- Ireland 32-9 Wales
- Wales slump to sixth successive defeat in game of 31 penalties
A contest pockmarked by penalties and a lack of composure will have caused group rivals England few concerns. Ireland again showed an inability to react to the unexpected and were wasteful in possession in the Autumn Nations Cup opener while Wales, who slumped to a sixth successive defeat, showed spirit but still lacked an identity.
It was a mess of a game, blighted by 31 penalties. Wales at least recovered from an anonymous opening 40 minutes when they did little other than tackle, but the problems mount for their head coach, Wayne Pivac, for whom the old is dying but the new is still to be born. They showed a response after their passive display against Scotland at the end of the Six Nations, but a year after winning the grand slam and reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup they are reacting rather than setting the agenda.
