Warren Gatland's Wales may be light on experience, but Jamison Gibson-Park has warned Ireland must be wary of the unknown when the sides meet at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
While Ireland will wait until Thursday to announce their team for the Guinness Six Nations meeting in Dublin, the Wales head coach revealed his lineup on Tuesday morning, with just one change from their 16-14 defeat to England in Round 2, as Sam Costelow returns from injury to start at out-half.
Gatland's Wales have undergone major surgery since Ireland last played them 12 months ago, with just six of this weekend's starting side also lining out in that championship opener in Cardiff in 2023.
Of the several new faces, Costelow will win just his 10th cap and Cameron Winnett makes just his third appearance in Test rugby at full-back.
And although they've lost both games to start the championship, Gibson-Park has been impressed with their attacking play.
"Some of the lads are proper game-breakers, aren't they?," the Ireland scrum-half said.
"They can certainly make something out of nothing and it's something we have to be prepared for this weekend.
"Sam Costelow, I suppose he has a strong kicking game and it's an area we have to be ready for. They have pretty good contestable kicks on both of them."
Gibson-Park, who will turn 32 on Friday, is likely to return to the starting side this week, having played off the bench in the 36-0 win against Italy earlier this month.
And he admits he's never been a good spectator from the bench, even if it was a role he had to fill often in his early years at Leinster
"It's understanding that everyone is going to get a crack and Craig [Casey] obviously went very well, so fair play to him.
"I think the whole team had a good few changes and the lads just rolled in and it was pretty seamless in that way.
"The way we're training obviously helps and it's pretty competitive in here as well, so when lads get their chance they're pretty keen to have a crack. I think you saw that, certainly against Italy.
"Obviously my mindset is I'd like to play every game but that’s just not the way it works out so I had to take a position on the bench and that’s something I’ve had a fair bit of experience at over the years.
"Not recently, but to a point I’m not a great watcher. Like if I’m injured especially, you obviously feel a bit helpless but it’s little bit on the bench. You’re seeing how things are working out and seeing if you can have an impact," he added.
If he does return to the starting side this week, he's likely to resume his partnership in the half-backs with Jack Crowley, who has looked impressive in his first two games since taking the out-half position following Johnny Sexton's retirement.
And while Gibson-Park say Crowley is very much his own man, he can see Sexton's influence on the Munster 10.
"Jack has come through the years watching Johnny, hasn't he, so you'd imagine to a point it has probably shaped the way he plays.
"He's pretty diligent in his preparation, that would certainly be one comparison you could make.
"I think he has got to the stage where he [Crowley] is filling other people with confidence around him and we all know how good he is, so yeah, hopefully we'll see a bit more of it over the next few weeks.
"It's been pretty impressive to watch, hasn't it? He's full of confidence and you seen that in his performances, really.
"I wish I had that much confidence when I was his age but it's the same as a lot of the young guys, they're all the same these days.
"They're unbelievable in how they prepare and someone my age takes some inspiration from these younger guys and the way they prepare."
Watch Ireland v Wales in the Guinness Six Nations on Saturday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1
