WALES hooker Ken Owens has lamented his side’s poor discipline that effectively saw the whistle blown on their Six Nations title hopes.

A 37-27 defeat against championship favourites and leaders Ireland in Dublin means Wales’s wait for a first Six Nations crown since 2013 is set to continue.

Ireland’s bonus-point victory mirrored overwhelming domination of possession and territory, while Wales’s nine penalties conceded equalled the total in their previous two games against Scotland and England combined.

“There are plenty of positives, but we need to tidy up that discipline issue we probably had out there,” Owens said.

“We conceded nine penalties, and it does frustrate your game. It stops your momentum and we have just got to be a little more accurate.

“In the first half, probably our discipline cost us, giving them some easy outs and giving them territory in our half, which they took full advantage of. We can’t have had more than 20 per cent possession and territory in that first half.

“It is frustrating that we put ourselves under pressure at times.”

Despite tries from Gareth Davies, Aaron Shingler and Steff Evans, Wales slipped to a second successive loss on the road, leaving next month’s Cardiff appointments with Italy and France very much a case of trying to clean up.

Wales head coach Warren Gatland looks set to make changes for the Azzurri’s visit on March 11 — wing George North moving to centre could be one of them — and Owens says there must be no let-up.

“We’ve got two games left and we have just got to go into them positively,” Owens added.

“Italy have been dangerous, to be fair to them. They’ve scored tries, so they are not going to be a walkover.”