Ireland have opened their 2022 Six Nations is perfect fashion, recording a 29-7 bonus point victory over Wales at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon.
It was a brilliant performance from Andy Farrell's men, especially after halftime. They played some beautiful rugby at times, scoring a number of excellent tries.
Ireland got off to an ideal start in the game, with Bundee Aki's try giving them the lead after only two minutes.
While they may have expected to push on from that position, that was not really the case. While the home side did dominate possession in the opening half, they did not make it count, only managing to extend the lead to ten points before the interval.
However, things really took off in the second half. Ireland would run in three more tries, with this stunning effort from Garry Ringrose securing the bonus point.
TRY IRELAND – Sensational team score. Turnover, quick passing and a high-quality finish from Garry Ringrose. Bonus point secured #IREvWAL #rtesport
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📺 Watch - https://t.co/sDDUomkeEU pic.twitter.com/AFBeKrnAwK— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 5, 2022
It was the perfect start to the tournament for Ireland, with Andy Farrell even granted the luxury of taking off some of his key players with 20 minutes still remaining in the contest.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the game was the performance of Mack Hansen.
Mack Hansen beaming after Ireland debut
Making his international debut, the Connacht man put on a brilliant display on the wing. He was even named man-of-the-match for his efforts.
It was no doubt a big occasion for the Australian born 23-year old, who only moved to Ireland at the start of this season. He qualified to play for the country through his mother.
Speaking to RTÉ after the game, Hansen said he 'couldn't be prouder' to pull on the green jersey.
‘It’s been a dream come true...I couldn’t be any prouder to be Irish’ -Player of the match and debutant Mack Hansen on a special day #IREvWAL #rtesport pic.twitter.com/rSeFXHvUk2
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 5, 2022
The guys inside me made my job a whole lot easier. Our forwards and half-backs were running great lines and playing really together.
That's what we've been working on for the last couple of weeks in Portugal, so to have it all come together like that is really special, in front of a packed crowd as well, it's great to see the fans back here...
It's been a dream come true. Everyone here has adopted me as one of their own and I couldn't be prouder to be Irish...
I think all my family and friends back home are watching, so shout out to them. I got some special messages during the week, it just made the whole week so special for me.
I couldn't be happier to be honest...
It's a great way to start, we wanted this. We have to do the next job and we know that. It's going to be a very tough game in France next week so we've got to make that our focus.
We will enjoy this tonight and then focus on France.
A proud day for Mack Hansen.
We have a feeling this won't be his last man-of-the-match award in an Ireland jersey.
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