Irish must stifle Welsh free spirit

IN many respects, tomorrow’s crucial Six Nations clash with Wales bears the hallmarks of the must-win World Cup tie against Argentina last October.

While the consequences of defeat would not be as severe, one can’t escape the fact that Ireland’s Six Nations campaign will hang on the outcome.

From the Welsh perspective, Steve Hansen will see this as a true measure of the progress his side has made over the past six months. The pressure was on them in their home tie against Scotland last weekend. Given the hype surrounding their two outstanding performances against New Zealand and England in the World Cup, the Welsh had to reproduce form and more importantly had to win. In both cases they delivered.