“Things are in our hands,” said Gatland. “We are not relying on anyone else to cause an upset. We are in charge of our own destiny, which is the way you want it.”

"It took us 20 minutes before we started to play some rugby and put Ireland under pressure. I said at half-time forget about the first 25 minutes, but it was the last 14 minutes we looked good.

“We kept our composure and put them under pressure. We could have been a bit more clinical. There were a couple of opportunities we didn’t take in the second half.

“Ireland tried to play like Scotland played against us and tried to get in behind us, but it didn’t really work for them.

“We wanted to play and ask questions of them and counter-attack. They didn’t really test us through their back line or at scrum time.

“Our defence was good, we didn’t concede a try for the second game in the championship. We have only conceded two tries in the tournament and that has been the most pleasing aspect of the performances.

Shane Williams scored the decisive try, the 40th of his Test career, to equal Gareth Thomas’s Wales record after slicing between two defenders and handing off Andrew Trimble.

Williams also had to slot into the scrum half position when Mike Phillips was sin-binned, and Assistant Coach Shaun Edwards said: “He is one of the most exciting players I have ever seen play the game of rugby, be it league or union.

“He is just very special, and he is not a bad scrum half either!”