Ireland v Wales, Six Nations
Wales look to continue winning run
ESPNscrum Staff
January 31, 2012
Mike Phillips goes over for the controversial score in last year's game
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Ireland host Wales on Sunday in the 118th meeting between the two Celtic rivals since their first clash back in 1882. Wales lead the all-time statistics with 64 victories to Ireland's 47 and the last of the six draws was 21-all at Cardiff in 1991. The most recent meeting of the two sides in Dublin - at Croke Park in 2009 - resulted in a 27-12 victory for Ireland. But they have not fared well in recent times against Warren Gatland's side with the Welsh claiming a controversial 13-9 win at the Millennium Stadium last year before knocking Ireland out of the World Cup later on in 2011 thanks to a 22-10 triumph. Ireland set the records for the highest score and biggest winning margin of the series in their 54-10 victory in Dublin in 2002. Wales's 34-9 Lansdowne Road win in 1976 is their highest score and the 29-0 victory at Cardiff in 1907 their biggest winning margin of the series. The most tries scored by a team is six. Wales did so in the matches of 1903, 1907 and 1920; Ireland in 2002 and 2004. David Humphreys created the individual record for a match by scoring 22 points for Ireland in Dublin in 2002. Neil Jenkins set the corresponding record for Wales when he collected 20 points there in the 30-21 win in 1998. And it's Jenkins who holds the record for the points scored in clashes between the two nations with 113 but Stephen Jones is just six behind. Mike Gibson did not miss a match between 1964 and 1978, turning out a record 14 times for Ireland against Wales. And this record was matched by Brian O'Driscoll during the World Cup who has now turned out 14 times for Ireland against their celtic rivals. Ieuan Evans played a dozen times for Wales between 1987 and 1997. Johnnie Williams set the record for most tries in the rubber. During the early 1900s he crossed eight times in five matches for Wales (1907 to 1911). Brian O'Driscoll heads the Irish try-scorers on six to date.
The first of the four try hat-tricks recorded in the series was scored for Ireland by
Ireland-Wales Six Nations results:
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