"The first 20 minutes will be all huff and puff from a Welsh point of view - both the crowd and the team - with fireworks and the whole lot but, ultimately, Ireland have the momentum."
This Friday at the ground formerly known as The Millennium Stadium, Ireland will enter the dragon's den with only victory on their minds.
Ireland are,
in the words of Conor Murray, on the hunt for the championship and a victory over the Welsh would set up a championship decider against England on St Patrick's Day weekend at the Aviva Stadium.
The Hard Yards podcast was joined by former Irish rugby stars Jerry Flannery, Paddy Wallace and Victor Costello this week and, along with host Andy McGeady and SportsJOE's Pat McCarry, came up with an Ireland XV that can do a job in Cardiff.
The big calls are whether Rob Kearney retains the No.15 jersey and if Garry Ringrose can hold off the returning Payne. Costello is in no doubt about who should start at outside centre [go to 21 minutes in the podcast below].
https://soundcloud.com/thehardyardssportsjoe/episode-5-the-real-nigel-owens-alternative-tactics-ireland-v-wales-and-grand-slam-memories
With Andrew Trimble out with a hand injury, we suggested Joe Schmidt would stick with the current back three of Keith Earls, Simon Zebo and Kearney. When Payne was suggested to replace Ringrose, Costello replied:
"I think that will send out the wrong signals, to be honest. Obviously, you're allowed have your place back if you go out through injury but I think it would be very narrow-minded to put Payne back in."
The former Ireland back-row said he could understand why Schmidt would be tempted to bring back the "mouthy" Payne, from a defensive point of view. However, he declared:
"The greatest legacy beating the All Blacks gave Joe Schmidt and his selectors was that it gave them a chance to think of the wider view of 'Let's not panic'.
"This Irish team did very well against Italy. It was a very dogged game against France in the first half but they did very well in the second half. Why change a winning formula?"
Schmidt will name his Ireland matchday squad on Wednesday afternoon before they fly out to Cardiff for another must-win game.
The panel all predicted an Ireland win, with Flannery going so far as to say that Schmidt's men would win by 10+ points. They nearly all agreed on the travelling squad too.
IRELAND TEAM (As agreed upon by The Hard Yards panel)
15. Rob Kearney
14. Keith Earls
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Simon Zebo
10. Johnny Sexton
9 Conor Murray
1. Jack McGrath
2. Rory Best (c)
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Devin Toner
5. Donnacha Ryan
6. CJ Stander
7. Sean O'Brien
8. Jamie Heaslip
Replacements: N Scannell, Healy, J Ryan, Henderson, O'Mahony, Marmion, Jackson. Payne.
*Let us know what you think of our selections on Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat.
