The Grand Slam door was slammed in Ireland’s face at the Millennium Stadium as Wales defended their patch like 15 Cardiff bouncers to secure a famous RBS 6 Nations victory. As the Welsh tackle count moved past the 250 mark, it was clear that Ireland had finally met their match. There have been questions about the entertainment value of northern hemisphere rugby but, if ever an advert was needed, this was it. Shaun Edwards punched the air in delight and the championship race lives on. Wales killed off Ireland’s 10-match winning run and – describing himself as ‘a simple Kiwi boy’ in the post-match press conference – Warren Gatland proved that he is a smarter tactician than a tub of Flora. Scott Williams touches down after 62 minutes to score Wales' only try of the game to keep their Six Nations hopes alive . WIlliams makes a break for the line past Tommy Bowe before putting Wales into a commanding second-half lead . Williams goes over while Ireland players look on with dejection as they see their grip at the top the Six Nations weakened by defeat in Wales . Bowe puts his hand to his face in anguish after Williams' try as Wales held on to dash Ireland's hopes of winning the Grand Slam . Wales XV: Halfpenny, North, Davies, Roberts, Williams, Biggar,Webb; Jenkins, Baldwin, Lee, Charteris, Wyn Jones, Lydiate, Warburton (captain), Faletau . Tries: Williams . Penalties: Halfpenny (5) Drop goal: Biggar . Ireland XV: Kearney, Bowe, Payne, Henshaw, Zebo, Sexton, Murray; McGrath, Best, Ross, Toner, O'Connell, O'Mahony, O'Brien, Heaslip. Replacements: Cronin, Healy, Moore, Henderson, Murphy, Reddan, Madigan, Jones . Tries: Penalty . Conversions: Sexton . Penalties: Sexton (3) ‘A lot of our players ran themselves into the ground,’ said Gatland. ‘In terms of atmosphere and intensity, it had everything as a Test match. Sometimes you suffer a loss and the next three or four days are a struggle to get out of bed; we were definitely on it emotionally.’ That emotion was beamed through the exquisite kicking game of full-back Leigh Halfpenny. Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton was dubbed as the player with gold-plated feet, but the celebrated No 10 did not quite live up to his billing. The visitors were shot down in ‘the battle of the skies’ and were forced to dessert their aerial game that was so effective against England. In the early exchanges, Rob Kearney fumbled a short kick-off and Gethin Jenkins won a fine turnover. Sexton kicked a restart straight into touch and Wales were able to build up phases. All the momentum was with the hosts and, after 13 minutes, they were 12-0 up. Welsh forwards coach Robin McBryde has told supporters not to expect a feast of flowing rugby but - despite tickets exchanging hands for £300-a-pair on the blackmarket before kick-off – they were more than happy with what they were seeing. ‘There are a few “what ifs” and “maybes”,’ said Ireland coach Joe Schmidt. ‘You look at the small margins that might potentially have changed the result. Our strategy was the same as the last few weeks but it’s not a case of back to the drawing board. We won’t throw the baby out of the bath water because it’s pretty hard to start all over again.’ Wales were building nicely but their progress was stalled by an injury to Samson Lee in the front-row. Gatland breathed a sigh of relief as Sexton pushed his first penalty wide of the left post, but the No 10 made amends with his second effort following a cheap high tackle by Scott Baldwin. The tables were there to be turned and Ireland identified Lee’s replacement, Aaron Jarvis, as a weakness at the set-piece. They immediately used their choke tackle to set up a scrum, but Sam Warburton stole a dangerous attacking line-out from Devin Toner’s 6ft 11 grasp shortly after. Wales captain Sam Warburton celebrates with the rest of the squad as they do a lap of honour around the Millennium Stadium . It takes two Ireland players to put a stop to Goerge North's burst forward . Jamie Roberts makes a tackle on Rory Best during a spirited defensive performance by the hosts during famous win . Leigh Halfpenny scores the opening points of the match with a Wales penalty at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff . It was a carbon-copy of Toner’s pivotal steal against England two weeks ago, however the hard work was undone when the Welsh skipper was sent to the sin-bin after half an hour. Sexton continued to edge his side back with two more penalties – sandwiching a fine drop goal by Dan Biggar – but Wales survived the yellow card with their half-time lead still intact. Gatland was forced into more front-row changes at half-time when he lost Jenkins to a hamstring injury. Ireland needed to change their approach after the break and they enjoyed more possession and territory. Schmidt’s players were consistently penalised for not rolling away in the first half and their discipline improved in the second. They enjoyed more improved territory and possession, but lack the execution in the final third. They camped themselves deep in Welsh territory in the 50th minute but were repelled by a cacophony of noise and fierce tackles. Inspired by the roars, Warburton rallied his players, locked the gates and forced Ireland backwards. In a breath-taking seven minutes, the Welsh defence saw off two full-blooded attacks – combining almost 50 phases – and eventually won the penalty when Sexton went off his feet at the breakdown. Wales outside-half Dan Biggar bags three more first-half points for the hosts as he scores a drop goal . Ireland's Johnny Sexton carries the ball forward for the visitors as Wales skipper Sam Warburton closes in . Ireland's Paul O'Connell organises his side on his 100th cap in the Six Nations clash at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday . Samson Lee  is treated by medics during the first half of the Six Nations clash between Wales and Ireland . Prop forward Lee leaves the field on a stretcher with what looks like a serious leg injury . It was a masterclass at snuffing out attacks - Luke Charteris made a remarkable 37 tackles throughout the game - and proved to be a flashpoint in the Welsh charge. Play moved downfield and Wales built up phases of their own. The forwards carried powerfully - providing the backs with quick, front-foot ball - and two quick passes found replacement centre Scott Williams. The 24-year-old, who had replaced Jamie Roberts because of a dead arm, short-changed Tommy Bowe after 62 minutes and cut through the defence to slide over for the first try of the game. ‘The attitude in defence was second to none,’ said Warburton. ‘Shaun’s gone into a lot of detail all week about certain policies to cover their trick plays in attack. The boys took on all that information and the detail paid off. Certain matches you can tell the boys are extremely focussed, and at breakfast I could see that everyone was so desperate to win.’ Wales were on the brink of their third home victory over Ireland in 33 years, although Ireland were not finished. On the afternoon of his 100th Test, Paul O’Connell turned down a near-certain three points and ordered his fly-half to kick for the corner. Peter O’Mahony claimed the line-out and Wales conceded a penalty try by collapsing the maul. It set up a tense finale – with Jonathan Davies being shown a late yellow card – but Wales held on to set up another weekend of drama.
Wales raced into an early lead as Leigh Halfpenny kicked the first points of the match from a penalty . Full back Halfpenny scored another three penalties for the home side as Wales led 12-0 at the Millennium Stadium . Johnny Sexton pulled it back to 12-6 with two penalties before Dan Biggar scored a drop goal to make it 15-6 . Sexton added another three points with a penalty as the sides went in at half time without a try on the board . Ireland pressed for a try early in the second half but the Wales defence held firm as they approached the try line . Scott Williams gave Wales a commanding lead with the opening try in the 62nd minute to make 20-9 . Ireland were awarded a penalty try with just over 10 minutes to play which was converted to make 20-16 . Halfpenny made it 23-16 with five minutes to play after scoring his fifth penalty of the match .