Wales v Ireland preview
Last Updated: 08/08/15 5:21pm
World Cup places are up for grabs as Wales and Ireland get their respective seasons underway at a sold-out Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Warren Gatland and Joe Schmidt have both opted to give their fringe players a chance and they need to hit the ground running, in particular those wearing green as Schimdt will cut seven names from his squad next week.
Two players keen to make up for lost time are Munster pair Keith Earls and Donnacha Ryan, who make welcome returns to the international scene after two injury-interrupted years.
Earls is named alongside Darren Cave in a new-look centre partnership, while Ryan partners the talented Iain Henderson at lock.
Paddy Jackson is given the chance to stake a claim as back-up fly-half to Jonny Sexton, and Ireland defence coach Les Kiss is demanding a level of game management that will rival the Leinster No 10.
"When you go up a level in this game you've got to make the most of all the different spaces on the pitch, it's not only in front of you, sometimes it's in the corners or in the air,” said Kiss.
"So we're just looking for a good balanced performance from him in terms of stepping up to the plate from where he finished the year."
Jackson’s opposite number James Hook will come in for similar scrutiny. The Gloucester playmaker makes just his third start since the 2011 World Cup and his experience will prove useful in a Wales side that contains four new caps.
Tyler Morgan makes his bow alongside captain Scott Williams in midfield and he is joined by fellow debutants Eli Walker, Dominic Day and Ross Moriarty.
"(James) wasn't playing particularly well for the first half of the season, but really improved his form towards the end of the campaign,” said Gatland of Hook’s lack of opportunities.
“It's a great chance for him on Saturday, with that experience that he has had and the maturity that he's got.”
With Wales playing just two warm-up games before Gatland announces his squad on August 31, Hook and his fellow World Cup hopefuls need to seize this opportunity.
Wales: 15 Hallam Amos, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Scott Williams (c), 11 Eli Walker, 10 James Hook, 9 Mike Phillips; 1 Nicky Smith, 2 Richard Hibbard, 3 Aaron Jarvis, 4 Jake Ball, 5 Dominic Day, 6 Ross Moriarty, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Dan Baker.
Replacements: 16 Rob Evans, 17 Kristian Dacey, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 James King, 20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Matthew Morgan.
Ireland: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Darren Cave, 11 Fergus McFadden, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Eoin Reddan; 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Richardt Strauss, 3 Mike Ross, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 5 Iain Henderson, 6 Jordi Murphy, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 8 Jamie Heaslip (c).
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Dan Tuohy, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Simon Zebo.
Watch highlights of Wales v Ireland on Sky Sports 3 HD on Saturday at 9.30pm, and via Sky Go.