Congratulations to Wales on a well-earned and much-needed win. Thanks for reading and emailing in today - Round 2, next week, will bring England v Italy, Scotland v Wales and Ireland v France. See you then for more Six Nations action. Bye for now.

Here’s the match report from Paul Rees:

Wayne Pivac speaks: “We made it hard for ourselves didn’t we? ... I’m very very relieved but very happy ... we’ll take that win any way we can, and push forward to Scotland next week. You often see it don’t you, the man advantage, you just drop off a few per cent ... we let Ireland back into the game ... it was a question of righting the ship in the second half and we did that today. We’ll look at our wounds in there, we’ve got a six-day turnaround [before Scotland], so that doesn’t help.

On George North playing No 13: “We were comfortable putting him into the midfield.”

“It’s about the campaign, this is day one, we look forward to going to Murrayfield.

The BBC are picking over the key moments of the match, including that lethal finish by Louis Rees-Zammit. “Sometimes playing on the wing, you get one chance, and you’ve got to take it,” says Martin Johnson. He certainly did that.

Ireland’s Johnny Sexton on that Burns missed kick for touch right at the end: “As a 10, you’ve got to go for it ... I’ve done the same thing, in this corner. Sometimes you miss, sometimes you get it and you are the hero, but you’ve got to go for five metres, because that would have given us the chance to score.

“We regathered really well [after the red card], I’m proud of the boys, proud of the effort, I’m proud of the position we put ourselves in ... it came down to a few mistakes at key times and a couple of decisions ... I felt a couple of the decisions at the end went against us. Wales are a good side, we only have ourselves to blame, we spoke about discipline earlier in the week and that let us down.”

Man of the match, Wyn Jones, speaks: “It was a nail-biting last few minutes for us but it’s nice to get over the line in the end ... We just had to win today. It’s key in any tournament to start with a bang ... Sometimes it’s tough to play against a team with 14 men ... I think we were on top until that moment and maybe we eased off a bit.”

The captain, Alun Wyn Jones: “When you pull this on [the Wales jersey] there is always pressure. But after the autumn we had, there was particular pressure ... we won’t shy away from that ... Credit to Ireland, that [the sending off] probably galvanised them in the middle part of the game. We’d like to think we can finish more off with the possession we have, but we’ve got our foot in the door at the start of this competition.”

82 min: Ireland get it right at the lineout and they move through several phases, without making too many inroads. They are still in their own half ... but then there’s a dash down the right wing! Tipuric has to make a crucial tackle ... Ireland win another penalty ... but Burns kicks it dead!

80 min: With 10 seconds to go, Gareth Davies chose to put in a grubber kick, which has given Ireland the chance to run the ball back ... Weird decision by Davies. But Ireland’s counterattack breaks down ... but it’s a deliberate knock-on by Tompkins! Ireland have another chance! They kick the penalty for touch, and will have time to have the lineout, and one last attack.

79 min: Ireland try to spin the ball right. Tompkins rushes out of the line for Wales and manages to spoil the ball, while not making a clean tackle. Welsh scrum. Just 20 seconds left ...

77 min: The clock ticks down, with Wales tantalisingly close to an opening win in the 2021 Six Nations. Wyn Jones is awarded the man of the match award by Jonathan Davies of the BBC. Ireland have the ball, and Gibson-Park makes another dart in midfield.

74 min: Ireland have their tails up, and they rumble a rolling maul into Welsh territory. James Lowe then tries to burst through on the crash ball, nicely teed up by Gibson-Park. Defending to do for Wales and nervous times. Burns, the replacement No 10, tries a cheeky kick from hand looking for Larmour out on the right wing, but it’s overcooked and goes out into touch. Up in the stands, coach Andy Farrell holds his head in his hands - he clearly feels that was the wrong option - and you can see why - Ireland were starting to build some pressure.

70 min: Ireland have a scrum in the Wales half. Robbie Henshaw is playing as a back row, which is odd. Ireland win another penalty deep into Welsh territory.

Rowlands, Brown, Sheedy and Jones are on for Wales. Larmour and Kilcoyne are one for Ireland, and Burns is back on for that HIA to Sexton.

69 min: It was accidental, but the Ireland fly-half Sexton took a nasty blow to the head there as he carried the ball into contact. As he fell over, he hit his head on Tipuric’s knee. Sexton doesn’t look happy, but he should be taken off here for an HIA. And indeed he is going off.

67 min: Tipuric is pinged at a breakdown. Sexton misses touch with the resulting penalty, but Ireland soon have the ball back, and move it through a few phases of play in the Welsh half, but now Sexton looks to have gone down injured.

63 min: Wales look stronger and more confident after that try. A high kick goes up into Irish territory, and the scrum-half Conor Murray is penalised for obstruction while Rees-Zammit tries to run on to it. Wales kick for the corner. Can they crank it up even more on this Irish defence? Henshaw is back on after the HIA, Burns goes off.

55 min: Keith Earls, the Irishman, takes out Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny in the air. Wales can try and build something here. They have front-foot possession as we approach the final quarter of the match. Will the extra man start to tell a little more in the final 20 minutes?

54 min: Billy Burns, the Ulsterman, comes on for Ireland with Henshaw off for an HIA. Andrew Porter goes off with Tadhg Furlong on.

Meanwhile, here is a dog enjoying ‘Land of My Fathers’ a bit earlier.

53 min: With two points in it, it feels like we could be building to a really exciting finish. Ireland have generally been very impressive, aside from O’Mahony’s recklessness. How relieved will O’Mahony be if Ireland can come away with a win here? Conversely, how much flak will Pivac take if his side can’t put away 14 men?

52 min: Dean Kinsella emails in: “Surely Ireland can’t keep up this level with a man short! Wayne needs to level it up by expelling a Welshman. But, in all honesty, Wales aren’t looking all that clever.”

46 min: Wales do get the lineout right, at least, but are then driven back in contact around the Irish 22, with Andrew Porter to the fore for the visitors. Faletau knocks on. Irish scrum on their own 22. Wasted opportunity for Wales, more imprecision, and Pivac will be getting more and more frustrated with this. What do you think, Wales fans?

45 min: Rob Herring takes down Hallam Amos with a high tackle. Biggar kicks the penalty for touch. Can Wales get the lineout right?

44 min: More possession and territory for Ireland. They do not look like the team that is playing with 14. Sexton, yet again, puts up a high kick but it’s easily marked by the Welsh defence. Wales kick, Ireland kick ... Wales kick again, Ireland kick again. There’s a theme developing.

43 min: Wales try to get some momentum with some phases in the Irish half, but cough up a penalty for coming in at the side of a ruck. George North needs a bit of treatment after accidental contact with his eye in a tackle from Keenan.

34 min: Penalty awarded to Ireland, just inside the 22, after the Wales centre George North goes off his feet trying to get a turnover.

33 min: Ireland have made 42 tackles, Wales have made 100, points out Jamie Heaslip on commentary. That shows you how well Ireland have adjusted, despite O’Mahony’s moment of madness.

32 min: Liam emails: “I’m a Munster man so it hurts to admit it, but Peter O’Mahony is becoming a liability, his passion more often than not misplaced these days. From a selfish perspective we’ve an awful 50 minutes or so ahead of us, but of more significance is the damage he could have caused with that tackle. If that’s what it was. Would love to be a fly in the dressing room at HT to see what Paul O’Connell has to say to him.”

30 min: Ireland’s James Lowe cannons a long kick downfield from deep which nearly goes dead, but just stops in time. Ireland get the ball back, and spend a couple of minutes working through the phases well. There’s a good burst by Henshaw, who then nearly knocks on in a subsequent phase of play, but Ireland keep it alive, and they are putting Wales under plenty of pressure here.

28 min: Despite being a man down Ireland are having a decent amount of possession. Now they have a kickable penalty for Wales going off their feet. Meanwhile, there’s a slow motion replay of a sensational tackle by Jones, the Wales captain, on the Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan.

Our rugby correspondent, Robert Kitson, is in no doubt about the red card for Peter O’Mahony.

24 min: Johnny Williams of Wales just got a tackle on Garry Ringrose all wrong, going too high, and hit his head on his would-be tacklee. He is off for an HIA. James Ryan of Ireland has also gone off, for the same reason, I think.

21 min: Sexton tries another high kick into the Wales 22. Faletau takes an easy mark and Wales can clear. But Ireland come again, and Robbie Henshaw is wrapped up by George North as the visitors spin the ball out to their right wing. Now Ringrose flies into contact and looks to offload to his right but it isn’t quite on - probably because Ireland are lacking numbers now they are down to 14. Still, Ireland are keeping their heads up after that red card for O’Mahony and are playing some decent stuff.

13 min: Peter O’Mahony is now facing trial by TMO having smashed into a ruck leading with his shoulder. This is going to bring some kind of punishment, surely.

12 min: Lydiate is going off. Navidi is coming on. That didn’t look good for Lydiate, he appeared to be in a lot of pain after he twisted his knee, and his return to the team ends disappointingly early.

11 min: Josh Navidi, sporting a face mask, is limbering up on the sidelines, but it seems like Lydiate is going to try and continue.

We are treated to another close-up shot of Jones and his famous shiner, after his training clash with teammate Jake Ball.

The co-commentator Jonathan Davies has his say on the incident: “Captain or not, if you step over the line in training, you cop one. Things like that do happen.”

10 min: Sexton gathers the ball for Ireland, in plenty of space, and puts up a garryowen to try and run on to. Halfpenny, who has started promisingly, claims it with a trademark leap from full-back. It looks like Lydiate has sustained a painful knee injury - the ball was bouncing loose, and he went down after appearing to twist it in the turf, it wasn’t a contact injury.

7 min: Ball in hand for the first time for the Ireland full-back, Hugo Keenan. He makes a burst on the Irish left, around halfway. Ireland take it through a few phases and the ball finds its way to Keenan again. He tries a grubber kick for the winger but it rolls out and into touch.

3 min: Dan Biggar misses touch with a clearing kick. Ireland have possession and take it up the middle, but it’s turned over, and suddenly space opens up on the Wales right. Justin Tipuric sends an excellent delayed pass to Rees-Zammit, who makes a bright break along the touchline, but the Irish defence gets back to cover.

Rees-Zammit played in a schools match here five years ago ...

Alun Wyn Jones and his team belt out ‘Land of my Fathers’, which is stirring even in a near-empty stadium, and we are ready to go. It’s cap No 144 for Jones today.

The pre-match rituals have begun. There is an important moment of silence as players, officials, and everyone involved in rugby state their opposition to racism and discrimination in all its forms. And now it’s Ireland’s Call.

Just a reminder, if you have any thoughts on the match - or the Six Nations in general - you can drop me a line on email or Twitter.

The teams are walking out on to the pitch, and there are some pyrotechnics and music, even if there are no fans.

Alun Wyn Jones and his infamous black eye are on camera after his coming-together with Jake Ball in training this week.

Johnson has his say: “It may just reflect where Wales are. They are under a little bit of pressure ... they are all going to be tense. Sometimes players like that, coaches like that, it means everyone is in that right frame of mind, and they are up for the game.”

“The boys are emotional, they want to play for their country,” Sam Warburton agrees.

Pivac has a chat with the BBC: “Most people gave us a little bit of latitude in that first competition [the Six Nations last year] but now it’s time to perform on the field ... it’s about looking to improve, we’ve learnt from the last campaign ... we can’t drop our fitness standards, we’ve got to go for 80 minutes ... hopefully we’ve rectified a few things.”

France and Antoine Dupont were also very good yesterday, but Italy were not. France hammered the Azzurri 50-10:

Scotland were superb yesterday in beating England at Twickenham for the first time since 1983, and Eddie Jones has tried to take it on the chin:

Ireland coach Andy Farrell speaks to the BBC: “We’ve brought some good sides in the past that lost here ... we’re expecting a right old tussle today ... we all know the importance of getting off to a good start.

“They’ve got some experience in there, haven’t they? They’ve got some big-name players who are back healthy and fit, I suppose it’s a clean slate and they’re ready for a big step, just like we are.”

A spot of pre-match reading from Paul Rees:

The BBC roll a feature on the recent discussion around traumatic brain injuries in rugby, led by the Guardian’s coverage of the issue, which is all available to view here.

Martin Johnson is asked for his reaction when he heard that his former teammate Steve Thompson, among others, are suffering serious problems after their rugby careers: “It was shocking and upsetting ... the first thing you learn when you play is how to protect your head - head and neck safety ... when I was first playing it was three weeks, mandatory [for concussion] ... there’s a lot more we need to know, there is research being done. At the end of my career we were doing cognitive tests ... it’s something that’s worrying, the more we can find out about it and know about it, the better we will be. I think people are far more aware of it now ... early in my career, referees weren’t ... players are their own worst enemy, they want to play on, it has to be taken out of their hands.”

Here is Andy Bull’s interview with Steve Thompson from early December:

On pundit duty, the former England captain and coach Martin Johnson speaks on the BBC: “Quietly, Ireland will think if they can win here, they have a very good chance of winning the championship.”

Jamie Heaslip: “Ireland are here to win, when you look at the team they’ve picked.”