Ireland must be wary of a wounded Wales side when the sides clash under the Friday night lights next week, according to Donal Lenihan.
Wales, under interim manager Rob Howley, will play for pride only after defeats to England and Scotland but a night-time clash in a packed-to-the-rafters Principality Stadium will only add to their determination to avoid a campaign without a home win.
“There is no pressure like the pressure of a losing Welsh team in Wales,” the former Ireland manager told the RTÉ Rugby Podcast.
“There is no respite for the Welsh players, there is no place to hide.
“They’ve been getting an earful since the Scotland game finished.”
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The shadow of a potential Six Nations championship decider against England on the final day in Dublin on 18 March has been looming over the entire campaign.
Eddie Jones's side are on a 17-game winning streak but Lenihan believes that next Friday’s game (8pm, live on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ2) is going to be more difficult than the Lansdowne Road affair.
“In some respects I’d be more fearful of this Welsh game that the England game in Dublin,” he added.
“The England game will take care of itself for all kinds of reasons.
“I watched [Wales] through the November series, they won three out of four matches but they never really hit the heights that they have in previous seasons.
“They’ve had a weird Six Nations in a way. They beat Italy away but it took them until the last 15 minutes to get on top.
“They were outstanding in defeat against England and should have won that game and would have won had Jonathan Davies found touch with two or three minutes to go.
“Having being in a commanding position against Scotland, Wales really should have blown them away in the opening half. They butchered two or three try-scoring opportunities.
“For whatever reason they fell apart, they lost the second half by 20 points to nil.
“Therefore it’s difficult to assess really where this Welsh side are. They are a bit all over the place.
“I think Rob Howley is under severe pressure, Warren Gatland [on sabbatical as Lions coach] is used to that pressure. There are selection issues hanging over the team.
“There seems to be a degree of confusion but...bear in mind this game is going to be at 8 o’clock on a Friday night, you may not get as many Irish people there as you would on a weekend game.
“It is a cauldron and if Wales manage to get those selection calls right and they click on the night then they will create problems for Ireland.”
