Ireland 21 Wales 23

AN 80th minute penalty by Leigh Halfpenny saw Wales clinch a controversial RBS Six Nations victory at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Full-back Halfpenny stepped up to seal the win after Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris was sin binned for a dangerous tackle on Welsh lock Ian Evans.

English referee Wayne Burns had earlier handed Bradley Davies a yellow card for tipping up Donnacha Ryan.

Halfpenny's penalty followed two tries by Jonathan Davies and one by winger George North.

Cardiff Blues star Leigh Halfpenny landed another penalty and conversion after taking over the duties from Rhys Priestland, who missed two penalty chances.

Jonathan Sexton hit three penalties and a conversion, while hooker Rory Best and wing Tommy Bowe scored tries in a game when the lead changed hands five times.

Ireland took the lead through a third-minute Sexton penalty, but Wales responded in determined fashion as Bradley Davies and then North were only denied tries by some last-ditch tackling.

Wales kept battering away, and flanker Ryan Jones stretched over Ireland’s line only for television match official Geoff Warren to rule against the visitors following repeated views from a number of angles.

Warren was called upon again just six minutes later, only this time it was a far easier call after Priestland’s one-handed pass found Jonathan Davies, who touched down in the corner despite a Gordon D’Arcy challenge.

Davies scored the try which sealed Wales’ World Cup win in Wellington, and his latest touchdown successfully rounded off a spell of concerted Wales pressure, handing them a 5-3 advantage after Priestland’s conversion attempt hit the post.

Priestland, though, was guilty of a glaring miss as the first-half reached its midway point, striking the post straight in front from 25 metres, and Ireland stormed upfield.

Missed kicks ultimately cost Wales dear at the World Cup, yet they looked a step ahead of Ireland in thought and deed with ball in hand, and scrum-half Mike Phillips snapped a razor-sharp back division into action at every opportunity.

Ireland should have regained the lead 12 minutes before half-time, but Sexton emulated Priestland in missing an easy chance after Phillips was pulled up for obstruction on his former Ospreys team-mate Bowe.

Ireland began to grow into proceedings as the interval approached, piecing together several threatening phases, and they cut Wales open through a well-worked 38th-minute try.

Bowe cropped up on the left flank, drifted outside Alex Cuthbert and then freed Ulster forward Best for his sixth try in 55 Tests, with Sexton’s angled conversion giving Ireland a 10-5 lead.

Ryan Jones took over the captaincy after skipper Warburton did not appear for the second period, and there was also a switch in the back-three, with Cuthbert going off, Halfpenny moving to wing duty and James Hook featuring at full-back.

Warburton’s loss was a considerable one for Wales, continuing their run of injuries in recent weeks and giving Gatland another potential problem ahead of next Sunday’s Millennium Stadium encounter against Scotland.

Sexton extended Ireland’s lead with his second successful penalty, but Wales responded majestically, scoring 10 points in two minutes via a Halfpenny penalty and conversion of Davies’ second try.

Priestland’s third successive miss with the boot saw Halfpenny take over kicking duties, and his accuracy underpinned a superb Welsh recovery highlighted when North set up Davies’ sprint for glory after he smashed Ireland’s midfield defence asunder and then found his colleague with a one-handed pass.

But back came Ireland as the lead changed hands for a fourth time inside an hour after Sexton completed his penalty hat-trick to set the scene for an enthralling final quarter.

Wales briefly threatened to unravel when Davies was in the sin-bin, Bowe scoring Ireland’s second try 12 minutes from time, but North then powered over in the 76th minute before Halfpenny’s dramatic clincher.