While some Irish supporters and media may be quick to write off Wales, there appears to be no chance of those within the walls of the IRFU's high performance facility doing similar.
Six Nations wins in Wales don’t come around often for Ireland, as one of their most experienced players can testify.
Of the current squad, only Cian Healy, Conor Murray, Iain Henderson and Peter O’Mahony have been playing Test rugby for longer than Robbie Henshaw, who goes to Cardiff this weekend looking for his first Six Nations win in the Welsh capital.
Ireland won on their last visit in 2023, but the centre missed the start of that Grand Slam campaign due to a wrist injury, and each of his three previous visits to the principality in the championship ended in defeat. He started each of the losses in 2015, 2017 and in 2021, and although he was involved in a 2019 World Cup warm-up win in Cardiff, it hasn't satisfied his appetite for a Six Nations victory.
"It’s an incredibly tough place to play," Henshaw said, when reminded of his poor record away to Wales.
"We’ve had some great battles with Wales over the years. Such a passionate crowd. And when the crowd get behind them and if they get a roll, they’re hard to stop.
"It's going to be a great atmosphere. It’s going to be a huge test."
The 31-year-old (above) has hit an impressive run of form for both province and country, and is towards the top of a busy midfield depth chart in the Ireland squad, alongside Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Stuart McCloskey and Jamie Osborne.
Having struggled for a good run of fitness in 2023, Henshaw has now played in 12 of Ireland’s last 13 games, with all but one of those appearances coming in the starting team.
Given the attritional nature of the position, Ireland’s centre combination often changes. In the opener against England this month, Aki and Ringrose started together with Henshaw off the bench, before the Leinster pair swapped for the round two trip to Murrayfield.
Henshaw is expected to keep his place in the side for the trip to Wales on Saturday, and could move to inside centre with Ringrose starting at 13, allowing Aki take a week off. And after years of constant rotation between the trio, Henshaw says it’s become a seamless transition.
"We all know each other's strengths inside out now at this stage. A lot of work goes in during the week to making sure that everyone is singing off the same hymn-sheet.
"A lot of work is done on video, on the pitch, to make sure that those connections are built and they’re strong coming into the weekend, that we have that confidence to go into the game."
Despite Ireland’s poor record in Cardiff, Simon Easterby’s side go into this week’s contest as heavy favourites, having picked up two bonus-point wins in their quest for a third title in a row.
Wales, meanwhile, are on a record 14-game losing streak dating back to 2023, and have parted company with Warren Gatland, with Cardiff head coach Matt Sherratt taking charge for the remainder of the championship.
Wales are likely to look and play a lot differently under the Cardiff boss, who has recalled out-halves Gareth Anscombe and Jarrod Evans, as well as centre Max Llewellyn, the squad.
And while Henshaw says he and his team-mates will be familiar with Sherratt’s gameplan from Cardiff, there will be an element of the unknown about what they will bring this weekend.
"We can look at a bit of Cardiff footage. He was the head coach at Cardiff so you can look at little bits of their detail there.
"You can look the individuals they have selected, that they have brought into camp so… like Gareth Anscombe is a threat, definitely.
"I think we just need to do our work and have a look at what they have produced, certainly in Cardiff and then individually their threats."
Attack coach Andrew Goodman (below) has also shot down any suggestions of complacency from an Irish point of view.
"It gives an edge to the week," he said of the coaching change at Wales.
"I think he'll come in and give a bit of an emotional edge and energy to the group, and he's a well-respected coach over there, he's done a good job at Cardiff in the way they play, they use the ball well.
"He'll have a couple of tricks up his sleeves to try to disrupt, I imagine a week and a half is enough time to get a couple of nice plays put together and try to cause disruption to our defence.
"I don't think there's any chance of complacency in our group."
Watch England v Scotland in the Six Nations on Saturday from 4.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
Follow a live blog on Wales v Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday from 2.15pm on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary with Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
