Head-To-Head: Ireland v Wales

2017 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday, March 10

WALES (4th) v IRELAND (2nd), Principality Stadium, 8.05pm (live RTÉ Two/BBC One/S4C/DMAX/FR2/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)

WALES: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon); George North (Northampton Saints), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Liam Williams (Scarlets); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Rob Evans (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (capt), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester).

Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Bath), Taulupe Faletau (Bath), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins).

IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).

Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster).

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Jerome Garces (France), Matthew Carley (England)
Television Match Official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Head-To-Head:

Played – 124
Wales Won – 67
Ireland Won – 50
Drawn – 7

The seven drawn games were in 1890 (one goal each), 1929 (5-5), 1951 (3-3), 1962 (3-3), 1974 (9-9), 1991 (21-21) and 2016 (16-16)

Ireland v Wales: IRFU Stat Zone

Ireland v Wales – Results Since 2000:

2000: Wales won 23-19, Lansdowne Road
2001: Ireland won 36-6, Millennium Stadium
2002: Ireland won 54-10, Lansdowne Road
2003: Ireland won 25-24, Millennium Stadium; Ireland won 35-12, Lansdowne Road
2004: Ireland won 36-15, Lansdowne Road
2005: Wales won 32-20, Millennium Stadium
2006: Ireland won 31-5, Lansdowne Road
2007: Ireland won 19-9, Millennium Stadium
2008: Wales won 16-12, Croke Park
2009: Ireland won 17-15, Millennium Stadium
2010: Ireland won 27-12, Croke Park
2011: Wales won 19-13, Millennium Stadium; Wales won 22-10, Westpac Stadium
2012: Wales won 23-21, Aviva Stadium
2013: Ireland won 30-22, Millennium Stadium
2014: Ireland won 26-3, Aviva Stadium
2015: Wales won 23-16, Millennium Stadium; Ireland won 35-21, Millennium Stadium; Wales won 16-10, Aviva Stadium
2016: 16-16 draw, Aviva Stadium

Biggest Wins:

Wales: Points: 34-9, 1976 Five Nations; Margin: 29-0, 1907 Four Nations

Ireland: Points & Margin: 54-10, 2002 Six Nations

Individual Records In The Series:

Most Points In A Match: Wales 20 (Neil Jenkins 1998); Ireland 22 (David Humphreys 2002)

Most Tries In A Match: Wales 3 (Johnnie Williams 1907, 1910; Bryn Williams 1920); Ireland 3 (Robert Montgomery 1887)

Most Appearances – Ireland v Wales:

16 Brian O’Driscoll
14 Mike Gibson, Gethin Jenkins, Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara
13 Rory Best, Donncha O’Callaghan
12 Ieuan Evans, Jamie Heaslip, Willie John McBride, Phil Orr
11 Billy Bancroft, Gordon D’Arcy, John Hayes, Robert Jones, Stephen Jones, Moss Keane, Donal Lenihan, Brendan Mullin, Fergus Slattery, Peter Stringer

Top Points Scorers – Ireland v Wales:

113 Neil Jenkins
107 Stephen Jones
100 Ronan O’Gara
84 David Humphreys
79 Jonathan Sexton
57 Eric Elwood
55 Leigh Halfpenny
54 Phil Bennett
52 Michael Kiernan

Top Try Scorers – Ireland v Wales:

8 Johnnie Williams
7 Brian O’Driscoll
6 Gerald Davies, Ieuan Evans, Teddy Morgan
5 Gareth Edwards
4 Keith Earls, Rusty Gabe

Wales – Form Guide From Start Of The 2016 Six Nations:

Drew 16-16 v Ireland away (Six Nations)
Won 27-23 v Scotland home (Six Nations)
Won 19-10 v France home (Six Nations)
Lost 25-21 v England away (Six Nations)
Won 67-14 v Italy home (Six Nations)
Lost 27-13 v England away (Summer Test)
Lost 39-21 v New Zealand away (Summer Series)
Lost 36-22 v New Zealand away (Summer Series)
Lost 46-6 v New Zealand away (Summer Series)
Lost 32-8 v Australia home (Autumn Series)
Won 24-20 v Argentina home (Autumn Series)
Won 33-30 v Japan home (Autumn Series)
Won 27-13 v South Africa home (Autumn Series)
Won 33-7 v Italy away (Six Nations)
Lost 21-16 v England home (Six Nations)
Lost 29-13 v Scotland away (Six Nations)

Ireland – Form Guide From Start Of The 2016 Six Nations:

Drew 16-16 v Wales home (Six Nations)
Lost 10-9 v France away (Six Nations)
Lost 21-10 v England away (Six Nations)
Won 58-15 v Italy home (Six Nations)
Won 35-25 v Scotland home (Six Nations)
Won 26-20 v South Africa away (Summer Tour)
Lost 32-26 v South Africa away (Summer Tour)
Lost 19-13 v South Africa away (Summer Tour)
Won 40-29 v New Zealand neutral (Autumn Test)
Won 52-21 v Canada home (GUINNESS Series)
Lost 21-9 v New Zealand home (GUINNESS Series)
Won 27-24 v Australia home (GUINNESS Series)
Lost 27-22 v Scotland away (Six Nations)
Won 63-10 v Italy away (Six Nations)
Won 19-9 v France home (Six Nations)

International Championship All-Time Records:

Points –
557 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
546 Jonny Wilkinson (England)
467 Stephen Jones (Wales)
406 Neil Jenkins (Wales)
403 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
314 Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
299 Jonathan Sexton (Ireland)
288 Gavin Hastings (Scotland)
270 David Humphreys (Ireland)
269 Owen Farrell (England)
232 Paul Grayson (England)
228 Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)

Tries –
26 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
24 Ian Smith (Scotland)
22 Shane Williams (Wales)
18 Cyril Lowe (England)
18 Rory Underwood (England)
18 Gareth Edwards (Wales)

Caps –
65 Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland)
63 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
60 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
58 Sergio Parisse (Italy)
56 Mike Gibson (Ireland)
56 Gethin Jenkins (Wales)
54 John Hayes (Ireland)
54 Jason Leonard (England)
53 Rory Best (Ireland)
53 Ross Ford (Scotland)
53 Willie John McBride (Ireland)
53 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
51 Marco Bortolami (Italy)
51 Paul O’Connell (Ireland)
51 Martyn Williams (Wales)
50 Philippe Sella (France)
50 Rory Underwood (England)
50 Stephen Jones (Wales)

Wales – Most-Capped Players:

129 Gethin Jenkins
108 Alun Wyn Jones
104 Stephen Jones
100 Gareth Thomas
100 Martyn Williams
95 Adam Jones
94 Colin Charvis
94 Mike Phillips
92 Gareth Llewellyn
89 Jamie Roberts
87 Neil Jenkins
87 Shane Williams
81 James Hook
76 Dwayne Peel
75 Ryan Jones

Wales – All-Time Leading Points Scorers:

1049 Neil Jenkins
917 Stephen Jones
594 Leigh Halfpenny
352 James Hook
304 Paul Thorburn
290 Shane Williams
211 Arwel Thomas

Wales – All-Time Leading Try Scorers:

58 Shane Williams
40 Gareth Thomas
33 Ieuan Evans
28 George North
22 Colin Charvis
20 Gareth Edwards
20 Gerald Davies
20 Tom Shanklin

Ireland – Most-Capped Players:

133 Brian O’Driscoll
128 Ronan O’Gara
108 Paul O’Connell
105 John Hayes
102 Rory Best
98 Peter Stringer
94 Jamie Heaslip
94 Donncha O’Callaghan
92 Malcolm O’Kelly
82 Gordon D’Arcy
82 Girvan Dempsey
75 Rob Kearney
72 David Humphreys
72 David Wallace
72 Geordan Murphy
71 Eoin Reddan
70 Kevin Maggs
70 Andrew Trimble
69 Mike Gibson
68 Tommy Bowe

Ireland – All-Time Leading Points Scorers:

1083 Ronan O’Gara
598 Jonathan Sexton
560 David Humphreys
308 Michael Kiernan
296 Eric Elwood
245 Brian O’Driscoll
217 Ollie Campbell
169 Paddy Jackson
158 Tom Kiernan
150 Tommy Bowe

Ireland – All-Time Leading Try Scorers:

46 Brian O’Driscoll
30 Tommy Bowe
29 Denis Hickie
22 Keith Earls
21 Shane Horgan
19 Girvan Dempsey
18 Geordan Murphy
17 Brendan Mullin
17 Andrew Trimble
16 Ronan O’Gara
15 Kevin Maggs
15 Keith Wood
14 George Stephenson
13 Jamie Heaslip
13 Rob Kearney
12 Keith Crossan
12 David Wallace

World Rugby All-Time Top Points Scorers:

1598 Dan Carter (New Zealand)
1246 Jonny Wilkinson (1179-England, 67-Lions)
1090 Neil Jenkins (1049-Wales, 41-Lions)
1083 Ronan O’Gara (Ireland)
1010 Diego Dominguez (27-Argentina, 983-Italy)
970 Stephen Jones (917-Wales, 53-Lions)
967 Andrew Mehrtens (New Zealand)
911 Michael Lynagh (Australia)
893 Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
878 Matt Burke (Australia)
809 Chris Paterson (Scotland)

World Rugby All-Time Top Try Scorers:

67 Bryan Habana (South Africa)
64 David Campese (Australia)
60 Shane Williams (58-Wales, 2-Lions)
50 Rory Underwood (49-England, 1-Lions)
49 Doug Howlett (New Zealand)
47 Brian O’Driscoll (46-Ireland, 1-Lions)
46 Christian Cullen (New Zealand)
46 Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand)
45 Julian Savea (New Zealand)
44 Jeff Wilson (New Zealand)
41 Gareth Thomas (40-Wales, 1-Lions)
40 Chris Latham (Australia)

(Note: Daisuke Ohata scored 69 tries for Japan, but not all against major international opposition)

The ‘100 Caps’ Club:

148 Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
141 Brian O’Driscoll (133-Ireland, 8-Lions)
139 George Gregan (Australia)
134 Gethin Jenkins (129-Wales, 5-Lions)
132 Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
130 Ronan O’Gara (128-Ireland, 2-Lions)
127 Victor Matfield (South Africa)
124 Bryan Habana (South Africa)
124 Sergio Parisse (Italy)
119 Martin Castrogiovanni (Italy)
119 Jason Leonard (114-England, 5-Lions)
118 Fabien Pelous (France)
118 Tony Woodcock (New Zealand)
117 Stephen Moore (Australia)
116 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
116 Nathan Sharpe (Australia)
115 Paul O’Connell (108-Ireland, 7-Lions)
114 Alun Wyn Jones (108-Wales, 6-Lions)
112 Marco Bortolami (Italy)
112 Dan Carter (New Zealand)
111 Philippe Sella (France)
111 John Smit (South Africa)
111 George Smith (Australia)
110 Stephen Jones (104-Wales, 6-Lions)
109 Jean de Villiers (South Africa)
109 Chris Paterson (Scotland)
107 John Hayes (105-Ireland, 2-Lions)
106 Mauro Bergamasco (Italy)
106 Ross Ford (105-Scotland, 1-Lions)
105 Sean Lamont (Scotland)
104 Martyn Williams (100-Wales, 4-Lions)
103 Matt Giteau (Australia)
103 Andrea Lo Cicero (Italy)
103 Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
103 Gareth Thomas (100-Wales, 3-Lions)
102 Rory Best (Ireland)
102 Stephen Larkham (Australia)
102 Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
101 David Campese (Australia)
101 Merab Kvirikashvili (Georgia)
101 Alessandro Troncon (Italy)
101 Vasco Uva (Portugal)
100 Adam Jones (95-Wales, 5-Lions)
100 Mils Muliaina (New Zealand)