Two men who were pivotal in Wales’ undoing of Ireland at the World Cup will be back to haunt Declan Kidney’s men in the Six Nations opener this Sunday.
There had been doubts over the participation of powerhouse centre Jamie Roberts and out-half Rhys Priestland, but both have overcome knee injuries and will start at the Aviva Stadium. As expected, Dan Lydiate has failed to recover from an ankle injury and will miss out.
The Welsh team shows only five changes from the team that humiliated Ireland in New Zealand in October, with Alex Cuthbert and Rhys Gill making only their second appearance in a Welsh jersey.
The back row of Ryan Jones, Sam Warburton and Toby Faletau has a formidable look, while Roberts, Jonathan Davies and flying winger George North will all be looking to build on impressive World Cup displays.
Warren Gatland is known for his ability to raise the ire of the opposition, particularly Ireland, before matches and while his words won’t exactly be pinned to the Irish dressing room wall on Sunday, he did say that they’ll meet fire with fire this weekend.
“We are two sides who know each other well, Ireland will not have enjoyed losing to us in New Zealand, they will want to redress the balance in Dublin this weekend, but they will find us in just as determined mood,” Gatland said.
Them’s fighting words, Gatty. We’ll see you on Sunday.
Wales: Leigh Halfpenny; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Rhys Priestland, Michael Phillips; Rhys Gill, Huw Bennett, Adam Jones, Bradley Davies, Ian Evans, Ryan Jones, Sam Warburton (Captain), Toby Faletau.
Replacements: Ken Owens, Paul James, Andy Powell, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, James Hook, Scott Williams
If you haven’t yet seen the Irish team by the way, click here.
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