In the context of the game, John Ryan’s penalty win for Ireland was absolutely gigantic.
The Munster prop had come on for Andrew Porter with 15 minutes to go and with his side seven slender points to the good.
Ireland had looked to be home and hosed after Cian Healy got Ireland’s fourth try, on 54 minutes, but the Welsh hit back through a converted Aaron Shingler score.
Ryan was part of the cavalry, tasked with steadying Ireland and seeing them home. He had done well in the loose for his team, as a sub, in the dramatic win over France but had lost concentration for a crucial scrum and had given up a penalty that could have proved fatal.
For that, Ryan had been released back to Munster and a game against Zebre while Porter and Tadhg Furlong shared the tighthead duties against Italy. With Furlong out injured, Ryan was back in the squad and eager to prove that Parisian scrum was just a blip.
On 74 minutes, he got a great opportunity. Teaming up superbly with Sean Cronin and Jack McGrath, Ryan got Wales loose-head Rob Evans tied up. McGrath did the rest.
It was a perfect bit of scrummaging with McGrath and Ryan getting a heap of back-slaps. Cnor Murray stepped up and kicked the penalty that put his side two scores clear with just four minutes to play.
Post-match, following Ireland’s 37-27 win, Porter spoke glowingly about what Ryan’s contribution to winning that penalty meant.
“Watching the bench come on and making a big impact is great to see, especially in those last few minutes when they mean the most, and the game is so close. It was great to see that.”
Considering that Ryan is a rival for his spot in the Ireland squad, it was nice to see Porter taking time out to praise his contribution off the bench.
As for dealing with pre-match nerves ahead of his first Six Nations start, Porter said:
“I tried to get all my nerves out of the way early in the week when I found out (I was starting). Obviously, I had a bit of butterflies before the game, but once the ball kicked off I think they flew away a bit.
“It’s all about breathing I think!” he added. “And then just taking in the atmosphere today with 50,000 plus fans. That helps settle the nerves.”
For all the worries of the undoubtedly world-class Furlong missing out, Porter and Ryan combined excellently to shore up their side of the scrum and get through a motherlode of work around the pitch.
