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Ireland face their next challenge on Saturday in the quest for historic back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams.
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Andy Farrell’s team tackle Wales in Dublin, having taken pole position following bonus-point victories over France and Italy, while Wales lost their opening games against Scotland and England.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some key talking points ahead of the game.
Herculean task awaits Wales
Wales are rank outsiders on their latest Aviva Stadium visit, rated no better than a 14-1 chance by some bookmakers, but it is not difficult to see why. While Wales have lost nine of their last 10 Six Nations games, victory for Ireland would also see them equal England’s record of 11 straight victories in the tournament. When Ireland’s home record is factored in – two defeats from the last 40 starts – it all adds up to mission improbable for Warren Gatland’s team. They went desperately close to defeating Scotland and England in their opening Six Nations fixtures, but Ireland in Dublin is a challenge on another scale.
Ireland look unstoppable
After the crushing disappointment of yet another World Cup quarter-final exit, Ireland have shown no hangover, blasting out of the blocks with emphatic wins against France and Italy, while bringing the prospect of winning back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams for the first time ever closer. Two of their remaining three games are at home, and it could be that the hard work has already been done – defeating Les Bleus in Marseille – in terms of a relentless drive for more Six Nations silverware. They will not look at it that way, of course, but it is difficult to ignore just how good Ireland are. Everyone else can only look on with envy.
Wales’ set-piece game has to function
Wales’ Six Nations campaign so far has been a tale of two halves. In the first 40 minutes against Scotland they failed to score a point, then in the second 40 minutes against England they did not trouble the scorers either. Wales almost did enough to win both games, losing 27-26 and 16-14 respectively, and were left reflecting on what might have been. Wales lost six lineouts on their own throw in the Scotland clash, with that key area proving shambolic at times, and the scrum has also creaked occasionally amid many good moments. There is no wriggle room against Ireland. If Wales get their set-piece basics wrong, they will be punished mercilessly.
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Wins
4
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
28
11
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
80%
Hugo Keenan absence a blow for Ireland
Leinster full-back Keenan has proved a dominant force in attack and defence for Ireland during recent seasons. A player who always seems to excel, he has emerged as arguably the leading full-back in northern hemisphere rugby, someone that head coach Farrell knows is ultra-reliable and also offers star quality. A knee injury, though, has sidelined him from the Wales clash, with Farrell calling up Keenan’s Leinster colleague Ciaran Frawley for a first Test start after two appearances off the bench. Given Ireland’s supreme playing structure, Frawley will inevitably slot straight in, but Keenan is a major loss.
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Lions future versus Lions past
Wales boss Gatland led the British and Irish Lions on their last three tours, including masterminding a Test series triumph against Australia in 2013 and a drawn series with New Zealand four years later. He has left big shoes to fill for next year’s Australia mission, but his successor Farrell was emphatically the leading candidate to take over on the back of Ireland’s stunning successes in recent seasons and he knows the Lions ropes, having worked as one of Gatland’s coaching assistants 11 years ago. Their tactical battle this weekend will be fascinating as two of the finest rugby brains around put masterplans into operation.
Comments on RugbyPass
Should be an absolute cracker of a game! Will be great to see DuPont & Ntamack in tandem once again🔥
1 Go to commentsBest team ever…. To have played? These guys are still pressure chokers. Came nowhere when it counted. What a joke
68 Go to commentsMusk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
68 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
29 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
68 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
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