'It's like doing your Leaving Cert with 60,000 people correcting it live'

SOME FOLK ARE worried that this is now going to be an Irish procession to the Grand Slam, others worry that a shock is always around the corner in the Six Nations.

What everyone can agree on is that there are few things in rugby as special as the Six Nations. There’s a cold snap in Dublin this week but the sun should be out for today’s afternoon kick-off against Wales [2.15pm, RTÉ]. Championship conditions.

Those lucky enough to be heading to the Aviva Stadium will wrap up and stroll down Lansdowne Road with that beautiful Six Nations buzz warming them. It’s hard to beat the feeling, even if the home team are so heavily fancied today.

Ireland are 23-point favourites, which is strange for those of us who have seen so many hard-fought battles between these nations, those of us who watched their three Grand Slam successes under Warren Gatland. Ireland have dismissed the notion that things could be straightforward today. Skipper Peter O’Mahony said it was disrespectful to label this game as a potential banana skin. He expects ferocity from the Welsh.

Gatland is certainly up for it. In his Telegraph column yesterday, the Wales boss said he “can’t remember feeling so pumped going into a Test match” before underlining that his team will look to make life difficult for Ireland fullback Ciarán Frawley as he gets his first start in place of the injured Hugo Keenan. The notion is no shock but there aren’t many professional coaches who would say it in a column the day before a big Test.

Gatland’s team want to create chaos for Ireland and they’ll need to be disruptive if they’re to stop the beautiful flow that Andy Farrell’s side can settle into when they’re in form. The bonus-point wins against France and Italy have been impressive but the sense is that there’s plenty more still to come from Ireland in this championship.

Wales openside Tommy Reffell will be key to the bid to stymie the Irish attack. The Leicester man is one of the best jackals around, capable of freakishly quick movement around the breakdown. Ireland’s plan for him will be interesting to watch, while they will be looking to limit new threats such as 21-year-old Welsh fullback Cameron Winnett and familiar dangers like 31-year-old centre George North.

Ireland at the Aviva Stadium yesterday.

But there seems to be a lot more for Wales to worry about than vice versa, with Farrell restoring the same team that beat France aside from Keenan.

Big guns like captain Peter O’Mahony, Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne, and Tadhg Furlong return to the starting XV after rotation against Italy. They’ll be in confident form, even if O’Mahony admitted his nerves seem to be getting worse with age.

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“It doesn’t get any easier,” said O’Mahony yesterday.

“I’d often describe it as doing your Leaving Cert with 60,000 people correcting it live and another whatever watching at home, except doing it every weekend.

“You’ve to find a way to find some sleep during the week before your first test.

“It doesn’t get any easier, but you do find ways and we’ve used different tools… it’s helped with experience that you know what to do.

“It’s good to be nervous, it’s part of the love of it is being nervous. You know you’re off the boil if you’re not.”

O’Mahony found the 9pm kick-offs at the World Cup in France last year to be “utter torture” so he’s happy to have the early start in Dublin today.

“One big grub and you’re into it, getting out of the hotel,” he said.

This will only be O’Mahony’s second game for Ireland since being handed the captaincy full-time by Farrell but he has thoroughly enjoyed the role so far.

He joked that he now realises how Johnny Sexton “had it handy” for the last few years thanks to the little perks that come with being captain, although he said he can’t divulge what those perks are after being sworn to secrecy.

O’Mahony with his son Theo.

This is the more relaxed version of O’Mahony that we’ve seen in recent seasons. Ireland’s camp is a happy, confident, collaborative place even while they are fiercely ambitious and driven to improve.

The 34-year-old captain is happy to see Frawley getting his starting chance, while there will be a first Test cap off the bench for Munster tighthead Oli Jager today.

That will mean Farrell has given six players their Six Nations debuts in this championship, with Frawley, Joe McCarthy, Calvin Nash, Jeremy Loughman, and Harry Byrne having already enjoyed that honour.

So while this is a recognisable Ireland team, there has been a refresh too following the retirement of Sexton and Keith Earls, as well as a few injuries.

“Throwing people in at the deep end isn’t fair,” said Ireland boss Farrell this week.

“I know that from my experience as a youngster playing. I had a very experienced coach who gave me my debut.

“The master at the time was John Monie who brought me through [at rugby league side Wigan]  and he used to say, ‘Just a couple’ because those type of players, it doesn’t matter what age they are, as far as the experience is concerned, they need looking after in a good side and what we’ve tried to do is keep people connected that we see down the road, discerning their potential on whether they grow by coming in.”

At the other end of the scale, O’Mahony is enjoying his rugby as much as ever.

With Munster having offered him a contract, it seems highly likely that he will play on into next season.

“Look, I love it,” said O’Mahony when asked if he wants to keep captaining Ireland next season.

“I love playing for Ireland. And that’s my focus over the next three or four weeks, to enjoy myself. It’s a good group, it’s a good environment, I’m learning all the time.

“If you tell me I can sit here forever, I’d play forever but that’s not the case. As I said, I’ll let you when I know when there is white smoke.”

For now, it’s once more unto the breach for O’Mahony and his Ireland team. They expect a genuine fight from the Welsh, proper Six Nations stuff. This is what it’s all about.

15. Ciarán Frawley 
• 14. Calvin Nash
• 13. Robbie Henshaw
• 12. Bundee Aki
• 11. James Lowe
• 10. Jack Crowley
• 9. Jamison Gibson-Park

1. Andrew Porter
• 2. Dan Sheehan
• 3. Tadhg Furlong
• 4. Joe McCarthy
• 5. Tadhg Beirne
• 6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
• 7. Josh van der Flier
• 8. Caelan Doris 

Replacements:

16. Ronan Kelleher
• 17. Cian Healy
• 18. Oli Jager
• 19. James Ryan
• 20. Ryan Baird
• 21. Jack Conan
• 22. Conor Murray
• 23. Stuart McCloskey

Wales:

15. Cameron Winnett
• 14. Josh Adams
• 13. George North
• 12. Nick Tompkins
• 11. Rio Dyer
• 10. Sam Costelow
• 9. Tomos Williams

1. Gareth Thomas
• 2. Elliot Dee
• 3. Kieron Assiratti
• 4. Dafydd Jenkins
• 5. Adam Beard
• 6. Alex Mann
• 7. Tommy Reffell
• 8. Aaron Wainwright

Replacements:

16. Ryan Elias
• 17. Corey Domachowski
• 18. Dillon Lewis
• 19. Will Rowlands 
• 20. Mackenzie Martin
• 21. Kieran Hardy
• 22. Ioan Lloyd
• 23. Mason Grady

Referee: Andrea Piardi [Italy].