloyd and George Birch of Newcastle coming off the bench to earn his first senior Wales cap.

Ged Corcoran was desperately unhappy with his Ireland side’s performance last week so he made a number of positional changes, with three players being brought in – Zack McComb, Pat Moran and Joe Philbin, the latter winning his first Ireland cap since the clash with Wales in the 2017 World Cup in Perth, having played once for England in the interim.

And these Irish changes worked, as it was a completely performance to their first. Wales were second best from kick-off, and that didn’t improve throughout the game.

Ireland were brilliant in the first half. Aidan McGowan scored in the corner in the fourth minute to give them an early lead, although he couldn’t convert his own try.

Connor Carr got the second on 13 minutes, on exactly the same position on the left flank. Again, McGowan was off target with his kick.

Brendan O’Hagan broke through the Welsh defensive line, after good work from Ronan Michael, for the third try on 19 minutes. This time McGowan had an easy kick to put the score onto 14-0.

And it continued to go badly for Wales, as Ireland made it back-to-back tries as Carr went over for his second try of the game from the set after kick-off, again on that left-hand side that Ireland were exploiting to the hilt. Once again McGowan couldn’t convert from touch but Ireland were 18-0 up.

Oliver Whitford scored their fifth on 27 minutes, diving over from dummy-half before missing the conversion.

Aaron Lynch dived over for a sixth just half a dozen minutes later, after good work from McGowan. Whitford had another go at goal but again couldn’t convert.

Finally, Wales got on to the scoreboard just before half-time. Owen Restall intercepted a pass and ran 60 metres to score, with Fozard converting to bring the score back to 26-6 at the break.

Ireland started well in the second half, scoring after winning a penalty when Wales were offside from a kick. From the resulting set, O’Hagan twisted his way over to score under the posts and McGowan converted.

Wales, who were playing a little better now, got some good field position midway through the second half as they looked to get something out of the game. Connor Davies set up Denive Balmforth for him to go over for his first international try, which Fozard converted.

But Ireland ended on a high when Lewis Wing went over in the corner. Harry Rushton couldn’t convert to end a bad day for the Irish with their kicking, but an outstanding one with their try scoring.

GAMESTAR: Brendan O’Hagan kicked well and scored two good tries.

GAMEBREAKER: The game wasn’t won by half-time, but when O’Hagan got his second try on 47 minutes, that was it.

MATCHFACTS
IRELAND
6 Aidan McGowan (Huddersfield Giants)
5 Lewis Wing (Hull KR)
14 Daniel Corcoran (Canterbury Bulldogs)
19 Aaron Lynch (Swinton Lions)
3 Connor Carr (Huddersfield Giants)
11 Harry Rushton (Huddersfield Giants)
18 Brendan O’Hagan (The Entrance Tigers)
8 George King (Huddersfield Giants)
17 Dec O’Donnell (Rochdale Hornets)
10 Ronan Michael (Bradford Bulls)
4 Zack McComb (Halifax Panthers)
12 Lachlan Lanksey (Keighley Cougars)
13 Pat Moran (Oldham)
Subs (all used)
1 Oliver Whitford (Keighley Cougars)
20 Ryan Hogg (Dublin City Exiles)
22 Joe Philbin (Warrington Wolves)
23 Lucas Castle (Workington Town)

Tries: McGowan (4), Carr (14, 22), O’Hagan (19, 47), Whitford (27), Lynch (33), Wing (69)
Goals: McGowan 2/5, Whitford 0/2, Rushton 0/1

WALES
1 Sam Dickenson (Wigan Warriors)
2 Owen Restall (Halifax Panthers)
3 Max Clarke (Workington Town)
4 Lloyd McEwan-Peters (Hunslet)
5 Billy Walkley (Sheffield Eagles)
6 Denive Balmforth (Hull FC)
7 Matty Fozard (Widnes Vikings)
8 Sam Bowring (Midlands Hurricanes)
9 Finlay Yates (Salford Red Devils)
10 Huw Worthington (London Broncos)
11 Matt Ross (London Broncos)
12 Sam Grice (Castleford Tigers)
13 Connor Davies (Halifax Panthers)
Subs (all used)
14 Charlie Newton (Huddersfield Giants)
15 Charlie Glover (Salford Red Devils)
16 Ashton Robinson (Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs)
18 George Birch (Newcastle Thunder)

Tries: Restall (37), Balmforth (63)
Goals: Fozard 2/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 14-0, 18-0, 22-0, 26-0, 26-6; 32-6, 32-12, 36-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Ireland: Brendan O’Hagan; Wales: Matty Fozard

Penalty count: 4-5
Half-time: 26-6
Referee: James Vella