We should also thank the Welsh for gift of St Tadhg

IRELAND have thanked Wales enough for St Patrick, born in a small village near Nigel Owens’s farm in south Wales.

Now though, says the former referee, it’s time to thank another small Carmarthern village for the gift of St Tadhg Beirne of Llandovery.

The Ireland star who, having been let go by Leinster, played two games for Llandovery RFC and got picked up by Scarlets — from where he has never looked back.

Said Owens cheekily: “I hope that all the Irish fans appreciate that the success of the Irish team at the moment was established here in goal-line defence, that prevented the try.

“I don’t think Wales would have scored because you had other Irish players there to defend it, then it wouldn’t be a penalty-try.

Part

“So what you do is this. Tadhg Beirne now can no longer take a part in that discussion.

“Once he’s committed that foul, he is out of equation. “What you do count is, were the other Irish players who are there, legally there? Could

Picked

Wales.

“Tadhg Beirne came here to Llandovery RFC, whom I’ve refereed many, many times, A great club, not far from me and actually, my fatherin-law is a big fan as well.

“They’re actually top of the Wales Premiership at the moment, they are in the final of the Premiership as well and if they play well, they probably, maybe, should win that.

“And I also am sure that Irish fans aware that St Patrick was able to light a big fire was born in Banwed, a small Welsh village.

“You know you Irish need to be very grateful to us Welsh ...” they have prevented a try being scored? And if you think they probably would have, which means Wales would probably not have scored, then it’s not a penalty try.

“I’m not going to hang the referee out to dry here but on-field at the time they thought it was a probable try and that Wales were going to score and that’s their interpretation.

“Myself, as a Welshman, I don’t think we would have scored because there was enough Irish defenders there — it all comes down to your interpretation.

“You think would Wales probably have scored? ‘yes, I do, penalty-try’; if it is ‘no, I don’t because there were still other Irish defenders there who would have prevented the try’, then it’s not a penalty try.

Illegal

“Play still would come back for the penalty and there would still be a yellow card against Tadhg Beirne because of his illegal actions.”

Too little, too late maybe for Ireland fans because keeping the opposition scoreless in two consecutive Six Nations games would have been an epic achievement.