Bowe, who plies his trade with the Ospreys, will come face to face with several of his regional team mates at Wellington Stadium as the men in green bid to make the semi-finals for the first time in history.
“I always enjoy coming up against the Welsh fellas who I know very well. It adds an extra bit of spice for me. But we’re well used to coming up against Welsh opposition.
“For the guys who have toured with the Lions there’s great camaraderie between the nations. It will be a great little battle.
“I went to the cinema last night and bumped into a few of the Ospreys players. That was the first time I’ve caught up with them and it was nice to have a chat.
“They’re friends at the end of the day, so it was just friendly banter, but when we get out on the pitch it will be a different story.”
Ireland go into Saturday’s clash in a confident mood after topping their pool, including an impressive victory over Australia. Their current form has given Irish hopes a real shot in the arm according to Bowe.
“We’ve been very happy with the way the last four games have gone. We know how well Wales are playing, they’re definitely one of the form teams at the World Cup.
“It’s going to be difficult but this is a chance to create history for Ireland. There’s a huge amount of self-belief in the team. We have a great blend of youth and experience.
“A lot of the players have been in cup competitions and this is an exciting time for Irish rugby. This team is in as strong a position as we’ve ever had. We’ve got some world-class players.
“In the past we’ve always been strong going into the World Cup but failed playing against some of the top teams. This time we’ve beaten Australia and Italy,” added Bowe.
“Wales are always a great enemy for Ireland and we’ve had some great games before. It’s obviously still early in the week but we know what’s at stake. This is certainly the biggest match I’ve ever played in.”
