Both sides include a number of players who featured on last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. Intriguingly, some of those who toured down under go head-to-head tomorrow – Adam Jones and Cian Healy, Mike Phillips and Conor Murray and Taulupe Faletau and Jamie Heaslip all set for one on one battles after being on the same side last year.
“Since we’ve been on tours with them, we’ve got to know them,” said Wales tighthead Jones.
“We want to beat them obviously and there is always that rivalry. I’ve got on with them very well on tours and they’re all good guys. That’s what’s so good about this sport – you shake hands at the end, get on with it and move on.”
Saturday’s clash with Ireland sees the two teams involved looking to make it two wins from two in this year’s RBS 6 Nations. The last meeting between Ireland and Wales in Dublin saw Warren Gatland’s men claim a narrow two-point victory thanks to a late Leigh Halfpenny penalty.
“I think it’s because we play them regularly and with how well their provinces have done, they’re always one of the teams to beat,” said Jones, prior to leaving for Dublin yesterday.
“We were the underdogs in the World Cup quarter final and we won that comfortably and it’s gone on from there. But as players, you don’t listen too much to the build-up. I’m under no illusions as to how fired up they’re going to be. Paul O’Connell will have them revved up and we know what to expect.”
On his personal duel with Healy, a man who has impressed for Ireland since returning from an ankle injury suffered with the Lions, Jones added: “Cian is a good bloke, I shared with him for a week in Hong Kong and we got on really well. I’ve never seen a bloke drink so much coffee, it was phenomenal!
“It was sad to see him get injured on the Lions tour but he’s proved how good he is, he’s come back stronger and he’s one of the best loose heads in the world at the moment. I’m looking forward to playing against him.”
Faletau, who takes on Leinster’s Heaslip tomorrow afternoon, said: “There are a lot of good players in this Championship, particularly at No. 8.
“Jamie Heaslip is similar to Sergio Parisse really, he’ll be leading by example. We shared a room together in Australia with the Lions and he’s a great player. But we have a strong back row ourselves and it’s a great opportunity for us to impress.”
