A THIRD DEFEAT... BUT WALES SHOW TRUE GRIT
Gatland backs unstoppable Irish to clinch another Grand Slam
WARREN Gatland was full of praise for the character shown by his Wales side despite a third successive Six Nations Championship defeat of the campaign in Dublin yesterday.
Following losses against Scotland and England, Wales went down 31-7 at the Aviva Stadium as Ireland marched on relentlessly towards back to back Grand Slams.
Wales have now lost 10 out of the last 11 Six Nations games and have home games against France and Italy to try to avoid finishing bottom.
“We showed some great heart and character today,” said Gatland.
“I thought the scoreline probably isn’t right, but it probably reflects where the two sides are in terms of that experience.
“We’ve played against one of the best teams in the world. Eight or nine of their team are over 30 and have been around for a while.
“I think we take a huge amount from this. It’s the players that will have got the most out of today.
“I have no doubt where we’re going, this team is going to be an excellent team going forward when we get some more experience.”
First-half tries from Dan Sheehan and James Lowe paved the way for the reigning champions to equal England’s tournament record of 11 wins in a row as Wales conceded nine first-half penalties.
Wales avoided embarrassment at
Aviva Stadium and briefly threatened an improbable fightback thanks to a second-half spell which brought a penalty try and a yellow card for Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne.
But full-back Ciaran Frawley crossed on his first Test start, while Beirne secured the bonus-point try at the end.
“I was disappointed with that firsthalf, it was difficult to get momentum,” said Gatland.
“If you go through the penalties, we questioned whether some of them were some pretty tough calls.
“We’ve worked hard in terms of trying to be accurate and not be illdisciplined, giving away easy ins or outs for the opposition.
“We’ve got to take it on the chin.
Even for that first-half, we came out and stayed in the game. I thought we showed some real character and fight, probably up to that 70-minute point.”
Wales trailed 17-7 when they were attacking in the second half, but failed to gain that elusive score.
“We probably weren’t as clinical as we wanted to be and didn’t impose our attacking game as much as we would have liked,” said Gatland.
“There were a few turnovers in a few areas. It didn’t give us that opportunity to shift the ball and play, but they’re a good side both on defence and attack.
“We didn’t create a huge amount of space.”
Cardiff full-back Cameron Winnett again impressed in his third international start.
“He’s going to be good,” said Gatland. “He’s calm, we’re pleased with him and he’s only going to get better.”
Gatland believes Ireland will go on to win a second successive Grand Slam as they face England and Scotland in their final two games.
“I think they’re definitely capable of doing it,” said Gatland.
“They’ve got the experience and the composure. Players who can carry and get them on the front foot.
“I think they’ll be a hard team to knock over.”
Match analysis and ratings: Pages 46&47
Scotland defeat England to win Calcutta Cup: Page 45