“Compelling, Frustrating, Agonising...” is the message on the front of today’s Western Mail after Wales’ 16-16 draw with Ireland at Lansdowne Road yesterday.
Despite being 13-0 down at one stage, Mail columnist and former Wales international Barry John called the result “frustrating”.
“If we analyse the 80 minutes properly, we have to mark this down as a very average Welsh performance. It will be up to Gatland to interpret the many facets of play, some were good, some were indifferent,” he wrote.
“The immediate reaction on the final whistle would have been one of ‘yeah, we will take that,’ followed straight away by a sense of frustration.”
In the same newspaper Delme Parfitt says that the game was evidence that Wales have still not mastered the art of killing off close Test matches.
“Warren Gatland’s men squandered a gilt-edged chance to get their campaign off to a winning start and chalk off arguably the most demanding fixture of the lot.”
In the South Wales Evening Post Mark Orders took a somewhat more philosophical view of the result.
“Oscar Wilde, one of Dublin’s most famous sons, made a point of never travelling anywhere without his diary,” Orders wrote.
“Quite what his entry for Sunday, February 7, 2016, would have been we can only surmise.
It might have read: ‘I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best. And a draw doesn’t fit that requirement. Weather cloudy.’
“Well, so be it.”
As he also writes, it was a much more positive performance from an Ireland point of view than many expected.
“The way the Irish newspapers had written it up, Ireland had two chances heading into this game. Slim, and none. And Slim had left Dublin on an express train.
“Former Ireland lock Neil Francis led the charge of the pessimists, saying: ‘This is the worst Ireland side to be named for a competitive match in over 15 years.’
“Even the busker at the bottom of Grafton Street seemed to catch the mood, wading through a medley of Coldplay songs, with Fix You noticeably not among them. Perhaps he felt such a notion would be too challenging a task on this particular day.
“The gloom wasn’t justified from a green perspective.”
The South Wales Argus continues on a similar vein as to that of a missed opportunity.
"The hosts certainly started sharply and Wales would probably have taken a draw when 13 points down after half an hour and with Dan Biggar on the touchline with a strapped ankle.
“However, after getting back on level terms, there was the feel of it being a wasted opportunity. With a bit more composure and spark in the closing stages Wales would have been in with a great chance of repeating their 2008 and 2012 clean sweeps.”
Meanwhile the South Wales Guardian focused instead on the major blow that was the injury to Dan Biggar.
The flyhalf sprained his ankle during the 80 minutes and will be a doubt for Wales’ clash with Scotland at the Principality Stadium this weekend.
