Ever since the start of this Six Nations tournament, the Ireland camp has been at pains to avoid mentioning the England tie as a championship decider.
But it’s hard to ignore the shadow of next Saturday’s game.
Even Joe Schmidt, normally the exemplar in the ‘we’re not looking beyond the next game’ mantra of modern-day coaches, alluded to it after the win over France.
"We're not thinking about anything back here at the end of the championship yet. But it will appeal a lot less to us if it's not for the championship," he said.
Schmidt was, of course, alluding to the must-win nature of tonight’s clash against Wales (8.05pmlive on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ2) but even the mention of the tie was unusual in this day and age.
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So even if all of the players know their lines, within the Ireland camp there must be an overwhelming feeling that this game is a semi-final.
The England games always have a stand-alone quality but playing in a winner-takes-all clash adds to the occasion.
That bigger-picture scenario should serve to enhance Ireland’s performance tonight, not take away from it.
So, far from taking their eye off the ball, it should focus the collective, give them another layer to mine for incentive.
IRTV: @henshawrob on #IrevWal and the spirit in camp #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/uWPURikPmX
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 9, 2017
Slow start could be lethal
Ahead of the win over France, Schmidt spoke about the final quarter of the game being as important as the first.
But on this occasion the game can be won or lost early on.
With Wales having little beyond pride and world ranking points to play for, Ireland cannot afford to begin in the fashion that they did against Scotland or France.
There is no doubt that this would have been hammered home at training this week.
Fueled by the Friday night lights and an impatient home crowd, the hosts will come out all guns blazing.
Ireland must not give them the targets to hit, like they did against Scotland. Subduing the initial and inevitable early onslaught is crucial to Ireland’s chances.
Varying the play, moving it wide for the first 10 to 15 minutes can take the sting out of the Dragons' tail and allow Ireland to set a tempo that suits their own game plan.
Getting caught up in a hell-for-leather battle won’t suit the away team tonight.
Here's the @IrishRugby team for Friday night in Wales #WALvIRE #TeamOfUs #RBS6Nations pic.twitter.com/YzpIV8gSUK
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 8, 2017
Both sides have named unchanged line-ups to the ones that beat France and lost to Scotland respectively.
Despite having Jared Payne back, the New Zealander has decided to stick with Garry Ringrose in the centre. That makes it the first time since 2014 that Schmidt has stuck with the same XV for two games in a row.
“Wales are a momentum team, they normally get stronger as the tournament goes on," former winger Shane Williams told RTÉ Sport at the start of the month.
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Wales name unchanged match day squad to face @IrishRugby Justin Tipuric to win his 50th cap #WALvIRE pic.twitter.com/V19EbV7bF9
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) March 8, 2017
Rob Howley’s men have been routinely described in the build-up as ‘wounded’ but they are wounded for a reason: they don’t have their act together.
Defeats to England and Scotland means the home side are out of contention and while they are famous for their pride and passion, in terms of motivation, it's not in the same ballpark as silverware.
The visitors have an impressive record in Wales. The record books show that, of the last 15 games in Cardiff, Ireland have won 11.
The roof in the Principality Stadium will remain closed after both sides agreed and it should make for an electric atmosphere.
If Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray sing then Ireland will set up that mouthwatering finale next week, providing of course that Scotland don’t beat England. They couldn’t, could they?
WHAT THEY SAID
Joe Schmidt
"There are so many laws, so many different pictures to see that it's nice to have one of the better referees (Wayne Barnes)."
Rob Howley
"There is an opportunity to go out at home in front of our own supporters and deliver a performance which the players are proud of and for the supporters to support that."
Live Six Nations coverage of Wales v Ireland on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm on Friday (KO 8.05pm), live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 from 7.45pm and live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News Now app.
Live coverage of Wales v Ireland (KO 11.30am) in the Women’s Six Nations on RTÉ Two and RTÉ Player from 11.15am on Saturday.
Live Six Nations coverage of Italy v France (KO 1.30pm) and England v Scotland (KO 4pm) on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 1.20pm on Saturday.
Live coverage of Wales v Ireland in the Under-20 Six Nations on RTÉ2 from 6.15pm (KO 6.30pm) on Saturday.
