80 min: Wales are still prying for an opening ...

79 min: Wales earn a lineout, just inside Irish territory.

78 min: Halfpenny converts and Ireland’s lead is reduced to just three points. What a finish in Dublin. Ireland 30-27 Wales ...

75 min: Ireland win a penalty out of the scrum, helped by the nous of the new front row, Quinn Row. The net result is Conor Murray shaping for goal from 35m. Between the posts and you’d imagine Ireland have it wrapped up.

74 min: Wyn Jones is replaced by Rob Evans.

73 min: The scrum is good and Stockdale looks to storm the Wales defence. They are penned in by the Irish, with Farrell charging into Scott Williams. He had to get that tackle right, and got it spot-on.

71 min: Davies and Anscombe combine for the Welsh, looking for North, who is happy to take the long route around the Irish defence. Wales’s tails are up for a moment but a silly knock-on affords Ireland a penalty.

70 min: Halfpenny frees Evans and they look to attack from deep. Wales earn a scrum, just beyond the 10m line. Meanwhile, captain Rory Best is replaced by Sean Cronin.

69 min: Ireland are pressing Wales’s buttons down the left, Conan and Leavy are piling into a sea of bodies. “Hold your horses this might get hairy scary in the next 10 minutes for Ireland,” tweets John. “Sexton needs to use that majestic game management of his to weather the red storm that’s brewing.”

68 min: Ireland need to grind through the gears again. Sexton has played a wonderful dummy pass. Meanwhile, O’Mahony is replaced by Jack Conan. Devin Toner is still out there, a mammoth presence.

67 min: Andrew Porter, after an impressive, seamless showing on his first Six Nations start, is replaced by John Ryan.

64 min: Halfpenny gets the conversion and Wales, suddenly, are back within touching distance. A couple of changes too, with George North is on for Liam Williams and Anscombe on for Biggar. Can they?

58 min: Sexton turns it over, Earls very nearly latches on to his own kick through but Halfpenny comes to rescue for Wales. It’s a foot-race, with Earls putting on the afterburners but it’s not quite enough. A wry smile says it all.

56 min: Wales introduce a new-look front row with 25 minutes to go. Wyn Jones is on, as is Francis and Dee. Something needed to change for them. Ireland are dominating possession, which says it all, really. The Irish have enjoyed 79% of the ball this half. Wales need to do something.

53 min: Glen Jackson, the referee, is involved again as Ireland play the scrum in front of the try-line. Earls, out wide, looks hungry to do some damage.

50 min: It’s one-way traffic and now Ireland have a penalty to play with, with the Wales defence penalised for offside. That try just before the break seems to have broken them mentally a little. Wales are forgetting to do the basics.

48 min: Aki spins his way down the flank, before the Irish switch flanks, with Earls putting some pressure on Steff Evans. Sexton’s mixing it up a little bit now and the Irish look a lot more comfortable as a unit.

47 min: Ireland are pressing Wales into problems – and mistakes. A Halfpenny error gifts the Irish a scrum.

45 min: Ireland are surging towards the try-line. They are hungry for more, with their forwards gathering with intent.

43 min: Liam Williams reads Bundee Aki’s pass and Ireland are forced to do things the hard way. Then a high kick is gobbled up by Ireland, who turn over the ball, despite the protests from Dan Biggar who felt he was hit in the air.

42 min: Kearney with a drop-goal attempt, 50 yards out it’s optimistic but who doesn’t love a bit of ambition? Lovely stuff.

“Some comment on the one-sided refereeing?” emails Robert Pugh. “For example, how many times Ireland off feet in rucks and penalties awarded against?”

“Game on! Big test of both sides character in the second half,” emails John McEnerney. Indeed, all to play for in the next 40 minutes in Dublin.

39 min: Devin Toner, standing at 6ft11in is a giant. He piles into the Welsh defence, with Ireland in the ascendency but time ticking.

38 min: Robert Kearney runs into a Welsh roadblock and Wales’s defending has been pretty admirable in general to be honest. They are penalised for offside – that’s the sixth they’ve conceded so far – on halfway but they’ll take that. Sexton pumps the ball deep into the Wales 22. So, can they conjure up anything before the interval?

34 min: The Wales defence are working overtime but Ireland win a penalty, with offside called by the referee. It feels a matter of time for the Irish but Sexton goes for the points, with the posts in front of him.

33 min: Earls breaks through the Wales back line, and for a moment it’s plain sailing. He comes to a halt but has gained the Irish around 40 yards of territory. Sexton frees the ball to Best, before switching to the left flank, where Ireland have bodies and edge closer to the try-line ...

30 min: But, as much as Rory Best is displeased about it, the referee changes his mind after a chin-wag with his assistant and Wales earn a penalty from 42m. Here comes Halfpenny ...

29 min: Navdidi powers into the Irish pack, before Wales latch onto their own kick but a knock-on sees them penalised. It’s all very tit for tat at the moment.

27 min: It’s not be on this occasion for Halfpenny. It’s a long old way, and his effort lacks the power to last the distance. That was a little tame, really. Ireland get things going once more but Parkes gets hold of it, and dents the Irish midfield. Wales, though, fail to release and Ireland win a penalty themselves.

25 min: Wales win a penalty, with Ireland penalised for crossing. Gareth Davies, meanwhile, is down with what looks like a shoulder injury. He’ll be up in a minute, he looks OK. From 53m, Halfpenny is shaping to kick between the posts ...

24 min: Dan Biggar’s giant kick was neat down the pitch but the resulting lineout is awkward and Ireland win a penalty.

22 min: Those missed penalties feel costly for the Irish after that, although, to be fair, Sexton has been a spark in open play. It’s Wales who have the points on the board, though. Davies made that look so easy, no doubt too easy if you’re Joe Schmidt, the Ireland head coach.

19 min: It all looked promising for Ireland but Wales send it straight back at them. The ball is pumped 60 yards downfield and now it’s Wales who are threatening, for the first time this afternoon in Dublin ...

18 min: Sexton with a smart, strong hand-off. Ireland oil up the wheels and here they come again, with Sexton’s reverse-pass teeing up Cian Healy to make some ground. The Wales defence have a lot to cope with here.

17 min: Wales win the ball back, with Steff Evans hammering it away into the Ireland 22. It’s about time Wales put the hosts on the back foot.

16 min: This is clever, though. Sexton with a cute ball into touch to gain 30-odd metres. The Irish prey for an opening but Biggar boots clear, making some ground but without finding touch. Back come Ireland, through Stockdale.

15 min: Sexton is truly off-colour. Three kicks and three misses. He’s berating himself for that latest duff effort.

13 min: Wales’ attempt to turnover is flawed as they are penalised for not releasing. Wyn Jones looks baffled. The Irish have a penalty from 31m. Here comes Johnny ...

11 min: Wales win a scrum 10 yards in front of their own try-line. Davies clears it into touch. And now Best readies himself for the throw once more. Sexton seeks to mix it up but Wales call mark. Back it comes to Best. One step forward, two steps back for Wales at the moment.

9 min: Wales concede another penalty at the breakdown, and they are mounting up in Dublin. Sexton calmly kicks into touch and here comes Rory Best’s first lineout of this afternoon.

8 min: Wayward again from Sexton, this time from an acute angle, 40 yards from the posts. The Irish lead 5-3. Biggar boots the ball upfield to get the cogs turning for Wales once more.

6 min: Farrell piles forward for the Irish, as does Healy. Ireland have the advantage ...

5 min: It should have been no problem for Sexton, who shook off that back trouble to start this afternoon. But he strikes the right-hand post. That’s very unlike him.

4 min: Ireland win a penalty with Wales penalised for not releasing the ball after going to ground. A lively start, and a good response by Ireland.

1 min: Chris Farrell is involved early on on his Six Nations debut. Dan Biggar’s first touch of the ball is a cross-field kick, to test Keith Earls. And it’s Ireland who come under some early pressure.

The formalities are out of the way and kick-off is almost upon us. Rory Best looks extremely cool, a cucumber customer out there.

And here come the, rather rousing, anthems.

The warm-ups are done and dusted, and the players will be out shortly for the off. Wales welcome back that key trio but if Ireland play their A-game, they will surely come out on top. The pyrotechnics are at the ready pitch-side ...

It’s a grey and baltic day in Dublin. No worries for Joe Schmidt, though. Of Johnny Sexton, with some concerns over a lower back injury, he replies: “Johnny is super, he came through the captain’s run no problem at all. You want your experienced guys to lead and that makes it easier for your younger guys. If they do their job, the younger guys will gain confidence from that.”

The Script, the Irish rockers who formed in Dublin, are belting out around the surround sound inside the Aviva Stadium. Kick-off is fast approaching:

Ireland sit pretty at the top of the Six Nations table with nine points at kick-off, with Wales third behind England. Will they still be there at the close of play?

Plenty of action on the menu today, with Scotland v England still to come later. But last night, in Marseille, this happened:

Has Warren Gatland toasted his 100th game in charge of Wales with a glass of wine? “No, not really. It’s just another game. It’s not about me, it’s about the players, the occasion and the Six Nations.”