On a night when Ireland play their first ever Friday Six Nations fixture and Jamie Heaslip becomes a Test centurion, the 2017 Championship resumes with Joe Schmidt’s men locking horns with a wounded Wales team in Cardiff.
2017 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Friday, March 10
WALES (4th) v IRELAND (2nd), Principality Stadium, 8.05pm (live RTÉ Two/BBC One/S4C/DMAX/FR2/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: The Ireland management have backed the side that saw off France 19-9 a fortnight ago to deliver another winning performance in the Welsh capital. It is the first time Joe Schmidt has named an unchanged team since rounds 2 and 3 of the 2014 Six Nations.
Number 8 Jamie Heaslip will become only the sixth Irish player to play 100 international matches when he lines out tonight. This will be the Naas man’s 95th cap for Ireland and he has also made five Test appearances for the Lions.
Heaslip is joined in the back row again by Sean O’Brien and CJ Stander, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance on his debut against Wales last year. Donnacha Ryan and Devin Toner, with 90 caps between them, continue together in the second row.
Hooker Rory Best is hoping to lead Ireland to a tenth win in his 18th Test as captain, flanked by props Jack McGrath and Tadhg Furlong. The Wexford-born tighthead made his Championship bow off the bench against Wales 13 months ago.
Half-backs Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray, who were hugely influential against the French, will be looking to continue where they left off the last day. Sexton is on the cusp of scoring the 600th point of his Ireland career, while Murray – the man-of-the-match in round 3 – has notched four tries in his last eight Six Nations outings.
The other back-line combinations remain untouched with centres Garry Ringrose and Robbie Henshaw making it an all-Leinster 10-12-13 axis with Sexton, while Rob Kearney anchors a back-three that contains the speed and spark of wingers Keith Earls and Simon Zebo.
There is one change to the matchday 23 with the 68-times capped Tommy Bowe returning to take the bench spot vacated by his injured Ulster colleague Andrew Trimble (hand).
Commenting on the competition for places between the backs, head coach Schmidt said: “Tommy has trained really well. He’s trained the house down. His last couple of games for Ulster have been incrementally improving and some of the things we’ve asked of him, we’ve seen.
“It’s tough because Craig Gilroy has also been doing really well and so has Andrew Conway. But I think in the context of what Wales will bring, Tommy is so strong in the air and his experience, having played with a lot of these players in his time with the Ospreys, it was probably a good decision in this context.
“Jared Payne was sharp this afternoon, or this morning when he trained. That put him in the frame but he just hadn’t had enough time with us. He’ll potentially be involved at the weekend with Ulster (against Zebre) and it could potentially still be a springboard for him to be involved in the England game next week.
“Robbie and Garry, I think, have a really good relationship and we’re building on that. So sometimes selection might be swayed because of the cohesion of the current combination. Jared’s experience, potentially even off the bench would have been handy, because he plays full-back and has played wing, as well as the midfield.
“There are things where he has contributed hugely in the past, but you’ve got to keep your rhythm in this competition. You’ve got to keep improving. We’ve got combinations we do feel are improving and we want to give them the opportunity.”
Meanwhile, Justin Tipuric will win his 50th cap as part of an unchanged Wales team to play Ireland. The Ospreys flanker, who made his international debut in Cardiff in 2011, will take to the pitch in his 25th RBS 6 Nations encounter and line up alongside Sam Warburton and Ross Moriarty in the back row.
Captain Alun Wyn Jones and Jake Ball continue their partnership in the second row with Rob Evans, Ken Owens and Tomas Francis combining again in the front row.
Ospreys pair Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar start at half-back with Scarlets duo Scott Williams and Jonathan Davies retained together in midfield. Liam Williams, George North and Leigh Halfpenny make up an experienced back-three.
“We felt it was important the same group of players had the opportunity to go out and perform on Friday so we have named an unchanged matchday squad,” said Wales head coach Rob Howley.
“Friday night is an opportunity for us. There is a lot of experience in our group and you don’t become a bad team overnight. We want to show what we can do and that experience will be very important this week.
“We know we need to be more clinical and we need to execute better under pressure and we have been working hard on that during the last few weeks.
“Ireland are one of the in-form sides in world rugby and are coached very well and packed with experience and there are a number of interesting match-up across both teams.
“We always say we are fortunate to have the best supporters in the world and we are eager to put in a performance for them under the lights at the Principality Stadium on Friday.”
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon); George North (Northampton Saints), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Liam Williams (Scarlets); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Rob Evans (Scarlets), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) (capt), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Gloucester).
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Bath), Taulupe Faletau (Bath), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Sam Davies (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Shannon/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Jerome Garces (France), Matthew Carley (England)
Television Match Official: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Wales to win: 11/8; Draw: 22/1; Ireland to win: 4/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Rory Best (Ireland) – “We feel we’ve prepared very well and we’re in a good place. When you come to Six Nations games and the last two weekends, there’s pressure on all sides and we know there’s pressure on us to keep that run of two wins going.
“We understand that if we don’t win, obviously the Championship is dead for us, but at the same time we know that and the pressure that we feel on ourselves is what we put on each other and on ourselves.
“When you come here and you’re playing Wales, you now it’s going to be loud – regardless of the roof being open or closed. It’s going to be really, really loud. From an international point of view, it’s one of the best stadiums in the world to play in because the atmosphere is just electric. I’m sure on a Friday night it’s going to be as good if not better than anything we’ve experienced.
“For that, you’ve got to be prepared to know that if you feel like you’re shouting at team-mates in a normal game, you’re going to have to really scream at each other here because it’s going to be really hard to hear each other.
“At the same time, it’s a group that’s been together for a really long time, so you have to rely on a little bit of instinct, a little bit of reading each other, a little bit of knowing that with players and the mentality they have, knowing they’ll rise to a really tough occasion.
“I think it’s a very good Welsh side. I think when you look down the spine of the team, they’ve got some really quality players. You look at Ken Owens, Alun Wyn Jones, the back row – whichever three are on at any given time – their halfbacks are brilliant.
“It’s a real quality side. I suppose there is a lot of pressure on them because Wales are like Ireland in that they expect to win every game they’re playing. But, look, we’re under no illusions as regards the scale of the task ahead of us, it’s going to be really, really tough, because they’re a quality side.”
Rhys Webb (Wales) – “I am not one to get too caught up in individual battles, my effort and concentration go to the team. Conor (Murray) and Johnny Sexton are a big part of the Irish team. They have a good kicking game which we have to be aware of and we need to apply lots of pressure to them.
“I focus on myself no matter who I am playing. If I do the best I can, I hope the rest takes care of itself. I am really enjoying my rugby, but we’ve been disappointed with results.
“We play the game to win. We felt dominant as a team in the three games and have been unfortunate in the last two when results have not gone our way. I am taking each game as it comes and trying to enjoy it and play with a smile on my face.
“It was great to have a couple of the Welsh football management and Thierry (Henry) come down and watch us train. It’s a bit surreal to have a legend like him around. I shook his hand and said hello, but I don’t think he fancied catching a few box-kicks.
“As soon as the forwards came down he disappeared. I think he must be a back! Thierry is certainly doing a job with Wales football, so hopefully he can bring us a little bit of luck on Friday night. It’s been a good buzz around the hotel and the training sessions this week. Friday can’t come quick enough. It will be one hell of a Test match.”
Pre-Match Links –
Ireland v Wales: Facts & Figures
In Touch: March Edition Out Now
Inside Pass: The Build-Up To Wales
Recent Meetings –
2014: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 26 Wales 3, Aviva Stadium
2015: RBS 6 Nations: Wales 23 Ireland 16, Aviva Stadium; Rugby World Cup Warm-Up: Wales 21 Ireland 35, Millennium Stadium; Rugby World Cup Warm-Up: Ireland 10 Wales 16, Aviva Stadium
2016: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 16 Wales 16, Aviva Stadium
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #TeamOfUs, #ShouldertoShoulder and #WALvIRE on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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