The 46-cap back-rower will line up alongside Taulupe Faletau and Justin Tipuric at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 14:30), in their last audition before the World Cup squad is finalised.
There are just 23 days before Wales launch their bid for the Webb Ellis Cup against Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium, and Lydiate says nobody in the squad is resting on their laurels.
He said: “There’s no one in the squad who thinks his place is safe. The boys who come in have trained really hard this summer – everyone has – and when selection comes around on Monday we’re all going to be biting our nails. But we have an opportunity to stake a claim this weekend. That’s what the boys will be trying to do.
“We obviously want a better performance than we produced in the last game. It’s the first hit-out for a lot of us, but at the end of the day it’s an international. We’re excited about going out there, but it’s going to be a big challenge. We saw how well-drilled Ireland were in the first match and they’ve had a couple more weeks to prepare. So we’re expecting a tough Test match, but it’s brilliant preparation for the World Cup.”
George North will become the youngest man to reach 50 Wales caps when he returns to the starting lineup in Dublin. And Lydiate reckons he will fly out of the blocks following his return from concussion.
Lydiate said: “It’s a great achievement and at such a young age. It seems like he’s been around ages, but he’s only in his young 20s, so fair play to him. I’m glad he’s come back from the quite a few concussions he’s suffered in a short period of time. He’s come through all the protocols with flying colours and will want to put in a big performance on his 50th. I know his mum, dad and family are going out there. It’s brilliant for him.”
