Andy Farrell heaped praise on “tremendous” Wales after Ireland kept alive their slim hopes of reclaiming the Guinness Six Nations title by battling to a 27-17 bonus-point win in Dublin.
Following a ruthless demolition of England in round three, Farrell’s side were prevented from producing another statement display by dogged opposition chasing a first championship success since 2023.
Ireland led just 12-10 at half-time after Wales prop Rhys Carre claimed a fine solo score in response to tries from Jacob Stockdale and Jack Crowley.
Jack Conan and Jamie Osborne crossed in the second period, either side of a finish from Welsh flanker James Botham, as the hosts scraped home to set up a Triple Crown showdown with Scotland next weekend.
Ireland head coach Farrell said: “I actually thought Wales did fantastically well to stay in the game.
“They played tough, they hung on in there and kept it close on the scoreboard. I thought they were tremendous tonight.
“It was a proper Test match and for us to come away with a bonus-point win, we’d certainly take that with how the game unfolded because it was a different game to the game we played last time around.
“We weren’t playing rugby on the front foot because of how well they defended. I thought they were excellent in contact and at set-piece and they can be really proud of their performance.”
Although Ireland remain in contention for championship glory, table-topping France will retain the title with a round to spare by beating Scotland with a bonus point at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Wales, meanwhile, will bid to avoid the wooden spoon for the third successive Six Nations when they host Italy on the final weekend after they slipped to a 15th consecutive championship defeat, despite a creditable display at the Aviva Stadium.
“I thought we came up against a rock-solid defence who kept knocking us back and we should have been just a little bit more patient at times and I thought we’d get our reward from that,” said Farrell.
“But most of the credit of how that Test match unfolded has to go to Wales because I thought they were outstanding in the way they went about the fight.
“It was a dogged Test match and that’s how these type of Test matches should be.”
Wales head coach Steve Tandy felt his team deserved to end their lengthy Six Nations losing streak following arguably the best performance of his tenure.
The visitors began the tournament with heavy defeats to England and France before suffering an agonising 26-23 loss to Scotland last time out.
“(I’ve) massive pride in the boys and the shift they put in,” said Tandy. “The physicality they left out on the field was outstanding.
“Disappointed we didn’t get something from the game for the group because I felt we deserved something by the fight they showed, a lot of great skill out there as well.
“This group, they’re unbelievable to work with, they’re always learning, they’re growing.
“I know it’s tough for people, everyone want us to win, but I think the way the group are developing and then when you think about the start we had in England and where we’ve come to, this performance tells you so much about the group.”
