Wales aim to reclaim pride against fiery Irish

The final fixture of the Six Nations’ opening weekend takes place at the Principality Stadium where Wales will host the Irish.

It is no secret that Wales have fallen on tough times and many have written them off in this game and tournament. It is a truly unfortunate state of affairs considering that, in 2019, the red jerseys took the title.

Alun Wyn Jones’ men had an encouraging start to the 2020 instalment, thrashing Italy 42-0 at the same venue as this weekend before going on to lose their remaining four fixtures – a run which saw them finish second-last, ahead of the Italians and six points behind Scotland.

Ireland’s efforts last year were good enough to put them in third spot with three victories from five outings. While they had the better of Scotland, Wales and Italy, they were unable to pull one over either of the tournament’s top two performing teams in England and France.

Ireland and Wales crossed swords in the second round of the 2020 competition, the former taking the honours 24-14. The Welsh absorbed some twenty minutes of Irish pressure before Johnny Sexton’s men opened the scoring. Wales hit back with a converted try to snatch the lead but it was short-lived as Ireland ran in their second try before the half-time whistle sounded. The Irish took control of the second stanza, employing impressive tactics which saw them playing in the right areas of the field, keeping a firm grip on the math until the end.

The Covid-19-induced Autumn Nations Cup in November last year saw the rivals lock horns once more, this time at the Aviva Stadium. It was a game that cemented the notion of Wales’ troubles as Ireland dominated proceedings with a 32-9 victory. The only area of the game in which Wales had the better of their opponents was the turnovers stat, the Welsh loose-forwards putting in a good shift to turn over a total of 13 balls. In every other area of the game, however, it was Ireland coming out on top – overall, they enjoyed 61% possession and 66% territory.

In the Irish camp, there is much excitement over the return of barnstorming tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong after a long wait on the sidelines with injury. Fly-half and captain Johnny Sexton has also been deemed fit to play and will lend his considerable experience to what Irish fans will hope to be another commanding victory. Andy Farrell and co. were, however, made aware this week that loose-forward Caelan Doris and lock Quinn Roux will not take part in Round 1 due to injury – they have been replaced by Munster’s Gavin Coombes and Leinster’s Ryan Baird respectively.

In a shock announcement, Welsh winger Josh Adams has been suspended from the squad for the first two rounds after apparently breaching Covid-19 protocols when he attended a small family gathering on Sunday.

Of the 131 times that these teams have met on the rugby pitch, Wales have emerged victorious on 69 occasions while Ireland have 55 wins under their belt with 7 draws occurring between them.

The new competition will bring with it fresh hope to Welsh hearts while Ireland will be fully committed to continue building on their numerous strengths. With the Welsh squad potentially disrupted somewhat after the announcement regarding josh Adams, Alun Wyn Jones will be required to utilise his significant leadership qualities to forge a sense of steely resolve amongst his teammates ahead of kick-off.

The odds, at this stage, may lie with Ireland, but it is always a spirited affair when the red and green jerseys clash.