Warren Gatland’s reigning RBS 6 Nations champions started their quest for a third successive title with a 23-15 win over Italy, while Ireland kicked off their campaign by beating Scotland with ease on Sunday.
Those round one results simply add to the sense of occasion surrounding the Aviva Stadium affair, with both sets of players having enjoyed healthy rivalries within the RaboDirect PRO12 and built lasting friendships on the summer Lions tour Down Under.
And all those factors, plus the passion of the Irish in Dublin and the way in which Joe Schmidt’s men have spoken of their desire to knock Wales off their perch, means Priestland and co are expecting a no-holds barred encounter in two days’ time.
“There’s a buzz about the place and we’re ready to have the kitchen sink thrown at us from the way Ireland have been talking,” said Priestland.
“It’s going to be hostile out there and from listening to them you can tell there’s a lot of emotion. They are the rivals we know best because both countries have four teams in the PRO12 and come up against each other quite often. We are familiar with the way we both play.
“They are on a high and are desperate to stop us winning a third title. But we are desperate to win and it doesn’t matter what we’re up against, we will give our best because it means so much to play for Wales.”
Priestland spoke candidly about the need for improvement after the opening win over the Azzurri, with the Scarlets playmaker knowing that a similarly unsatisfying second half would likely lead to defeat in Dublin.
Ireland were superb in parts against the Scots and came within a whisker of a first win over New Zealand in the autumn and Priestland is anticipating similar performance levels from Paul O’Connell and co at the weekend.
“We are looking to test ourselves against a very good Irish team who could have beaten the All Blacks last year. It’s a massive challenge,” added Priestland.
“We are under no illusions about how difficult it is going to be, the toughest challenge we will face in the Six Nations, maybe.
“Defensively, we are going to have to be at our best. We need to improve with the ball in hand from last week, but defences win you championships.”
