Ireland consigns Wales to another rugby loss with 27-18 win to stay on course for Six Nations title

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Ireland condemned Wales to a record-extending 15th straight rugby loss after overcoming a 20-minute red card to rally for a 27-18 win and stay on course for an unprecedented third straight Six Nations title on Saturday.

One of the tournament’s great matches swung on a yellow card to Ireland center Garry Ringrose, for delivering a head-on-head tackle, that was later upgraded to a red card.

That meant the Irish had to play with 14 men for a total of 20 minutes either side of halftime, during which time Wales scored 15 points to take an 18-13 lead.

Ireland was restored to a full complement of players in the 52nd minute and didn’t concede a point after that, with fullback Jamie Osborne scoring a try and flyhalf Sam Prendergast kicking three penalties.

“We didn’t panic and we had to eke it out one minute at a time,” Ireland captain Dan Sheehan said. “That’s what all those lads have practised for years.”

There was plenty of drama in an instant Six Nations classic, however, the high point being in the 73rd minute — with the score at 24-18 — when Wales winger Ellis Mee appeared to ground for a try in the left corner.

Wales would have taken the lead by adding a conversion but didn’t even take one, with the try ruled out for a knock-on.

“Credit to Ireland, they’re one of the best teams in the world but we were in the game for most of it," Wales captain Jac Morgan said. “I thought we were amazing today.”

Ireland has opened with three straight wins — the first two were against England and Scotland — as it looks to make history, with no team having ever won the title outright three successive time in its 142-year history.

For the Welsh, another loss — they've had only them since 2023 — but an improved performance under interim coach Matt Sherratt, who took over after Warren Gatland's departure following a loss to Italy in Round 2.

“I’m so proud of the boys, we only had three training sessions before the game,” Wales center Max Llewellyn said.

Sherratt molded a display that few could have expected of a team without a Six Nations triumph on home soil for more than 1,100 days.

Despite being 10 places above their opponents in the world rankings, the Irish did not dominate — though did build a 10-0 lead after 21 minutes thanks to Jack Conan's close-range try and Prendergast's conversion and penalty.

Wales replied with Gareth Anscombe's penalty and was then given a boost when Ringrose's head-on-head contact with Wales center Ben Thomas led to him walking to the sin-bin. The incident was put on review before it was confirmed as a 20-minute red.

A second penalty from Anscombe further narrowed the gap, Prendergast hit the post from distance and there were signs that Ireland was losing its composure as Wales staged a strong finish to the first half. The pressure finally paid off when Morgan touched down at the back of a maul and Anscombe converted, leaving Wales 13-10 ahead against the odds.

It got even better for the home side three minutes into the second period when fullback Blair Murray cut a superb angle and sent Tom Rogers diving over in the right corner.

Prendergast got Ireland moving again through a 49th-minute penalty and the visitors trailed by five points as Bundee Aki arrived off the bench and restored them to a full team.

Ireland drew level after 56 minutes when Prendergast’s high kick was patted down by James Lowe and Osborne applied the finish.

It was a thrilling final quarter. Ireland winger Mack Hansen was held up over the Wales line by Murray, but Prendergast kicked a 67th-minute penalty that edged Ireland back in front before adding a long-ranger and a further three-pointer.

Those kicks saw the Irish home, with Mee’s late effort ruled out following several replays.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Ireland's Mack Hansen is held short of the line by Wales' Blair Murray, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's Sam Prendergast scores a penalty, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's James Lowe tackled by Wales' Tom Rogers, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's James Lowe and Bundee Aki celebrates winning a penalty, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Ireland's Jamie Osborne is tackled by Wales' Tomos Williams, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's Joe McCarthy is tackled, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Wales' Taulupe Faletau wins a line-out, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Wales' Tom Rogers catches a high ball during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's Jack Conan scores the opening try during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Wales' WillGriff John tackled by Ireland's Dan Sheehan and Joe McCarthy, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Ireland's Tadhg Beirne intercepts a high ball from Wales' Ellis Mee, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (David Davies/PA via AP)

Wales' Tom Rogers scores his side's second try, during the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland, at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appeared on Monday to be emboldening defenders of the U.S. central bank, who pushed back against President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert more control over the Fed.

The backlash reflected the overarching stakes in determining the balance of power within the federal government and the path of the U.S. economy at a time of uncertainty about inflation and a slowing job market. This has created a sense among some Republican lawmakers and leading economists that the Trump administration had overstepped the Fed's independence by sending subpoenas.

The criminal investigation — a first for a sitting Fed chair — sparked an unusually robust response from Powell and a full-throated defense from three former Fed chairs, a group of top economic officials and even Republican senators tasked with voting on Trump's eventual pick to replace Powell as Fed chair when his term expires in May.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump did not direct his Justice Department to investigate Powell, who has proven to be a foil for Trump by insisting on setting the Fed's benchmark interest rates based on the data instead of the president's wishes.

“One thing for sure, the president’s made it quite clear, is Jerome Powell is bad at his job,” Leavitt said. “As for whether or not Jerome Powell is a criminal, that’s an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out.”

The investigation demonstrates the lengths the Trump administration is willing to go to try to assert control over the Fed, an independent agency that the president believes should follow his claims that inflationary pressures have faded enough for drastic rate cuts to occur. Trump has repeatedly used investigations — which might or might not lead to an actual indictment — to attack his political rivals.

The risks go far beyond Washington infighting to whether people can find work or afford their groceries. If the Fed errs in setting rates, inflation could surge or job losses could mount. Trump maintains that an economic boom is occurring and rates should be cut to pump more money into the economy, while Powell has taken a more cautious approach in the wake of Trump's tariffs.

Several Republican senators have condemned the Department of Justice's subpoenas of the Fed, which Powell revealed Sunday and characterized as “pretexts” to pressure him to sharply cut interest rates. Powell also said the Justice Department has threatened criminal indictments over his June testimony to Congress about the cost and design elements of a $2.5 billion building renovation that includes the Fed's headquarters.

“After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Monday.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said on social media that the Fed “ignored” her office’s outreach to discuss the renovation cost overruns, “necessitating the use of legal process — which is not a threat.”

“The word ‘indictment’ has come out of Mr. Powell’s mouth, no one else’s,” Pirro posted on X, although the subpoenas and the White House’s own statement about determining Powell's criminality would suggest the risk of an indictment.

A bipartisan group of former Fed chairs and top economists on Monday called the Trump administration's investigation “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks" to undermine the Fed's independence, stressing that central banks controlled by political leaders tend to produce higher inflation and lower growth.

“I think this is ham-handed, counter-productive, and going to set back the president’s cause,” said Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard and former top adviser to President Barack Obama. The investigation could also unify the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee in support of Powell, and means “the next Fed chair will be under more pressure to prove their independence.”

The subpoenas apply to Powell's statements before a congressional committee about the renovation of Fed buildings, including its marble-clad headquarters in Washington. They come at an unusual moment when Trump was teasing the likelihood of announcing his nominee this month to succeed Powell as the Fed chair and could possibly be self-defeating for the nomination process.

While Powell's term as chair ends in four months, he has a separate term as a Fed governor until January 2028, meaning that he could remain on the board. If Powell stays on the board, Trump could be blocked from appointing an outside candidate of his choice to be the chair.

Powell quickly found a growing number of defenders among Republicans in the Senate, who will have the choice of whether to confirm Trump's planned pick for Fed chair.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and member of the Senate Banking panel, said late Sunday that he would oppose any of the Trump administration’s Fed nominees until the investigation is "resolved."

“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none,” Tillis said.

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said the Fed may have wasted public dollars with its renovation, but he said, “I do not think Chairman Powell is guilty of criminal activity.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered a brief but stern response Monday about the tariffs as he arrived at the U.S. Capitol, suggesting that the administration needed “serious” evidence of wrongdoing to take such a significant step.

“I haven’t seen the case or whatever the allegations or charges are, but I would say they better, they better be real and they better be serious,” said Thune, a Republican representing South Dakota.

If Powell stays on the board after his term as chair ends, the Trump administration would be deprived of the chance to fill another seat that would give the administration a majority on the seven-member board. That majority could then enact significant reforms at the Fed and even block the appointment of presidents at the Fed's 12 regional banks.

“They could do a lot of reorganizing and reforms” without having to pass new legislation, said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital and author of a book on Fed independence. “That seat is very valuable.”

Powell has declined at several press conferences to answer questions about his plans to stay or leave the board.

Scott Alvarez, former general counsel at the Fed, says the investigation is intended to intimidate Powell from staying on the board. The probe is occurring now “to say to Chair Powell, ’We’ll use every mechanism that the administration has to make your life miserable unless you leave the Board in May,'" Alvarez said.

Asked on Monday by reporters if Powell planned to remain a Fed governor, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council and a leading candidate to become Fed chair, said he was unaware of Powell’s plans.

“I’ve not talked to Jay about that,” Hassett said.

A bipartisan group of former Fed chairs and top economists said in their Monday letter that the administration’s legal actions and the possible loss of Fed independence could hurt the broader economy.

“This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly,” the statement said.

The statement was signed by former Fed chairs Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, and Alan Greenspan, as well as former Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin.

Still, Trump's pressure campaign had been building for some time, with him relentlessly criticizing and belittling Powell.

He even appeared to preview the shocking news of the subpoenas at a Dec. 29 news conference by saying he would bring a lawsuit against Powell over the renovation costs.

“He’s just a very incompetent man,” Trump said. “But we’re going to probably bring a lawsuit against him.”

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AP writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

FILE - Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, right, and President Donald Trump look over a document of cost figures during a visit to the Federal Reserve, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)