Blood & Mud

RBS 6 Nations Preview: Ireland vs Wales, Croke Park, Sat 14.30

Two teams who have largely failed to perform to anything like their potential will intertwine in Dublin on Saturday, both with their own issues. 

Ireland will hope that they can remove their sporadic cutting edge from its sheath a bit more often, as the 3:3 chances to tries ratio they managed against England will not happen in every match.  They have stuck with Geordan Murphy at full-back after they handed England's arses to them in a very lo-fi yet comprehensive win a couple of weeks back. 

Wales simply need their players to stop having collective amnesia of what rugby is and how to play it in the first forty minutes of a match, and they have given themselves the best chance of doing this with their team selection.  The godsend of an injury to Ryan Jones - whose shocking form was illustrated by him going from 20-yard-run-up full-tilt to flat on his arse in the space of 0.02 metres when tackled vs France - has meant that Gareth "Gloucester Saviour" Delve finally starts.  This selection, along with the impressive looking B Davies-Charteris boilerhouse gives their forward effort much more grunt.  Really good to see Ian Gough back on the bench as well, often the unsung hero of many Welsh triumphs in the recent past.

I expect this to be a corker, but I have to fancy Ireland at home - although not by much.

B&M Predicition: Ireland by 5

Spotter's Badge: Continuing his tournament theme of inappropriate off-mic bias, Jonathan Davies clearly screams, "Windpipe the Irish bastard!"  in the background when Jamie Heaslip breaks the line and bears down on Lee Byrne

TEAMS

Wales: L Byrne (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), J Hook (Ospreys) J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), R Rees (Cardiff Blues); P James (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Cardiff Blues, capt), G Delve (Gloucester)

Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), R Gill (Saracens), I Gough (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), D Peel (Sale), A Bishop (Ospreys), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues)

Ireland: G Murphy (Leicester); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D'Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster); J Sexton (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster)

Replacements: S Cronin (Connacht), T Buckley (Munster), L Cullen (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster)

Referee: Craig "No Relation To Andre" Joubert (SA)

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RBS 6 Nations Preview: Ireland vs Wales, Croke Park, Sat 14.30

Two teams who have largely failed to perform to anything like their potential will intertwine in Dublin on Saturday, both with their own issues. 

Ireland will hope that they can remove their sporadic cutting edge from its sheath a bit more often, as the 3:3 chances to tries ratio they managed against England will not happen in every match.  They have stuck with Geordan Murphy at full-back after they handed England's arses to them in a very lo-fi yet comprehensive win a couple of weeks back. 

Wales simply need their players to stop having collective amnesia of what rugby is and how to play it in the first forty minutes of a match, and they have given themselves the best chance of doing this with their team selection.  The godsend of an injury to Ryan Jones - whose shocking form was illustrated by him going from 20-yard-run-up full-tilt to flat on his arse in the space of 0.02 metres when tackled vs France - has meant that Gareth "Gloucester Saviour" Delve finally starts.  This selection, along with the impressive looking B Davies-Charteris boilerhouse gives their forward effort much more grunt.  Really good to see Ian Gough back on the bench as well, often the unsung hero of many Welsh triumphs in the recent past.

I expect this to be a corker, but I have to fancy Ireland at home - although not by much.

B&M Predicition: Ireland by 5

Spotter's Badge: Continuing his tournament theme of inappropriate off-mic bias, Jonathan Davies clearly screams, "Windpipe the Irish bastard!"  in the background when Jamie Heaslip breaks the line and bears down on Lee Byrne

TEAMS

Wales: L Byrne (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), J Hook (Ospreys) J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), R Rees (Cardiff Blues); P James (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Cardiff Blues, capt), G Delve (Gloucester)

Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), R Gill (Saracens), I Gough (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), D Peel (Sale), A Bishop (Ospreys), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues)

Ireland: G Murphy (Leicester); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D'Arcy (Leinster), K Earls (Munster); J Sexton (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster)

Replacements: S Cronin (Connacht), T Buckley (Munster), L Cullen (Leinster), S Jennings (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), R Kearney (Leinster)

Referee: Craig "No Relation To Andre" Joubert (SA)