Scrum half Conor Murray in action during Ireland's 37-27 bonus point triumph over Wales at the Aviva Stadium last year ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Buoyed by last Sunday’s win over France, Ireland head to Cardiff with a fierce determination to claim their first away victory over Wales in the Guinness Six Nations since 2013. They have never lost a Six Nations final round fixture under Joe Schmidt who is hoping for a winning send-off in the Championship.
2019 GUINNESS SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, March 16
WALES (1st) v IRELAND (3rd), Principality Stadium, 2.45pm (live Virgin Media One/BBC One/S4C/FR2/DMAX/NBC/RTÉ 2fm/BBC Radio Ulster/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made three personnel changes to the team to play Wales in the final round of the Guinness Six Nations. Iain Henderson’s knee ligament injury gives Munster’s Tadhg Beirne the opportunity to make his Six Nations debut in the second row.
The other change up front sees Sean O’Brien return for his fourth appearance of the tournament, replacing the injured Josh van der Flier (groin) at openside flanker. The final switch is at full-back where Rob Kearney has overcome calf tightness to reclaim the number 15 jersey on the occasion of his 90th Ireland cap.
Jordan Larmour reverts to the replacements bench which includes fit-again scrum half Kieran Marmion, who last featured against New Zealand in November, as well as Andrew Porter and Quinn Roux.
It is Schmidt’s 30th and final Six Nations match in charge of Ireland, while captain Rory Best will lead the team out on his 64th and final Six Nations appearance. Beirne partners James Ryan, the man-of-the-match against France, in the engine room, with O’Brien rejoining vice-captain Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander in the loose forwards.
It is the same back-line that was originally selected for the 26-14 victory over the French – Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki team up in the centre for the seventh time, vice-captain Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray direct operations from half-back, and Keith Earls and Jacob Stockdale, who have scored a combined six tries in previous meetings with Wales, offer a significant threat out wide.
Schmidt commented: “Iain picked up the injury during the game against France, he didn’t realise he had it during the game. It wasn’t actually until we got back to the team hotel that he felt that his knee was sore and that he’d sprained it. Hopefully it won’t keep him out for too long and that he’ll be back in the next few weeks.
“Tadhg Beirne would have liked to have a bit more game-time leading into it, and it’s one of those things, you’d love to go two weeks in a row with the same team. We haven’t really been afforded that luxury with the different injuries, so it’s just a case of slotting people in.
“As I’ve said all through the Six Nations, it’s been a really positive challenge for us to see if we can mix and match players and still try to get some cohesion. Thankfully we got that last week, can we build on that and get it again? Obviously we’ve lost two guys in the pack, so there’s a little bit of change there.
“Tadhg knows these (Welsh) players pretty well, obviously he’s played plenty of times against the second rows that are going to be there. He’ll know Adam Beard and Alun Wyn Jones well, he’ll know his former Scarlets team-mates very well. With that combination, I think he’s as ready as we can get him to be at this stage. I know he’s incredibly motivated to be as ready as he can be.”
Meanwhile, head coach Warren Gatland will oversee his 50th and final Six Nations match for Wales and his unchanged team go into the game as the only unbeaten side left in the tournament. Captain Alun Wyn Jones will equal his former team-mate Gethin Jenkins’ Test appearances record as he moves to 134 capt (125 with Wales and nine with the British & Irish Lions).
Jones again packs down with his Ospreys colleague Adam Beard in the second row, with Rob Evans, Scarlets skipper Ken Owens and Tomas Francis continuing together in the front row. Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty represent all three Welsh regional outfits in the back row.
Cardiff Blues’ Gareth Anscombe again gets the nod at out-half over the benched Dan Biggar, while Scarlets duo Jonathan Davies and Hadleigh Parkes form a robust centre pairing and Saracens’ Liam Williams will start at full-back, giving the hosts a big fitness boost after recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained against Scotland.
“We’ve named an unchanged squad and rewarded the players for the last couple of outings and the last couple of victories,” explained Gatland. “These players are on a very good run, they are a hugely impressive group and they deserve to be going into the final weekend with everything to play for.
“It’s a great reward for them for the hard work they have put in and we’re all looking forward of what is going to be a huge game. For a number of us as coaches this is our last Six Nations game and that fact it is in Cardiff is extra special. There’s bound to be a bit of emotion on Saturday and that is something to embrace.”
Guinness Six Nations Results/Fixtures
WALES: Liam Williams (Saracens); George North (Ospreys), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets), Josh Adams (Worcester Warriors); Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), Gareth Davies (Scarlets); Rob Evans (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Adam Beard (Ospreys), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (capt), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Dragons).
Replacements: Elliot Dee (Dragons), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Aled Davies (Ospreys), Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints), Owen Watkin (Ospreys).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster).
Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Galwegians/Connacht), Jack Carty (Buccaneers/Connacht), Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Karl Dickson (England)
Television Match Official: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Wales to win: 5/6; Draw: 19/1; Ireland to win: 11/10
Pre-Match Quotes: Rory Best (Ireland) –
(The Six Nations) is incredibly special for me and my family. I was old enough to watch the Five Nations and as a family we went down (to Lansdowne Road) for nearly every home game. And then to be incredibly lucky to play in it for so many years. It’s a proper traditional, rugby tournament.
“While I will miss the matches, there will be moments like struggling to put a pre-match meal down your neck and having all those nerves running around which I won’t miss! It will be nice to enjoy the matches with my family. There have been so many highs but also so many lows. My first Six Nations cap was against Wales in 2006. It seems so long ago but it has also gone in a flash.
“Apart from the Aviva (Stadium), there is nowhere else I’d rather play than here (in Cardiff) especially when there is something on the line. I’ll try not to get too emotional (for my final Six Nations appearance). Hopping on the bus, the team anthems, realising that this is the last time you’ll ever do any of these things.
“That special atmosphere in the dressing-room when everyone is knackered. Thinking about those moments makes you emotional. But I’ve dragged the arse out of it for long enough now! I wanted to go out on my terms, when I feel I’m playing well and we know we still have something to do later in the year.
“Tomorrow it will take one of our best performances of the Six Nations, arguably the best performance this group has produced. We have produced good performances before but it is so tough to come here against a Welsh side on such a winning roll, in this place which is incredibly tough to win anyway.”
Liam Williams (Wales) –
Ireland were absolutely outstanding in the autumn. I didn’t think they played that badly against England, it was just England were on a different level that day. It will be a tough game. Joe Schmidt is a very clever coach and Johnny Sexton is always world class. We will have to look at their game plan, break that down, and negate their kicking strategy, which is huge for them.
“They are coming to our home and we’re looking to put in another big shift. I was quite close to Johnny on the 2017 Lions tour as we were 10 and 15. I used to call him ‘coach’ all the time because he and Owen Farrell were like extra coaches to us, which was great. I obviously played with Conor Murray and a lot of the other Irish guys on that tour.
“Conor always puts a bit of side-spin on his box kicks if I remember correctly so I’ll have to have a word with him and ask if he can kick them straight for me! Both he and Johnny are great blokes, but when you play on the international scene you are enemies on the pitch and then you have a pint together afterwards.
“From a team perspective we started the campaign pretty slowly, but in the game against England we played really well. I’ve never won the Six Nations so if I could, it would be indescribable and it would put us in great stead for the Rugby World Cup. It would be the biggest moment of my career along with playing for the Lions but it’s not just me, it would mean everything to everyone in the squad.”
Pre-Match Links –
Irish Rugby TV: Jonathan Sexton On Rory Best’s Leadership
Irish Rugby TV: Ireland v Wales Team Announcement Press Conference
Tickets On Sale Now For Ireland’s GUINNESS Summer Series
In Pics: Ireland Train At Principality Stadium On Eve Of ‘Super Saturday’
Irish Rugby TV: Rory Best Captain’s Run Preview Ahead Of Wales v Ireland
Recent Meetings –
2016: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 16 Wales 16, Aviva Stadium
2017: RBS 6 Nations: Wales 22 Ireland 9, Principality Stadium
2018: NatWest 6 Nations: Ireland 37 Wales 27, Aviva Stadium
Support Ireland on www.facebook.com/irishrugby or search #WALvIRE, #TeamOfUs and #ShouldertoShoulder on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
This website uses cookies.
Read More