Ireland face Wales this evening in round 4 of the 6 Nations in Dublin. Wales are looking for a first win of the campaign while Ireland are looking to continue the upturn in form that has seen them beat Italy and England in round 2 and 3.
Wales will hope to beat Ireland for the first time in 5 years and while the smart money will be on Ireland winning and continuing the recent form line that has them back in contention for a Triple Crown win.
Amazing over the past number of years that a Triple Crown would not really register anymore because it’s a Championship win or Grand Slam or bust, For so many years a Triple Crown was hard to achieve for any Irish team and that was beat Wales, Scotland and England and you’d secure this mythical trophy which has only had a trophy to mark it over the past 24 years or so.
Ireland have made a number of changes with 5 in total and still have the spine of experience that should help with complacency. The win over England in particular has focused the minds of all the players.
The challenge now will be can Ireland kick on from the high of 2 weeks ago and finish the campaign with strong performances to show that the win over England wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
Andy Farrell and his coaches have helped find the answers but will know that it is important to keep things moving forward. He has been linked with a move away from Ireland after the World Cup in October 2027. At that point he will have chalked up 11 years of involvement with Ireland as an assistant and head coach.
Ireland and Wales will come at the game this evening in differing form but Wales will know that they have slowly improved but have yet to put in a complete performance over the last while. Several issues are in the background and will continue to overhang the Championship. All the players in the Welsh camp can do is continue to perform and see can they find the vital win that might just kick-start things for them.
The WRU need to hold up there end of the bargain and get around the table again with all the stakeholders and try and trash out a deal that will work for all parties. It is a mess that has defiantly impacted performances on the field.
Ireland will know they have a chance to pick up a win this evening and put themselves in a strong position heading to play Scotland next week in the early kick off on “Super Saturday”.
Sport like most walks of life can be very fickle and the good things and deeds can be so easily forgotten when the pressure comes on. Wales will come to Dublin with everything to gain and nothing to lose and that will keep them alive in the contest.
Tonight is another one of those moments where being complacent can cause trouble but I can say that Ireland will do as much as is possible that stop that from happening. Triple Crowns may not be the “in” thing but given the way the Championship began in Paris, the sight of trophy next week on the line will be important and who knows if Scotland topple France in Murrayfield tomorrow afternoon there may even be an outside hope of a Championship win, slim I know but we can but hope !!!