Ireland maintained their pursuit of the Six Nations championship with a hard-fought 27-17 bonus-point victory over a spirited Wales side at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Andy Farrell's team knew nothing less than a bonus-point win would suffice to keep their title aspirations alive, and they delivered despite facing stiffer resistance than many had anticipated from the visiting Welsh.
The hosts opened the scoring when Stuart McCloskey set up Ulster teammate Jacob Stockdale for his first Test try since July 2021, capitalizing on Wales kicking the ball dead from the resulting scrum.
Jack Crowley extended Ireland's advantage with a well-taken try, darting through a gap in the Welsh defense, though he failed to add the conversion.
Wales responded magnificently through prop Rhys Carre, who produced the try of the match with a sensational solo effort. Taking a pass from scrum-half Tomos Williams, Carre feigned left before switching direction to outfox Rob Baloucoune, evade Tadhg Furlong, and crash over for a spectacular score.
The stunning individual try was Carre's third of the tournament and gave Wales genuine hope at halftime, trailing just 12-10.
Ireland started the second half strongly when Jack Conan powered over after surviving a TMO review, but Wales refused to surrender their challenge.
James Botham brought the visitors back within striking distance with a converted try that left just two points separating the sides with 20 minutes remaining.
The breakthrough Ireland desperately needed came through Jamie Osborne, who raced over for the crucial bonus-point try following an impressive break down the left from replacement lock Joe McCarthy.
The result leaves Ireland one point behind France in the Six Nations table. France can clinch the championship with a game to spare if they secure a bonus-point victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
For Wales, this marked their 15th successive Six Nations defeat, continuing a barren run that stretches back to 2023. Their last victory in Dublin came in 2012, and they will be hoping to end their championship campaign on a positive note against Italy at home next week.
Ireland now face Scotland in what will effectively be a Triple Crown decider, knowing their championship destiny remains in their own hands despite this narrower-than-expected margin of victory.
The performance highlighted both Ireland's resilience under pressure and Wales' continued progress under their current setup, even if results have yet to follow their improved displays.