Team Wales PRE-MATCH REPORT WALES vs IRELAND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2021 ROUND 1 Team PRE-MATCH REPORT Wales WALES vs IRELAND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2020 RESULTS WALES IRELAND Round Opponent Score Round Opponent Score 1 Italy 42-0 W 1 Scotland 19-12 W 2 Ireland 14-24 L 2 Wales 24-14 W 3 France 23-27 L 3 England 12-24 L 4 England 30-33 L 4 Italy 50-17 W 5 Scotland 10-14 L 5 France 27-35 L HOME TEAM HOME RANK FOR AWAY TEAM AWAY RANK 119 4 POINTS 132 2 23.8 4 POINTS / MATCH 26.4 2 13 4 TRIES SCORED 17 1 2.6 4 TRIES SCORED / MATCH 3.4 1 54.6% 5 % POINTS SCORED FROM TRIES 64.4% 2 AGAINST 98 4 POINTS CONCEDED 102 3 19.6 4 POINTS CONCEDED / MATCH 20.4 3 11 3 TRIES CONCEDED 11 3 2.20 3 TRIES CONCEDED / MATCH 2.2 3 56.1% 3 % POINTS CONCEDED FROM TRIES 55.9% 4 TYPES OF PLAY Wales Ireland 51.1% 50.8% 40.0% 41.9% 9.0% 7.3% Kick Ball Carry Passes Kick Ball Carry Passes HOME TEAM PLAYER LEADERS AWAY TEAM Dan Biggar 49 POINTS Johnny Sexton 51 Josh Adams 3 TRIES SCORED Hugo Keenan 2 Dan Biggar 4 TRY ASSISTS Conor Murray 3 Hadleigh Parkes 52 CARRIES CJ Stander 77 Nick Tompkins 333.6 METRES CARRIED Jacob Stockdale 541.0 Johnny McNicholl 7 OFFLOADS Hugo Keenan 5 Alun Wyn Jones 73 SUCCESSFUL TACKLES James Ryan 64 Alun Wyn Jones 9 DOMINANT TACKLES James Ryan 14 ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. All rights reserved. PRE-MATCH REPORT WALES vs IRELAND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2020 OPPONENT 22 ENTRIES Wales Ireland Try & Conversion Scored Try & Missed Conversion Penalty Try Scored 30.0% 27.3% Penalty Shot Scored Drop Goal Scored Points / Points / Opp 22 Entry: Opp 22 Entry: Other Opp 22 Entries 55.0% 2.60 2.27 0.0% 63.6% 0.0% 0.0% 12.5% 0.0% Opponent 22 entries / match 8.0 Opponent 22 entries / match 8.8 Rank 3 Rank 1 The number of occasions a team has entered the opposition 22 and how many points they have scored with the entries. The 22 entry will also be calculated per ‘play’ and not simply crossing the 22m line on multiple occasions in a play. POWER GAME Wales Ireland 48.7% 47.8% 31.1% 24.7% 27.4% 20.2% Gainline Forwards Gainline Static Gainline Backward Gainline Forwards Gainline Static Gainline Backward Metres carried / match 690 Metres carried / match 738 Line breaks / match 4.6 Line breaks / match 5.8 The Power Game determines the direct impact of a team that dominates action areas including effectiveness of reaching the gainline, metres carried, and line breaks. DOMINANT TACKLES / TACKLE COUNT Wales Ireland % Tackles dominant % Turnover Tackles 9.1% 10.1% 1.8% 0.9% % Other Made Tackles % Missed Tackles 81.9% 80.9% This stat shows the defensive strength and structure of the team through Dominant Tackles which put pressure on the attacking team ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. All rights reserved. PRE-MATCH REPORT WALES vs IRELAND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2021 HEAD TO HEAD - None of the last seven Six Nations clashes between Wales and Ireland have seen the away side pick up a win (D1, L6), Ireland’s win in Cardiff in 2013 the last time the visitors picked up a win in this fixture. - Wales have won their last three Six Nations games at home against Ireland, this after winning just two of their initial seven Six Nations meetings in Cardiff (L5); it is Wales’ best run at home against Ireland in the Five or Six Nations since winning eight in a row from 1969 to 1983. - Ireland have won each of their last four Test meetings with Wales overall – as many as they’d won in their previous 12 clashes (D1, L7) – their best run since 2001-2004 (W5). - Neither side has come from behind at halftime to win in this fixture in the Six Nations since 2012 when Wales defeated Ireland despite trailing by five points at the break; Wales did pick up a draw against Ireland in 2016 after trailing at halftime though. - Wales raced into a 16-0 first-half lead the last time they faced Ireland in Cardiff in the Six Nations – it was their biggest halftime lead against Ireland in any Test match since 1920 (17-0). COMMON STATISTICS - No one scored more tries than Ireland in the 2020 edition of the Six Nations (17, same as France), four of those were launched from the back of a scrum, Wales (2) were the only other side to score multiple tries following a scrum. - Ireland averaged 8.8 entries into the opposition 22 in the Six Nations last year, more than any other side, while only France (3.2) scored more points per 22 entry than Wales (2.6) during last year’s tournament. - Ireland scored seven tries in the final quarter of their matches in the 2020 Six Nations, more than any other side, while Wales scored the joint second most in that period (6, level with England). - Ireland scored four tries originating from the scrum in the Six Nations last year, more than any other nation; in fact, Wales were the only other side to score multiple tries when beginning a sequence of possession from a scrum (2). - Wales averaged the most carries per game (127) of any team in the Six Nations last year, while Ireland averaged the second most (126); Ireland recorded the most running metres per game of any side (738, Wales 3rd most – 690). ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. 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PRE-MATCH REPORT WALES vs IRELAND GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2021 WALES STATISTICS - Wales have lost their last two home games in the Six Nations, the last time they lost three on the bounce at home was 2002-03; in fact overall they’ve lost their last four games in the Championship, their worst streak since 2006-07 (L5). - Wales won 62 of their 70 lineouts in the 2020 Six Nations, their 89% success rate was the best of any nation in last year’s tournament. - Wales made 89 handling errors in the 2020 Six Nations, 22 more than any other side, including more knock-ons (35) than anyone else. - George North has scored 20 tries in the Six Nations, two more would take him level with fellow Welshman Shane Williams (22) as the Championship’s second top try scorer (since 2000), behind only Brian O’Driscoll (26); North has scored a brace of tries against Ireland once previously, doing so in Cardiff during the 2017 Six Nations. - Of players to attempt more than one kick at goal in last year’s Six Nations Welsh duo Leigh Halfpenny (100%, 6/6) and Dan Biggar (94%, 16/17) boasted the two best goal kicking success rates. IRELAND STATISTICS - On the road Ireland have lost their last three games in a row in the Six Nations, the third time they have endured such a streak in the competition (since 2000, also 2013-14 & 2016-17), they’ve never lost four consecutive away games in the Championship. - Ireland scored three tries directly from their maul in the 2020 Six Nations, no other nation scored more than one try in that fashion; Andy Farrell’s men also gained the most metres from their maul (81) while Wales gained the fewest (21). - Ireland boasted a ruck success rate of 98% in the 2020 Six Nations, the best rate of any team, while they were one of two sides with an average ruck speed under three seconds (2.1, Italy also 2.1). - Ireland conceded just 41 penalties in the Six Nations last year, fewer than any other side, while they were also awarded the most penalties of any nation (56). - Ireland will be with Jacob Stockdale, who was the only player to run with the ball for more than 500 metres in last year’s Six Nations (541), while he also made the most linebreaks (9) and second most tackle breaks (11, behind Jake Polledri – 14). ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. All rights reserved. PRE-MATCH REPORT WALES STATISTICS ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. All rights reserved. PRE-MATCH REPORT POINTS SCORED WALES - GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2020 Championship Statistic Team Rank Average Points scored 119 4 21.0 Points scored / match 23.8 4 21.0 Tries scored 13 4 2.47 Tries scored / match 2.60 4 2.47 % Points scored from tries 54.6% 5 59.0% Conversion success % 92.3% 1 76.7% Successful penalties / match 2.00 2 1.63 Penalty shot success % 100.0% 1 77.8% POINTS PER MATCH 42 30 23 14 10 1 2 3 4 5 W L POINTS - TIMING TRY ORIGINS 0'-10' 9 (7.6%) Try-From Counter Attack 3 (23.08%) 11'-20' 11 (9.2%) 21'-30' 18 (15.1%) Try-From Lineout 6 (46.15%) 31'-HT 15 (12.6%) HT-50' 14 (11.8%) Try-From Scrum 2 (15.38%) 51'-60' 5 (4.2%) 61'-70' 5 (4.2%) Try-From Turnover 2 (15.38%) 71'-80' 42 (35.3%) ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020. All rights reserved. PRE-MATCH REPORT KICKS AT GOAL WALES - GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2020 KICK LOCATIONS LAST 20 KICKS Opponent Minute Player Scotland 66 Leigh Halfpenny Penalty made 32 Dan Biggar Conversion made England 80 Dan Biggar Conversion made 78 Dan Biggar Conversion made 42 Dan Biggar Conversion made 40 Dan Biggar Penalty made 21 Leigh Halfpenny Penalty made 9 Leigh Halfpenny Penalty made France 75 Dan Biggar Conversion made 49 Dan Biggar Conversion made 35 Dan Biggar Penalty made 26 Dan Biggar Penalty made 4 Dan Biggar Penalty made Ireland 80 Leigh Halfpenny Conversion made 28 Dan Biggar Conversion made Italy 80 Leigh Halfpenny Conversion made 77 Leigh Halfpenny Conversion made 61 Dan Biggar Conversion made 31 Dan Biggar Conversion made 19 Dan Biggar Conversion missed CONVERSIONS Dan Biggar Leigh Halfpenny 1 (10.0%) Made: 9 Made: 3 3 (100.0%) Rank: 3 Rank: 5 9 (90.0%) PENALTY KICKS AT GOAL Dan Biggar Leigh Halfpenny Made: 7 Made: 3 7 (100.0%) 3 (100.0%) Rank: 4 Rank: 6 Ranks across total successful kicks ©Copyright Stats Perform 2020.