Ireland 6 Wales 25
In front of around 2,500 people, Welsh kicker Matthew Jarvis scored 20 points for his team as they put in a fine performance in their opening game.
Wales got off to a good start as breaks from centre Ben John and Ieuan Coombes put Ireland under pressure out wide and those early inroads were turned into points when Matthew Jarvis put over a simple early penalty.
It got better for the visitors when scrum half Rhys Downes finished off a fine move of free flowing rugby to touch down minutes later and a touch-line convert from Jarvis put Ireland on the back foot. Noel Reid replied for Ireland with a well struck long range penalty on the 20 minute mark to get his side back in the game.
Jarvis kicked his third and fourth successful shots with two more penalty efforts shortly after to push out his side’s lead. Wales, though failed to deal with a neat kick from Diarmaid McCarthy and they conceded a penalty in front of the posts which Reid easily put over and it left Ireland trailing 16-6 at half time.
Matthew Jarvis continued his perfect kicking game when he knocked over another effort and Wales piled on the pressure with some great angles of running and strong breaks as Jarvis added another to push the lead out to 22-6.
Ireland were forced into making some hard tackles as Wales looked for further scores although Irish fullback Noel Reid was lively in attack and Luke Marshall also kept his side going forward.
Ireland had a last ditch effort to score late try but Reid was pushed into touch just before the line.
Scorers
Wales:
Try: Rhys Downes
Pens: Matthew Jarvis (6)
Con: Matthew Jarvis
Ireland:
Pens: Noel Reid (2)
Wales: James Loxton (Blues); Adam Hughes (Dragons), Ben John (Ospreys), Ashley Beck (Ospreys), Ieuan Coombes (Dragons); Matthew Jarvis (Ospreys), Rhys Downes (Blues); Daniel Watchurst (Dragons), Rhys Williams (Blues) (captain), Stewart Maguire (Dragons), Tom Crandon (Dragons), Joel Galley (Scarlets), Dave Francis (Dragons), Rhys Jenkins (Dragons), James Thomas (Dragons)
Replacements: James King (for Galley 15), Lloyd Peers (for Cradon 45), Morgan Allen (for Francis 68), Liam Powell (for Coombes 68), Chris Lewis Pratt (for Jarvis 68), Gareth Jenkins (for Watchurst 69), Ceri Davies (for Williams 69), James McKinney (for Marshall 70), James Davies (for Hughes 69), Gareth Davies (for John 70)
Ireland: Noel Reid (St. Michael’s College); Craig O’Hanlon (St. Munchin’s College), Michael Allen (Methodist College Belfast), Diarmuid McCarthy (Castletroy Community College), Mark Atkinson (Grosvenor Grammar School); Luke Marshall (Ballymena Academy), David O’Driscoll (Presentation Brothers College Cork); Denis Buckley (Blackrock College), Niall Annett (Methodist College Belfast), Jack O’Connell (Clongowes Wood College), Brian Hayes (Christian Brothers College Cork), Ben Marshall (St. Andrew’s College), Dominic Ryan (Gonzaga College), Brian O’Hara (Presentation Brothers College Cork) Captain, David O’Callaghan (Midleton College)
Replacements: Risteard Byrne (for Annett 40), Martin Moore (for Buckley 40), Jason Bloomfield (for O’Driscoll 58), Brian Cagney (for O’Connell 60), Patrick Butler (for Ben Marshall 60), Michael Kelleher (for O Hanlon 68), Richard Bent (for Ryan 69), J KcKinney (for Marshall 69) Gavin Nugent (for Reid 69),
Referee: Rowan Kitt (England)
