Paul O’Connell hits the century mark as Ireland go in search of their third successive victory over Wales, a result which could go a long way to deciding this winners of this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.
2015 RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, March 14
WALES (3rd) v IRELAND (1st), Millennium Stadium, 2.30pm (live RTÉ Two/BBC One/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made one change to the team for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations match against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
Jamie Heaslip returns to the side after missing the England game due to a back injury, with Jordi Murphy reverting to the replacements bench.
Paul O’Connell will captain the side and win his 100th Ireland cap in the Welsh capital, lining out alongside second row partner Devin Toner.
O’Connell, who will be featuring in his 50th RBS 6 Nations game, is Irish rugby’s fourth centurion. He is following in the footsteps of his former team-mates John Hayes (105), Ronan O’Gara (128) and Brian O’Driscoll (133).
The selected front row is again made up of Jack McGrath, Mike Ross and Rory Best, while the returning Heaslip is joined in the back row by Peter O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien.
The back-line is unchanged with Conor Murray and Jonathan Sexton, who will win his 50th Ireland cap, paired at half-back once more and the combination of Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne links up again in midfield. Rob Kearney is joined in the back-three by Tommy Bowe and Simon Zebo.
Tommy O’Donnell is replaced on the bench by Murphy with the remainder of the replacements unchanged – Sean Cronin, Martin Moore, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan and Felix Jones.
Prop Healy will win his 50th cap for Ireland if he is introduced off the bench at the Millennium Stadium.
Meanwhile, Sam Warburton will lead an unchanged Wales team against Ireland as he enters the record books, captaining his country for a record 34th time.
Warburton will surpass Ryan Jones’ record of 33 matches as captain as Wales look for their third successive victory of this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship.
The same side that took to the pitch for the 20-13 win in Paris will start the penultimate fixture against the defending champions. There are two injury-enforced changes on the bench with the uncapped Rob Evans and his Scarlets team-mate Jake Ball coming in for Paul James and Bradley Davies respectively.
Gethin Jenkins will earn his 114th cap alongside Scott Baldwin and Samson Lee in the front row. Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones pair up in the second row with Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau lining up alongside captain Warburton.
Ospreys duo Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar continue at half-back with Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies named in the midfield. The back-three sees Liam Williams and George North line up alongside goal-kicking full-back Leigh Halfpenny.
WALES: Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon); George North (Northampton Saints), Jonathan Davies (Clermont Auvergne), Jamie Roberts (Racing Metro 92), Liam Williams (Scarlets); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Samson Lee (Scarlets), Luke Charteris (Racing Metro 92), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues) (capt), Toby Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements: Richard Hibbard (Gloucester), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Jake Ball (Scarlets), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Mike Phillips (Racing Metro 92), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Scott Williams (Scarlets).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Jared Payne (Ulster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht), Simon Zebo (Cork Constitution/Munster); Jonathan Sexton (Racing Metro 92), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Paul O’Connell (Young Munster/Munster) (capt), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Jerome Garces (France), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Television Match Official: Graham Hughes (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Wales to win: 6/5; Draw: 18/1; Ireland to win: 4/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Joe Schmidt (Ireland) – “It has a kind of exponential character to it. You get one, the next one does become a little bit bigger again, especially because it’s an away game. It’s an opportunity to stay in front in the Championship and keep control of our own destiny in the Championship.
“I think the fear for us is that if we do slip up in Cardiff, England are likely to rebound and go very hard at Scotland. I think Scotland (Ireland’s final opponents next week) will also rebound. I know they are going to be disappointed having lost right at the death last time out (against Italy).
“The problem for us is we can’t control anything that happens outside of the Millennium Stadium in this round of matches, therefore for us it does become a massive game.
“It’s a massive game for a whole lot of reasons. Obviously the amount of respect that Paul O’Connell has in the environment, and even Johnny Sexton and Cian Healy likely to be involved in their 50th caps. An opportunity to do what no Irish team has ever done in the history of the game (winning 11 Tests in a row). The danger is being distracted by those sort of things.
“All we can really do is get into the Millennium Stadium and try and play as well as we possibly can and hope they don’t quite put things together, because we know that if they do then they’re going to be very hard to stop.
“The person I have come to know is exactly the person I thought he was from afar. Paul has got incredible self drive, is an incredibly intelligent man about the game, about particular aspects of the game.
“He is incredibly driven to improve his own performance and thereby leads others in doing that. That is what I have learnt even more.”
Rob Howley (Wales) – “Johnny (Sexton) is an exceptional player. He is very meticulous, and we all know what a quality kicker he is and his ability to get the best out of the back-line. It’s a great match-up in the half-backs. You have got the experience against the lesser experience of Dan (Biggar) and Rhys (Webb), but you have players who are all playing well.
“We need to score tries to beat Ireland on Saturday, and likewise they need to score against us. What we don’t want it to come down to is a kicking feast, in terms of penalties. The key factor will be territory and possession.
“If one side is clinical in attack and creates the opportunities, you have to take them. That’s the challenge for the Welsh fifteen on Saturday. The one thing we need to dominate is territory and possession. That’s key against Ireland, and they will be looking at those statistics as well.
“If you have got possession, you don’t have to defend the aerial battle and the astute tactical kicking by Conor and Johnny. Keeping hold of the ball for long periods of time will put pressure on their defensive line.”
Pre-Match Links –
Ireland v Wales: Facts & Figures
O’Connell: It’s A Great Honour And Something I’ll Savour It In The Future
In Pics: Paul O’Connell – 100 Caps For Ireland
McGrath Aiming For Further Improvement Against Welsh
Henshaw Braced For Tough Encounter With Wales
Recent Meetings –
2012: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 21 Wales 23, Aviva Stadium
2013: RBS 6 Nations: Wales 22 Ireland 30, Millennium Stadium
2014: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 26 Wales 3, Aviva Stadium
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #ShouldertoShoulder or #WALvIRL on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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