Not even the presence of Louis Rees-Zammit could prevent Wales’ winless run extending to a 504th day.Ireland handed Wales their 15th consecutive defeat with a hard-earned 27-18 result at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to secure the Triple Crown.Wales’ losing streak has extended to a 15th-straight matchGettyThe loss was especially heartbreaking for the Welsh given they led 13-10 at half-time in what was the first match under interim head coach Matt Sherratt.It was the first time since 2021 Wales had led a game at the interval.There were plenty of positive omens based on the scoreline, too, as Wales had won four of their previous five Six Nations contests in which they led Ireland at the Millennium Stadium.Wales even had the added bonus of having 20 minutes against 14 Ireland players after Garry Ringrose had his yellow card upgraded to a red after he connected with Ben Thomas in a head-on-head collision.The hosts made the advantage count when Tom Rogers dived in for a try early in the second half to extend Wales’ lead to 18-10.But once Ireland got their full complement of 15 back on the field, with Ringrose replaced by Bundee Aki, it was very much one-way traffic.A Sam Prendergast penalty and Jamie Osbourne try had Ireland level in the 56th minute.Prendergast drilled two more three-pointers in the space of just two minutes to put Ireland ahead 24-18.However, there was major drama in the 73rd minute when Wales’ Ellis Mee thought he’d given the home side a glimmer of hope with a try in the left corner.Unfortunately for Mee, a TMO review confirmed he grounded the ball just shy of the try line to shatter the hopes of the home supporters.BBC SportEllis Mee thought he’d scored a late try for Wales but it was not to be[/caption]BBC SportRees-Zammit was left stunned at the late call[/caption]Rees-Zammit, who won 32 caps for Wales before he sensationally retired from rugby union to pursue a career in the NFL, was left devastated by the decision to overturn Mee’s try.The 24-year-old visibly expressed his shock at the call that effectively dashed Wales’ faint hopes of a comeback.Another penalty from Prendergast in the 78th minute proved to be the icing on the cake for the Irish.It marked the fourth-straight win for Ireland over Wales as they picked up their third win in this year’s Six Nations from as many games.Ireland also set a staggering Six Nations record as they have now won their first three games for the third-straight year, becoming the first to do so since Italy was brought into the tournament in 2000.As for Wales, it puts them on course for a second consecutive wooden spoon in the tournament.Ireland celebrated another Triple Crown as they set a Six Nations recordGettyHowever, the effort which Wales displayed against the world number two drew plenty of praise, including from Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park.“We have to give a lot of credit to Wales, it was very tough out there today,” Gibson-Park told the BBC.“They’re a proud nation and they showed that today. It would be a dangerous thing to come over here with any preconceived ideas. It was always going to be tough to come to Wales and they proved that today.“It’s tough mentally but we’re well prepared for these kind of things.”Welsh skipper Jac Morgan was equally effusive in praising his side’s work-rate.“Really proud after the week we’ve had,” Morgan said.Despite the loss, Wales could take plenty of heart the way they performedGetty“A performance like that against one of the best teams in the world.“Hearing the crowd support us and cheer us on is massive. We’ll get a lot of confidence from today’s performance.”