Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt says his team are not likely to target George North when they face Wales in Friday's massive Six Nations showdown in Cardiff.
North is one of the biggest names in European rugby but he was a given a 'warning' by Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards earlier this week after a below-par defensive effort during the 29-13 loss to Scotland in the last round of matches.
The wing can now expect to be kept busy on Friday night by an Ireland team looking to remain in the hunt for the Six Nations title by defeating the Welsh, who for their part will be desperate to avoid a third straight defeat.
But Schmidt is expecting North to bounce back strongly from the Scotland loss and says his team will not be seeking out the Wales man.
Schmidt said: "If you've seen the size, the strength, the speed and the agility of such a big man, why would you go looking for George North?
"I know it doesn't leave you a lot of options, because Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams are no shrinking violets either, and Liam Williams was an absolute superstar against New Zealand.
"They do have a lot of threats across the board and I don't think we're wilfully going to go looking for George North to see if his defensive game is up to it, because we've seen him do incredibly well defensively.
"And I think the human factor in any sporting occasion means that the human factor is unknown, despite favouritism, despite conditions potentially favouring one side or another, or one specific athlete or another.
"That's why people love it, because there is that sense of the unknown.
"What could be a bad day one day for a player, can quickly become a good one next time out.
"And I didn't think it was a shocking day by any means, there's been a fairly tough reaction to such a good player and he's a nice fella as well any time I've chatted to him. So I think he will have a big one this time, unfortunately.
"They are so used to competing on the last day of the championship, to win or lose the championship. So for them not to be in that position will certainly provide extra motivation for them."
Ireland have named an unchanged team for Friday's match, with Garry Ringrose retained at outside centre.