Round four of the Six Nations gets underway at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday evening, where Ireland will be hosting Wales.
The home side head into this encounter in a confident mood as they delivered an outstanding all-round performance in their previous match against England en route to their 42-21 bonus-point victory at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
That result was a fitting one as Andy Farrell’s charges dominated most facets of play, and it keeps their Six Nations title hopes alive as they currently occupy third position in the standings.
That performance against the Red Rose was a much better effort after Ireland’s campaign started on a disastrous note against France in Paris when Les Bleus cruised to an emphatic 36-14 triumph against them.
Ireland‘s next clash was against Italy at the Aviva Stadium, and although the hosts clinched a 20-13 win, they had to dig deep to secure the victory against a much-improved Azzurri outfit.
After delivering their excellent showing in that memorable away triumph over England, Ireland have nine points on the table, two more than second-placed Scotland, and six adrift of table-toppers France.
With Scotland hosting France in their clash at Murrayfield on Saturday, Farrell and his players will be hoping for the Scots to hand Les Bleus their first defeat of the Championship while they clinch a bonus-point win over Wales to improve their chances of winning the title.
Meanwhile, Wales head into this clash on the opposite side of the spectrum as they are currently on a 14-match losing streak in the Six Nations, which stretches back to 2023.
Their 2026 campaign kicked off in horrific fashion as they suffered a 48-7 defeat against England at Allianz Stadium and although they had home ground advantage in their next match against France, it was a similar story as their opponents sealed a comfortable 54-12 win at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Steve Tandy’s charges returned to Cardiff for their fixture against Scotland and delivered a superb performance. But despite showing great improvement in all departments, they lost their way in that match’s closing stages, and the visitors eventually secured a narrow 26-23 victory – a result which leaves them firmly rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point amassed from three matches played.
Despite suffering another loss, Wales will be aiming to build on their performance from that Scotland clash, but they face a daunting task against an Ireland side who will have their tails up in their backyard.
Where the game will be won
With them being overwhelming underdogs, for Wales to upset the apple cart, they will have to play out of their skin and do the basics well for the full 80 minutes.
That is easier said than done, however, as Ireland come into this weekend’s fixture with a spring in their step after hitting their straps in their previous clash against England.
As usual, the forward battle will be huge, and although Wales are yet to win a match in this year’s Six Nations, they have held their own in the scrums while Ireland have conceded the most penalties (12) at the set-piece.
Meanwhile, Wales’ lineout work has not been of a high standard as they are currently in fourth position for lineout wins (37), 10 less than England, who are the pacesetters in that department, with Ireland being the worst performing side in that area (34).
However, an area which we feel will be critical in this fixture is the breakdown battle, and this is a position of strength for Ireland as they have won 31 turnovers in the Six Nations so far, which is more than any other team in the Championship. By contrast, Wales have only won 18 and are the second worst performing team – with only England sitting below them in that area – and if they want to cause an upset, they have to be more competitive in this facet of play.
Last time they met
What they said
Although Wales have once again been the also-rans in the Six Nations and are bringing up the rear in the Championship, Farrell is not underestimating his opponents.
“The story has been written many times about their decline and how unfortunate it has been, but at the same time we are playing them in a Test match on Friday and, from what I’ve seen, they’ve been getting better game on game,” he said.
“The last game was as close as it gets against a very good Scottish squad.
“We have heard the confidence in the Welsh camp that they are coming to Dublin with a spring in their step and they are familiar with how our lads play in the URC.
“I suppose that influences the result last year, so it’s up to us to show that we have moved on as well.”
Meanwhile, despite still being winless, Tandy is keen for his players to build on their performance against Scotland.
“I think it’s about backing up from the performance against Scotland. Obviously, it’s a different context,” he explained.
“Going away from home, is a different type of environment for our group, but the focus for us is really improving on what we did last [match].
“I thought the defence against Scotland was much improved, so we definitely want to double down on that going to Ireland. You see how they keep the ball in possession.
“They play lots of passes, so it’s something we know we’re going to have to build and improve from Scotland.”
Players to watch
Friday’s encounter will be a memorable one for experienced Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park as he becomes the 61st player to make his 50th Test appearance for Ireland. The 34-year-old is a vital cog in the Ireland machine and his ability to dictate the pace of a match with his outstanding game management and excellent attacking skills makes him a genuine threat with ball in hand. He also provides an excellent service to his outside backs and will be determined to celebrate his milestone match with another victory for his country.
Another player who has impressed for the home side in recent weeks is right wing Robert Baloucoune, who after missing out on selection for Ireland’s Six Nations opener, as elevated to the run-on side for their clash with Italy and grabbed that opportunity with both hands. The Ulsterman crossed for a well-taken try in that clash and repeated that feat in their next match, against England when he crossed the whitewash again. Blessed with plenty of pace and an eye for a gap, Baloucoune should provide headaches to the visitors’ defence once he builds up a head of steam.
Also keep an eye on exciting openside flanker Nick Timoney, who has been rewarded with his first Six Nations start after impressing off the replacements bench against France, Italy and England. The 30-year-old is strong in the carry, competes ferociously at the breakdowns and is also an adept defender and will be keen to impress in all the aforementioned departments in a bid to win a permanent spot in Ireland’s starting line-up.
Meanwhile, for Wales, there will be plenty of pressure on young playmaker Dan Edwards who has been recalled to the run-on side as a replacement at fly-half for the injured Sam Costelow. After delivering underwhelming performances in the losses to England and France, Edwards was dropped from Wales’ matchday squad for their Scotland defeat. He will have to hit the ground running against Ireland and will be expected to give his side momentum with his game management and playmaking skills.
If Edwards wants to deliver the goods as Wales’ chief playmaker, a lot will depend on his combination with his half-back partner Tomos Williams, who, despite Wales’ poor form, has been one of the best players in his position in the Championship. The Saracens-bound scrum-half is a brilliant all-round player who can create try-scoring opportunities for his team-mates with his superb attacking skills, and he also possesses an educated boot with his box-kicking and touch finders amongst his strengths in that department.
Another player who will be crucial to Wales’ cause is burly loosehead prop Rhys Carre, who has been one of his country’s best players in the Six Nations this year. After impressing off the replacements bench in their opener against England, the 28-year-old was promoted to the starting line-up and gave a good account of himself in the scrums, but also impressed with his general play and crossed for tries in successive Tests against France and Scotland.
Main head-to-head
Although there are numerous enticing direct duels across the park, the battle between the two number eights, Ireland skipper Caelan Doris and Wales stalwart Aaron Wainwright, should be one of the highlights of this clash. Both players are important to their respective teams’ causes and have delivered impressive individual performances so far during the Championship.
After suffering a serious shoulder injury in 2025, which ruled him out of the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, Doris was eased back into Test action during last year’s Autumn Nations Series and he has impressed with his strong leadership, superb attacking ability and solid defensive skills. It’s a similar story for Wainwright who has shone for Ireland in the Six Nations, whether he packs down at number eight or on the flank who usually puts his side on the front foot on attack and comes to the fore with some big hits on attack.
Prediction
After their impressive victory over England and with this fixture taking place in their backyard, Ireland will come into this encounter with plenty of confidence and although Farrell has made some alterations to his run-on side, the core of his matchday squad is still in place. Although Wales showed improvement in their previous match, they will offer little resistance to their hosts who will extend the visitors’ Six Nations losing streak to 15 successive Tests. Ireland to win by 30 points.
Previous results
2025: Ireland won 27-18 in Cardiff
2024: Ireland won 31-7 in Dublin
2023: Ireland won 34-10 in Cardiff
2022: Ireland won 29-7 in Dublin
2021: Wales won 21-16 in Cardiff
2020: Ireland won 32-9 in Dublin
2020: Ireland won 24-14 in Dublin
2019: Ireland won 19-10 in Dublin
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The teams
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Jack Conan, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Tom O’Toole
Replacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Ciaran Frawley
Wales: 15 Louis Rees-Zammit, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 James Botham, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Dafydd Jenkins, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Rhys Carre
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Archie Griffin, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Louie Hennessey
Date: Friday, March 6
Kick-off: 20:10 GMT
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Damian Schneider (UAR)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)