Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby was pleased by how his side found their “way back into the game” to beat Wales and secure the Six Nations Triple Crown despite Garry Ringrose’s dismissal at the Principality Stadium.
The centre was shown a 20-minute red card in the 34th minute for a high tackle on Wales’ Ben Thomas.
Easterby said Ringrose was “far from a dirty player” and felt the decision on whether to show him a yellow or red “could have gone either way”.
In surviving the period with a man disadvantage, and coming back from 18-10 down to win 27-18 after Bundee Aki came on to restore their numerical parity, Easterby feels his side will benefit from victory in “very different circumstances”.
“I was pleased with how the lads responded to that,” he said.
“Even though we conceded at the end of the first half, we found our way back into the game when we were down a man and Bundee coming on made a huge impact.”