IRELAND: Jamie Osborne; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Tom O’Toole, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris (capt). Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier, Nathan Doak, Tom Farrell, Ciarán Frawley.
WALES: Louis Rees-Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (capt), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright. Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Loue Hennessey.
Key reads:
- Gordon D’Arcy: Ireland’s Twickenham breakdown dominance can pave way for success against Wales
- Borthwick ball and Ireland’s defence: Three charts reveal interesting tactical trends
- Gerry Thornley: Six Nations takes on retro feel as Ireland aim to set up Triple Crown decider
Join The Irish Times Rugby WhatsApp channel to stay up to date with all the latest Six Nations news, and get The Irish Times rugby coverage sent direct to your inbox by signing up to Gerry Thornley’s Counter Ruck newsletter.
That’s all from me for today, thanks for following along.
We’ll be back with another live blog for Friday’s game, along with the usual helping of player ratings, reaction and analysis from our team of writers and columnists.
In the meantime, keep an eye on The Irish Times sports pages for all the latest Six Nations news.
Bye for now!
Ahead of this weekend’s action, here’s how the World Rankings are looking.
Once again, there’s no change to at one and two; South Africa on top with New Zealand second.
Ireland’s win at Twickenham caused some movement thereafter, Andy Farrell’s side jumping back up to third, pushing both France and England down a spot to fourth and fifth respectively.
Argentina are in sixth, followed by Scotland, Australia and Fiji, while Italy round out the top 10, while Wales dropped below Japan to sit 12th.
The theme coming from the Ireland camp in the run-up to the Wales clash has been ‘proceed with caution’, and Simon Easterby was certainly singing from that same hymn sheet last week after Ireland’s opening training session at the Aviva Stadium.
With Andy Farrell away on his Lions secondment, Easterby was in charge of Ireland for their 27-18 win away to Wales last season which was rather narrower than they would have liked.
“It was tough,” Easterby recalled of last year’s encounter. “I think we met them in the middle (of the tournament), when Gats (Warren Gatland) left and they brought Matt (Sherratt) in as a caretaker.”
However, with Steve Tandy now installed as head coach, Easterby said Wales have “a really good coaching group” and will have gained confidence from their performance in defeat to Scotland.
So Ireland won’t be taking anything for granted, wary of the threat posed by the visitors who are attempting to avoid a third consecutive wooden spoon.
“One result against England in Twickenham doesn’t give us the right to sit back and reflect and enjoy that, because you know you’ve got another game coming up against Wales,” said Easterby.
“It’s a different game, it’s a different team that we’re playing against. They’ve got different skill sets and they’ve got different threats to England. We need to make sure that we keep getting better ourselves.”
Jamie Osborne will again start at fullback for Ireland, the 24-year-old “living one of rugby’s oldest adages: that injury to one player is an opportunity for another,” Johnny Watterson writes.
While Hugo Keenan has been absent due to hip and thumb injuries, “Osborne’s claims to fullback have been growing louder”, his performance against England at Twickenham representing a case in point.
Read Johnny’s chat with Osborne below:
[ Jamie Osborne looking to make Ireland fullback position his ownOpens in new window ]
Now, how about some stats?
With the Six Nations on a break last week, Nathan Johns had some time to drill down into the nitty gritty details of the tournament so far, picking out five key tactical trends.
Proving himself to be a stats man worth his salt, Nathan leads with the caveat that the championship thus far is not a large enough sample size to go drawing any ironclad conclusions. However, he adds, “we can still learn plenty about how sides are approaching this tournament”.
Ireland’s defence, goal-kicking, ‘Borthwick-ball’, Wales’ inefficiency and France’s all-round dominance are all up for discussion.
Read Nathan’s stat’s piece below:
This is what Andy Farrell had to say on his selection:
“We have two special milestones in the squad this week at opposite ends of the scrumhalf spectrum.
“I would firstly like to congratulate Nathan (Doak) on his first international selection. Nathan has been around a few Ireland camps in recent years and has impressed with the consistency and quality of his play in training and with Ulster over a longer period.
“I know how much this means to Nathan and we are determined to make this a special few days for him and his family.
“Also, Jamison (Gibson-Park) becomes the 61st Irish international to reach the 50-cap mark, which is an incredible achievement for a top-class professional.
“I have no doubt that both players are excited to get out in front of a packed Aviva Stadium on Friday night.”
Here’s Gerry Thornley:
Continuing the trend of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign this season, Andy Farrell has made five changes to his starting XV for Friday night’s meeting with Wales at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 8.10pm).
Although Farrell could have left well enough alone after the record 42-21 win at Twickenham before the rest week, all told he has made seven changes to the matchday squad, with the five newcomers on a bench which features uncapped 24-year-old Ulster scrumhalf Nathan Doak.
Nick Timoney has been handed a full Six Nations debut on the back of three impressive performances as a replacement, while Jack Conan has been restored at blindside after illness forced his late withdrawal for the England game, for which he had been named on the bench.
Like Timoney, Rónan Kelleher has also been promoted, with Tom Stewart in line for his Six Nations debut off the bench as Dan Sheehan is rested. Despite also performing well in Twickenham, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier drop to the replacements, with Tadhg Beirne moving from blindside to secondrow.
There is a fourth change in the pack, with Tom O’Toole named for his first Test start at loosehead after Jeremy Loughman joined Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle on the injury list.
The only difference from the backline which started in Twickenham is also enforced, with Jacob Stockdale restored in place of the injured James Lowe despite Tommy O’Brien’s try-scoring appearance against England.
Otherwise, the backline is retained, with man Jamison Gibson-Park again partnering Jack Crowley at halfback. Outstanding in Twickenham, Friday’s game marks Gibson-Park’s 50th Test for Ireland, having made his debut off the bench against Italy in October 2020.
Among the replacements, Michael Milne returns to the matchday squad after his try-scoring Six Nations debut against France, while Thomas Clarkson is also restored having featured against France and Italy.
And it’s another good day for Ulster as five of the northern province’s players have been included in the starting XV. In addition to Stewart, Doak is set to make his international debut having been promoted to the matchday squad ahead of Craig Casey.
Farrell has retained the 5-3 bench split, where Tom Farrell has been recalled ahead of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw for the makings of another Six Nations debut, and Ciarán Frawley has been retained ahead of Sam Prendergast.
Here we have it, the Ireland team to face Wales at the Aviva Stadium on Friday:
IRELAND: Jamie Osborne; Robert Baloucoune, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Tom O’Toole, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Jack Conan, Nick Timoney, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Josh van der Flier, Nathan Doak, Tom Farrell, Ciarán Frawley.
And just to jog our memories, here’s the side Steve Tandy named this morning:
WALES: Louis Rees-Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (capt), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Loue Hennessey.
We’ll have a quick take on Andy Farrell’s selection from Gerry Thornley shortly.
Ten minutes to the Ireland team announcement.
In his latest instalment of The Counter Ruck newsletter, Gerry Thornley notes that the supposed ‘crisis’ surrounding Irish rugby, which has mysteriously abated after the win over England, has nothing on that faced by Wales. Although, he concedes these things are relative.
“(Wales) have had their downturns,” Gerry writes, “but it’s hard to recall if Welsh rugby has ever been in a crisis quite like their current one. Their regions are at war with the Welsh Rugby Union, who have scarcely drawn a positive headline for anything they’ve done in recent times, and have attracted some profoundly embarrassing ones.
“The Sword of Damocles hangs over one or two of the four Welsh regions, depending on what month or week it is, and their national team have lost 14 Six Nations games in a row and have won just two of their last 27 Tests, both against Japan.”
However, he adds Wales looked “unrecognisable” in their narrow loss to Scotland in the third round, albeit largely due to the influence of recalled outhalf Sam Costelow, who misses Friday’s fixture through injury.
So no, it’s not looking good for Wales, but maybe we ought to be wary of a potential sting in the dragon’s tale.
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[ Any Irish rugby crisis pales in comparison to the situation Wales are inOpens in new window ]
One change Andy Farrell is expected to make for Friday’s clash against Wales is the promotion of Nick Timoney to the starting XV.
The Ulster backrow is in line for his first Six Nations start having made a try-scoring tournament debut against France before featuring off the bench against Italy and England.
“Timoney’s style of play in the Ulster and Ireland backrow has been influenced by the essential characteristics of Sevens rugby, with mobility a foundational element,” Johnny Watterson writes of the 30-year-old. “His pace is not his only strength, but it is the most eye-catching.”
We’re an hour out from Andy Farrell naming his matchday side. Nearly there.
“The Twickenham legacy carries a hint of danger from an Ireland perspective, specifically that perspective could be swallowed whole in victory,” Gordon D’Arcy writes in his latest column.
“One afternoon’s work shouldn’t gloss over the improvements still required for a squad that’s busy forging a new rugby identity.
He cautions Ireland’s early-tournament doomsayers who have turned born-again-believers following the win over England, asking instead what changed over the last two game for Andy Farrell to get such a response from his side.
“Dropping Jamison Gibson-Park against Italy was not punishment. I wrote that, and I’ll say it again. It was a timely reminder that nobody is indispensable. When he came back to start at Twickenham, he was electric, and that is no coincidence.
“Farrell is a coach who knows his players intimately enough to use discomfort as a tool. The bench against Italy didn’t just add energy; it changed what the game looked like, and with the benefit of hindsight, the trajectory of the team in the tournament. That is valuable information, if you’re willing to use it.”
Read D’Arcy’s column in full below:
Almost a fortnight on and we’re still marvelling at Stuart McCloskey’s lung-busting run to deny Marcus Smith a late try last time out at Twickenham.
And while we’re reminiscing, how about this one from McCloskey’s Ulster team-mate Rob Baloucoune.
With his knuckles well and truly rapped after a four-match ban for his approach of the referee following Connacht’s defeat to Leinster in January, Bundee Aki returned to the Ireland fold this week ahead of Friday’s game.
The centre was dropped from the squad for their pre-tournament training camp in Portugal and missed out on Ireland’s opening three fixtures, but Paul O’Connell confirmed Aki was back with the team on Monday and “trained quite well”.
“He’s a brilliant personality to have around the place,” said O’Connell. “It just adds to the group. It’s great to have that leadership, that kind of personality around the place, helping guys, talking to guys.”
[ Bundee Aki back in Ireland squad ahead of Wales game after suspensionOpens in new window ]
Wales may currently be down on their luck – although, with a 14-game losing streak in the Six Nations, that might be putting it mildly – but one person who is refusing to underestimate them is Paul O’Connell.
The Ireland assistant coach believes Wales have been improving with each round.
“I think Wales have excellent players, they’ve really good athletes, really good coaches‚” O’Connell said earlier this week.
“You’ve seen hints of it in the last few months. I think Wales are going to get better and better. We’re expecting a tough game but we just want to see us getting better at what we do.”
[ Paul O’Connell warns of Welsh threat, pointing to ‘hints’ of a re-emergenceOpens in new window ]
While there are quite a number of trophies on offer during the Six Nations – in the style of the Calcutta Cup (England v Scotland), the Doddie Weir Cup (Wales v Scotland), or the new Solidarity Trophy (Ireland v France) – the one that Ireland will be eyeing is the Triple Crown.
Contested by Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, the Triple Crown is won if one nation defeats the other three during the tournament. Ireland are the most recent winners having claimed it last season.
Gerry Thornley notes 2025 was only Ireland’s 14th time securing the Triple Crown, which was first awarded in 1883.
“A third Triple Crown in four years, like those of 2022 and 2023, was effectively lost in the wash. Ireland have long since been in the market for titles and Grand Slams. The Triple Crown is no longer the full bag of chips,” Gerry writes.
“But if Andy Farrell’s men beat Wales at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night, then a Triple Crown shoot-out between Ireland and Scotland on Saturday week would be guaranteed.”
While it may not be, as Gerry puts it, the full bag of chips, with France firmly in the drivers seat for the championship Ireland and Scotland will both be viewing the Triple Crown as a means to end their campaigns on a high note, adding further spice to their final-round clash.
[ Six Nations takes on retro feel as Ireland aim to set up Triple Crown deciderOpens in new window ]
Ireland again have the opening fixture of the weekend, hosting Wales at the Aviva on Friday night, kick-off 8.10pm.
Scotland and France then get Saturday’s action under way at Murrayfield, where there’ll be a 2.10pm kick-off, before Italy host England in the 4.40pm start.
RTÉ2 and ITV1 will have live coverage of Ireland v Wales on Friday, while Virgin Media One will show both of Saturday’s games. BBC One will air Scotland v France and ITV1 will have Italy v England.
The story of round three went like this...
In the first game of the weekend, Ireland travelled to Twickenham to face England, who threatened a response following their 31-20 defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield the weekend prior. However, it went very much the other way for Steve Borthwick’s side, Ireland claiming a record win in southwest London.
Then it was over to Cardiff, where Wales came within a whisker of taking their first win of this year’s championship. It wasn’t to be however, as Scotland crossed for a late try to push Wales’s losing streak in the tournament to 14 games.
Sunday’s fixture took us to Paris, where France showed no sign of slowing their charge for the Grand Slam. They ran out handy winners over Italy, 33-8 the final score at the Stade de France.
Elite sport is data mad. When fine margins (or the ‘1 per cents’ as they’re often termed) can seal your fate, teams are looking to exploit any and every aspect of the game possible.
In the latest episode of The Counter Ruck, Nathan Johns chats to Sam Larner about his new book, Attacking the Space, which offers an insight into how data has shaped rugby tactics.
Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts.
Data in rugby and Ireland’s tactical revolution explained
Wales have made three changes to the side that lost 26-23 to Scotland last time out.
James Botham comes into the backrow in place of the injured Taine Plumtree, Dan Edwards is in for Sam Costelow at outhalf, and Ellis Mee swaps in for GabrielHamer-Webb on the wing.
Their head coach, Steve Tandy, said Friday will be about backing up their positive performance against the Scots, who denied them a home victory after a 75th-minute try from George Turner.
“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 game,” said Tandy.
“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 we know we’re going to have to build and improve from the other week.”
[ Wales make three changes for Dublin Test against renewed IrelandOpens in new window ]
Wales have named their team for Friday. Here’s how they line out:
WALES: Louis Rees-Zammit; Ellis Mee, Eddie James, Joe Hawkins, Josh Adams; Dan Edwards, Tomos Williams; Rhys Carre, Dewi Lake (capt), Tomas Francis; Dafydd Jenkins, Ben Carter; Alex Mann, James Botham, Aaron Wainwright.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith, Archie Griffin, Adam Beard, Olly Cracknell, Kieran Hardy, Jarrod Evans, Loue Hennessey.
Some early-morning news for us from New Zealand, the All Blacks have named Dave Rennie as Scott Robertson’s successor.
The 62-year-old former Wallabies coach beat out All Blacks XV head coach Jamie Joseph for one of the biggest jobs in world rugby after an extensive recruitment process that started when Robertson stepped down in mid January after a critical review.
In case you’ve forgotten how the table looks after the third round:
Good morning all!
After a week off, the Six Nations returns for round four, with Andy Farrell to name his side to face Wales at the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening.
The Ireland team announcement is due to be made at 2pm, so we’ve a while to go on that front.
However, Wales are up and at ‘em bright and early this morning as Steve Tandy is due to name his side around 9am.
To kick us off, how about we take a look at Gerry Thornley’s predictions.
He thinks Ulster’s Nick Timoney is in line to start on Friday night, with Jacob Stockdale also expected to return to the starting fold.
“With Farrell evidently more inclined to rotate in this more congested Six Nations of five games in a six-week window, and perhaps with one eye on the next World Cup, the signs are that there might be further changes, especially up front,” Gerry writes.
Read his predictions in full below:
