The slender win also hands Warren Gatland’s senior squad a massive lift ahead of this afternoon’s Triple Crown clash against Ireland at Croke Park.

Horgan said: “That was our best performance of the season. Considering the difficult conditions, it was a tremendous effort by the players.

“We really controlled the game in the first half especially as we had to handle a strong wind.

“I was relieved when Lloyd went over because we had several chances before that. We had plenty of possession and really dominated the first half.

“Maybe we thought it would be easier in the second half with the advantage of the wind but we gave away a lot of penalties and let them get back into the match.

“But we’re delighted to get the win, Ireland is always a difficult place to come and we’re still in the hunt for the title.”