Advertisement
Eddie O'Sullivan talks up...

Sport

Eddie O'Sullivan talks up the "potent combination" that makes Wales dangerous against Ireland

98FM
98FM

08:35 19 Feb 2018


Share this article


On Saturday, Ireland will resume their quest to win the Grand Slam in 2018 when they take on a very dangerous Wales side who ran England close and had already outclassed a highly fancied Scotland. 

As the game closes in, former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and Irish Independent rugby correspondent Ruaidhri O'Connor joined Joe on Monday Night Rugby.

Eddie feels the Welsh team will be in a "good place" mentally when they come to Dublin.  

"I think they're probably in a good place mentally, a bit of a point to prove, they'll have a chip on the shoulder after Twickenham," he said. 

Eddie O'Sullivan talks up the "potent combination" that makes Wales dangerous against Ireland

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

"All the things you'd like to put in your locker for an away game where you're not favourites.

"I saw a spread somewhere that it was something like 12-15 points to Ireland which I thought was a bit weird. I think it will be a tight game. I think Wales are in a pretty good place, a chip on the shoulder and something to prove - that's always a potent combination."

And as Ruaidhri O'Connor pointed out, Ireland's recent record against Warren Gatland's Wales has not been impressive.

Eddie added: "It could be the trickiest one at the end of the day for us and the bit of a problem for us is we actually don't know where we are exactly. We're two from two which we said before this Championship, we'd be two from two. But the problem with Paris was that we got out of jail a bit so there's not a load to take out of Paris except we won the game and that was probably the most important thing to be honest. There wasn't much else to take out of Paris.

"And then the problem with Italy is you're going to win comfortably so you don't have any metric to go on, so this is where the Championship really kicks off."    

He pointed out that with injuries factored in, there is also uncertainty in regards to Ireland's centre line up and other areas of the field which means it's not 100% clear how Ireland will play against Wales, adding that, "I always had it in the back of my head that if Wales delivered any kind of performance in the first two matches, they'll be dangerous."

On the tactics, he feels if the game is played at Ireland's pace, it will be a home win but if that changes in Wales' favour then that could see the wind shift in the other direction.


Share this article


Read more about

Sport

You might like