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Ireland Vs Wales (KO 1500 GMT)
So this is probably the biggest match of the weekend in terms of actual Rugby. What I mean is, we knew France were going to beat Italy and we knew that there was going to be a lot of sloppy play in the Scotland V England fixture yesterday. Whilst the outcome wasn't obvious from the outset, I think it's safe to say we knew that the Scots were continuing in the same vein of play, albeit with more ferocity now than they've had in a while. Whilst England were to play a young and almost experimental team that harked back to the Geoff Cooke era we knew it was going to be a tough and messy ride in these early stages.
So, Wales beat Ireland last in the world cup. Wales was a transformed team in the recent world cup and for the first time in about 6 or 7 years they really pulled something out of the bag. Is this a new beginning for Welsh rugby or did they just not peak high enough and have to start all over again this year?
I've always liked watching Ireland rugby. Their pack remains unchanged from the world cup and we've seen the loss of O'Gara and O'driscoll. Again, Ireland are at a turning point, but they are certainly a force to be reckoned with especially when playing at the Aviva stadium.
So as far as this weekends matches go these two teams are the most equally matched and that will either end up with a complete stale mate or an exciting try for try match. I'm hoping for the latter and to see some good quality rugby being played. This match will say a lot for the coming fixtures.If Wales win today they have a good chance of beating the Scots next week before they face England 2 weeks later.
So, are Wales ready to pounce in each match ready to beat France in their final fixture of the tournament?
Or are Ireland a dark horse in the competition and getting ready to perform some clinical rugby that we have seen from them in years passed?