We've reached the halfway house of the Guinness men's Six Nations, as Ireland look to clear the third of five hurdles in their bid for an unprecedented three-in-a-row.
Heading into round three, Simon Easterby's side are the only team who can still win a Grand Slam, and they will be considerable favourites to bring that record into the penultimate round against France. If they do that, they can bank a Triple Crown at the very least for 2025.
With Wales now on a record 14-game losing run and under the supervision of interim head coach Matt Sherratt - following Warren Gatland's departure last week - it would be one of the all time Six Nations shocks if they end Ireland's Grand Slam hopes in the first of this weekend's games.
After their dramatic win against France last time out, England have settled into the Irish slipstream, ready and waiting for the defending champions to slip up. Steve Borthwick's side host Scotland in the marquee game of the weekend, looking to win the Calcutta Cup back for the first time since 2020.
Sunday's fare in Paris pits France against Italy, as Fabien Galthie's side look to get back on track after their defeat to England. Twelve months ago Italy almost pulled off a famous win against Les Bleus, drawing 13-13 and missing a kick to win it with the final play of the game.
TV
Wales v Ireland (Saturday 2.15pm) and France v Italy (Sunday 3pm) are both live on Virgin Media One.
ONLINE
RADIO
WEATHER
With the roof of the Principality Stadium closed, the weather won't be a factor for Ireland on Saturday. For those roaming the streets of Cardiff before and after the game though, it's expected to be a dry and mild afternoon, with temperatures around 10C.
The weather may have an effect on supporters' travel plans though, with yellow wind warnings in place around Cardiff on Friday and Sunday.
Ireland's Guinness Six Nations trip to Cardiff has been fraught with danger for the last decade and a half, so it's strange to see Simon Easterby's side heading to the Principality Stadium as such heavy favourites.
When Ireland won 34-10 in their opening game of the 2023 championship, it was their first Six Nations win away in Wales for 10 years.
That game was the first match of Warren Gatland's second-coming as head coach of Wales, but the former Ireland boss endured a dreadful return to the job, winning just six of 26 games before handing in his resignation after the recent defeat to Italy in Rome - a record 14th loss in a row for them.
The worry is that with games against Ireland, Scotland and England to come, that losing run is only going to continue but there have been enthusiastic sounds coming from their Vale of Glamorgan training base, where interim boss Sherratt (below) has brought back a number of popular players who had been deemed surplus to requirements under Gatland.
And while they're centre and back three combinations have a combined 26 caps between them, there is a sense that they will be swinging for the fences with some attacking and adventurous rugby, that could catch Ireland out if they aren't clued in.
Ireland will have to guard against complacency, particularly with captain Caelan Doris sidelined through injury. It's 42 games and just under four years since Ireland's number 8 missed a Test match, but Jack Conan is an able deputy at the back of the scrum, while Dan Sheehan is an exciting choice to captain the team this week.
Sheehan and Conan come in among seven changes to the side that defeated Scotland in Murrayfield a fortnight ago, with Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Garry Ringrose, Mack Hansen and Jamie Osborne coming in, while Jack Boyle is set for his Ireland debut off the bench.
While Ireland's Six Nations record in Cardiff has been poor since the Grand Slam day in 2009, the recent head-to-head is heavily weighted in Ireland's favour, winning seven of their last eight clashes, the most recent three of which were by a minimum of 20 points.
TEAMS
Wales: Blair Murray; Tom Rogers, Max Llewellyn, Ben Thomas, Ellis Mee; Gareth Anscombe, Tomos Williams; Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, WillGriff John; Will Rowlands, Dafydd Jenkins; Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Gareth Thomas, Henry Thomas, Teddy Williams, Aaron Wainwright, Rhodri Williams, Jarrod Evans, Joe Roberts.
Ireland: Jamie Osborne; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw; James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan (capt), Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O'Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Jack Boyle, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Cian Prendergast, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Bundee Aki
OFFICIALS
Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
ARs: Nika Amashukeli (GRU) and Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
WHAT THEY SAID:
Matt Sherratt (interim Wales head coach): "We have spoken this week about being brave, but not reckless, and making sure everyone knows their roles. We also know that keeping our discipline will be huge. Everyone is excited for our first home game of the Six Nations. The atmosphere Wales fans create at Principality Stadium is incredible, and playing at home is something the players really look forward to."
Simon Easterby (interim Ireland head coach): "I'm sure Matt [Sherratt] will have had a little bit of time to put his stamp on the team and maybe selection will give us a bit of a steer in terms of how they're going to play the game. But we know from watching Cardiff and the players having played Cardiff, what their team is about. That will be an exciting change and one that the Welsh public, I'm sure, will try and get behind."
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Ireland 31-7 Wales - Aviva Stadium (24 February 2024, Six Nations)
Wales 10-34 Ireland – Principality Stadium (4 February 2023, Six Nations)
Ireland 29-7 Wales – Aviva Stadium (5 February 2022, Six Nations)
Wales 21-16 Ireland – Principality Stadium (7 February 2021, Six Nations)
Ireland 32-9 Wales – Aviva Stadium (13 November 2020, Autumn Nations Cup)
In addition to this weekend's games in the Guinness Six Nations, Ireland 'A' are in action on Sunday when they take on England 'A' at Ashton Gate in Bristol, with kick-off at 1pm.
