We let ourselves down - Wales boss
Wales caretaker coach Scott Johnson insisted credit was due to Ireland as the “better side” after his visitors had suffered a chastening 31-5 RBS Six Nations defeat in Dublin today.
Johnson, in charge following the shock defection of Mike Ruddock earlier this month, had no gripes about Wales’ commitment but felt their skill levels let them down.
“We got beaten by a better side. But even in the last 10 minutes we dug in there right to the end,” he told BBC1.
“I’m not upset. Sometimes you can get ‘out-skilled’. We put pressure on ourselves and let ourselves down with some skill handling.”
Wales lost fly-half Stephen Jones to injury early in the first half of a match which also saw Ireland prop Marcus Horan carried off.
“The loss of Stephen had an impact,” said Johnson, who added he himself should take responsibility for the defeat rather than his players.
“I thought they hung in there. We let ourselves down on the skills level, not on the heart level,” he reasoned.
“If the skills let us down it is my fault, not theirs. We have to be hard on ourselves and honest with ourselves.”
Ireland’s man of the match Shane Horgan was not entirely pleased with his team’s performance – especially in the first half.
“Wales came out very strongly, as we knew they would, and we didn’t get a lot of first-phase ball,” said the wing, scorer of Ireland’s second try early in the second half.
“We played a little better rugby in the second half, had a strong base and started to play a little bit more of the rugby we saw in Paris.”
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