The match statistics from Ireland’s 29-7 victory over Wales reveal just how dominant the home side were in the Six Nations opener.
It was 4-1 in their favour on the try count and pretty much all the other figures from the Aviva Stadium clash confirm their superiority.
Perhaps the most telling stat of all was the metres made.
It shows the Irish carried for 500 metres compared to just 202 by the visitors, demonstrating how effective the men in green were with ball in hand and the ease with which they made ground.
If you look at the individual numbers, the home side provided seven of the top eight carriers in terms of metres made, with Josh Adams the only Welshman to feature in that group.
The hosts also had the clear edge in terms of possession (60 per cent) and territory (57 per cent), a foothold based on their near rock-solid set-piece.
They didn’t lose a single scrum and went awry just once at the lineout.
In contrast, Wales failed to secure ball on four of their own lineout throws.
Wayne Pivac’s team also had their issues defensively, missing 21 tackles in all, as they came second best in the collisions.
On top of that, discipline was a problem. They conceded 14 penalties and had Josh Adams sin-binned for leading with the shoulder amid a coming together with Johnny Sexton.
That proved crucial, with Ireland scoring two tries during the 10 minutes while the centre was in the sin-bin.
By contrast, the home side didn’t concede a single penalty in the first half, a very rare occurrence, and just six overall.
Looking at the individual stats, it is flanker Taine Basham who comes out with greatest credit in the Welsh ranks.
He put in more tackles (20) than any other player on the pitch and made the most carries (13) for the visitors, while claiming their solitary try to save them from ending up scoreless for the first time in a Six Nations match.
The last time they drew a blank in the Championship was when they were thumped 51-0 by France at Wembley in 1998 during the Five Nations era.
MATCH STATS
Carries: Ireland 134, Wales 89
Metres made: Ireland 500, Wales 202
Kicks from hand: Ireland 23, Wales 14
Passes: Ireland 237, Wales 160
Possession: Ireland 60%, Wales 40%
Territory: Ireland 57%, Wales 43%
Tackles made: Ireland 117, Wales 194
Missed tackles: Ireland 10, Wales 21
Penalties conceded: Ireland 6, Wales 14
Scrums won: Ireland 11/11, Wales 5/6
Lineouts won: Ireland 15/16, Wales 8/12
Clean breaks: Ireland 9, Wales 4
Defenders beaten: Ireland 21, Wales 10
Offloads: Ireland 8, Wales 8
Turnovers conceded: Ireland 18, Wales 16
PLAYER STATS
Carries
16 – Bundee Aki
13 – Tadhg Beirne
13 – Taine Basham
11 – Garry Ringrose
10 – Mack Hansen
10 – Nick Tompkins
9 – Josh van der Flier
9 – Caelan Doris
Metres made
109 – Mack Hansen
65 – Garry Ringrose
48 – Josh Adams
44 – Andrew Conway
35 – Jack Conan
35 – Tadhg Beirne
33 – Josh van der Flier
30 – Bundee Aki
28 – Johnny McNicholl
28 – Taine Basham
Tackles made
20 – Taine Basham
19 – Nick Tompkins
17 – Will Rowlands
16 – Josh van der Flier
14 – Aaron Wainwright
12 – Adam Beard
11 – James Ryan
11 – Caelan Doris
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