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80 minutes is a long time in pro sports, as Andy Farrell can testify too. Before Twickenham, Ireland were the wounded animal merely reminiscing in past glories. 2 hours after kickoff; and they were ‘back’.
By the same logic, Wales are just one shock win away from ending their dire run. But…
Last Time:
As mentioned above, Ireland shocked Steve Borthwick’s England in round three by 42-21, turning every narrative on its head. That moved them up to third in the table, kickstarted their Triple Crown quest, and moved them back into the positive columns for wins and losses.
Wales had their brave performance against the Scots come up agonisngly short, meaning they could be set to go over three calendar years without a win in the Six Nations, if they fail to turn the tables in Dublin.
Recent matchups also favour the boys in green. Since Andy Farrell took charge he has 5 wins and 1 defeat, that coming in 2021.
In spite of contrarian commentators, Andy Farrell has elected to rotate this week; even if history suggest he wouldn’t. Five changes to the starting team; O’Toole, Kelleher, Conan, Timoney and Stockdale; with only the first and last injury enforced. There’s also a whole new bench with a debut in waiting for Ulster’s Nathan Doak.
It’s testament to the northern province, who sit 6th in the URC, that form sometimes gets rewarded at international level, even if it feels 2-3 years overdue for Doak and Timoney for example.
In all it’s an Irish team that should not fear the visiting Welsh outfit, even with the stabalisers of #CohesionBall eliminated to make way for evolution.
Jacob Stockdale & Nick Timoney
Ireland by 20