Ireland recovered from their final day Six Nations defeat to France with a 32-9 win over Wales at the Aviva Stadium.
Quinn Roux scored Ireland's only try of the game in the first half while Johnny Sexton limped off with a hamstring injury as Ireland started the Autumn Nations Cup with a comfortable win.
Having sacked his defensive coach, Byron Hayward, last week, Wayne Pivac admitted that from the outside his Wales setup could be perceived as "a mess". This performance showed few signs to disprove that view, although Wales did fare better in a scrappier second half.
While Pivac's critics will be undoubtedly amplified, there was also a lot more to talk about during the match.
James Lowe's Irish Debut
New Zealand-born full-back James Lowe made his debut for Ireland tonight, as he impressed from the first whistle. Challenged by the first high ball of the night, Lowe looked comfortable as he charged forward into the Welsh line.
Minutes later, Lowe was beaming as he tussled off the ball with Wales' Liam Williams. While he was at ease throughout, the 28-year-old capped off a dream debut with a try in the final minute.
James Lowe has made Ireland infinitely more enjoyable to watch. Just been wrestling with Justin Tipuric off the ball. Opponents just absolutely hate him
— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) November 13, 2020
.@SanjayWills and @JamesLowe_03 are pleased to see each other. #IREvWAL ⑊ #AutumnNationsCup pic.twitter.com/TRKfK73iFV
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) November 13, 2020
James Lowe looks comfortable at test level.
If you want to me tweet any other really obvious stuff my dms are open.— Paul Williams (@thepaulwilliams) November 13, 2020
James Lowe has now scored a try on his debut for his last four teams:
🇮🇪 Ireland (against Wales tonight)
🔵 Leinster (against Benetton in December 2017)
🇳🇿 Maori All Blacks (against Japan in November 2014)
⬛🟥🟨Chiefs (against Crusaders in February 2014)
Outstanding 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/wb9xIqW3Gc— Cian Tracey (@CianTracey1) November 13, 2020
the ref after 5 minutes of play:#IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/nZ0M7HJHCz
— rachel (@rachelmurray305) November 13, 2020
Ireland's Dominant Scrum
While Wales' Rhys Carre notably struggled before being substituted prior to half-time, the Irish scrum was dominant throughout proceedings.
Andrew Porter is eating Rhys Carre without salt. Incredible to think Tadhg Furlong hasn't played since February, and it hasn't been a MAJOR worry. #IREvWAL
— Neil Treacy (@neil_treacy) November 13, 2020
Can't be a coincidence that the Irish scrum is looking so solid with Quinn Roux supporting Andrew Porter. #IREvWAL
— Neil Treacy (@neil_treacy) November 13, 2020
Despite the dodgy hair, @QuinnRoux adds a massive amount of ballast when he's behind you. Got winded by him once when he was at Leinster because he threw me into the scrum machine so hard#irevwal
— Mike Ross (@MikeRoss03) November 13, 2020
Impressive Irish Performances
Caelan Doris may have taken home the man-of-the-match award, but there were a number of other strong performers in green. Notably, Peter O'Mahony drew the plaudits as Ireland looked for a leader following Sexton's exit through injury.
Chris Farrell makes Ireland five times more exciting to watch and he should start every single game without fail
— Eoin Sheahan (@EoinSheahan) November 13, 2020
This Peter O’Mahony performance should keep the naysayers quiet for another week at least.
Excellent stuff.— Cian Tracey (@CianTracey1) November 13, 2020
The Guinness Player of the Match is confirmed as Caelan Doris. #ShoulderToShoulder #AutumnNationsCup #GuinnessSeries #IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/kOXHSD82R4
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 13, 2020
Peter O'Mahony doing what he does best, being an absolute monster of a man. Deserves captain...
— Dermot Clancy (@_Dermot_Clancy) November 13, 2020
Pivac Under Pressure
Having sacked his defensive coach following a dismal Six Nations campaign, the spotlight was always going to be on how Wayne Pivac's side had changed. Admittedly, they haven't had too much time to fix their shortcomings, but the loss was just the latest in a string of poor performances.
12 months ago we were 4th in the world Cup, losing in last min to eventual winners. Now we e wouldn't finish 4th in the group. So depressing #IREvWAL
— Peter Thomas 🇮🇹 🏴 (@panthomas) November 13, 2020
Ireland's scrum and collisions are causing Wales some issues.
Would be kinda handy to have a defence coach in the changing room...😬 #autumninternationals #IrevWal— Jenny Murphy (@jennymurphy045) November 13, 2020
The decision to start Rhys Carre over Wyn Jones is coming back to haunt Wayne Pivac, as many predicted.
Two scrums, two penalties. Huge concern.— Matthew Southcombe (@MattSouth7) November 13, 2020
The fact that Lloyd Williams has to guard a breakdown inside his own five-metre line tells you all you need to know about the forward play under Wayne Pivac.
This is a very poorly coached team. #IREvWAL— Cardiff Rugby Life (@CardiffRugbyWeb) November 13, 2020
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