Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has shelved ambitions of winning the RBS 6 Nations title and told his players to concentrate on defending their Triple Crown instead.
The 2005 Six Nations promises to reach a thrilling climax on Saturday when Ireland meet Wales at the Millennium Stadium in a potentially epic encounter where several different outcomes are possible.
Victory for Mike Ruddock's side would hand Wales first Grand Slam in 27 years while should the Irish win by at least 13 points - and France beat Italy by a minimum of 42 - they will be crowned champions.
But O'Sullivan believes his team must concentrate only on triumphing in Cardiff so they retain their Triple Crown - and consider anything else a bonus.
"You have to be careful about trying to win games by a certain total – the most important thing is to win the match first. That would give us a Triple Crown. Then we'll see what happens after that," he said.
"It's important to close the deal first - it would be foolish to approach it any other way. I'm sure this game will go down to the wire so we must prepare for it with the right mindset, and that means just trying to win.
"It's been a funny championship this year and predictions that it would be close have proved correct. There are so many different ways it could finish on Saturday. Three teams could win it and there is also a Grand Slam and Triple Crown to be won.
O'Sullivan has not seen any need to alter his line-up following the dramatic 26-19 defeat by France at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, selecting the same 22 to face Wales.
The only question marks lingered over the possible return of Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan, but both players are still at least two weeks away from overcoming their respective hamstring and thumb injuries.
With the Leinster duo ruled out, O'Sullivan has been forced to persist with Kevin Maggs and Girvan Dempsey - two players who hardly covered themselves in glory when Ireland's Grand Slam dream was extinguished at the weekend.
