Six Nations Talking Points: Ireland must be wary of changed and wounded Wales
Ireland's Peter O'Mahony comes up against Scotland's Rory Darge and Jonny Gray. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Ireland face wounded Wales in Round 3 of the Guinness Six Nations Championship at the Principality Stadium on Saturday with the ancient rivalry between these two proud rugby nations currently being more one-sided than it has ever been in its history.
The records keep tumbling for Wales. It is now fourteen depressing defeats on the trot for them and there is little sign of that sequence ending anytime soon.
Their legendary coach Warren Gatland returned, with high expectations that he was the man to stop the rot, but he could not address the slide and has fallen on his sword since the dismal 22-15 defeat to Italy in Rome a fortnight ago.
They have not beaten any international side since beating Georgia at the Rugby World Cup way back in October 2023, and it is difficult to see them ending this sorry sequence this weekend against the hottest of favourites Ireland, or even in the upcoming fixtures against Scotland and England.
Wales interim head coach Matt Sherratt has called up Harlequins out-half Jarrod Evans and Gloucester pair Gareth Anscombe and centre Max Llewellyn, and their presence in the squad should ensure that at the very least Wales should have a bit more balance and experience in key playmaking positions on Saturday.
In their defeats to France and Italy they threw poor Ben Thomas to the wolves at number 10.
The Cardiff player is predominantly a centre so to ask him to pull the strings for a side that was a rabble was unfair, as their attack has looked as blunt as Man United’s at present.
Evans and Anscombe may not be Barry John and Phil Bennett reincarnated, but at least they are specialists in the position, and that alone should see an improvement in Wales’ play.
Ireland captain Caelan Doris is set to miss this crunch tie with a knee injury, which will signal the first time since 2021 that he has missed an international for his country.
That is 42 Tests in a row for the Mayo man, and while that might sound great, we have to question whether any player should be playing every single game for Ireland, especially smack bang in the middle of a World Cup cycle.
Ireland will now start 32-year-old Jack Conan at number eight against Wales, but the Leinster man may not be around at the next World Cup, so come 2027 there may be issues that could be avoided right now.
We have been hearing endlessly about the need to build depth at 10 when justification has been made for elevating Sam Prendergast so early, but this also needs to be done in other key positions like full-back, openside and number eight.
Munster pair Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett have joined the Irish squad this week. It would have been wonderfully positive and refreshing if either were to be part of the 23 for the game in Cardiff, but given the lack of interest shown to both by the Irish management we knew that was unlikely.
Both have a lot to offer Ireland, even if that was as back-ups to the likes of Doris and Josh van der Flier.
Just like last season, the early results in the initial rounds of the competition have meant that a championship looks likely already for Ireland, so Irish fans will be greedily thinking that anything less than a Grand Slam will feel like failure at this stage.
They travel to Cardiff as 1/50 and -25 point favourites, and while the Welsh might circle the wagons and get a reaction that sees them stay within that handicap, it is almost impossible to see how they can hurt Ireland enough, in both attack and defence, to give themselves a chance to actually grab a shock victory.
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