2009 Six Nations Preview: Ireland vs. Wales

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Editor

Time: Saturday, 17:00 GMT
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Weather: Mild, sunny

The final match of the 2009 Six Nations Championship will literally serve as the tournament’s cup final, as log leaders Wales and Ireland meet for a winner-takes-all encounter at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Both Welsh and Irish players will be aware of the fact that Championship considerations aside, tomorrow’s match is something of a British and Irish Lions casting session, with several selections for the Lions Tour likely to hinge on performances at Cardiff tomorrow afternoon.

Grand Slam
Tomorrow’s match is the biggest moment in Irish rugby for five decades. The current Ireland team stands on the verge of becoming the first team since 1948 to win the Grand Slam, and only the second in Irish history to achieve this feat.

While a loss by less than 13 points will be sufficient to hand them their first championship win since the 1980s, its the clean sweep that has captured the hearts and minds of Irish fans as they descend en-masse on Cardiff for the big match.

Often tagged as Europe’s biggest chokers, Ireland will want to draw strength and inspiration from the Munster players in the squad, many of whom have participated in the club’s two Heineken Cup victories.

Sea of Red
While Wales lost the opportunity to land consecutive Grand Slams when they lost to France, they still have the opportunity to claim the Triple Crown and thereby become the first Welsh side since the legendary team of the 1970s to win consecutive championships.

Wales have so far failed to put in the big performance that their star-studded team is capable of. However, home advantage combined with the massive latent potential of the Welsh team makes them the favourites for tomorrow’s match.

Players to Watch
Wales: Ryan Jones returns to the fray for tomorrow’s match after sitting out the match against Italy. Inspirational leadership combined with individual brilliance mark Jones as the man who could lead Wales to a famous victory.

Ireland: Ronan O’Gara’s boot could prove to be the difference between Ireland and Wales in a tight match. The fly-half has done it before in the Heineken Cup for Munster, and he’ll play a crucial role in settling his teams nerves for the big game.

Six Nations Betting
Its difficult to see either Wales or Ireland running away with what is likely to be a tightly contested match. The winning margin markets therefore provide great value and allows fence-sitting punters to sidestep the tricky task of selecting which team will win tomorrow’s match.

Winning Margin Betting	Price
Wales 1-5	9/2
Ireland 1-5	5/1
Wales 6-10	5/1
Ireland 6-10	6/1
Rugby Betting at Bet365

Wales: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Gavin Henson, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Andy Powell, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Ryan Jones (capt), 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 John Yapp, 18 Luke Charteris, 19 Dafydd Jones, 20 Warren Fury, 21 James Hook, 22 Jamie Roberts.

Ireland: 15 Robert Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Ronan O’Gara, 9 Tomas O’Leary, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Paul O’Connell, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Jerry Flannery, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Tom Court, 18 Mick O’Driscoll, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Geordan Murphy.