Bowe’s inside knowledge sure to test Wales defence

TOMMY BOWE knows as much as the next player that perception counts for a lot in rugby, as it does in life.

Ireland concede more than a few penalties and they are deemed an unruly side worthy of special attention by referees. Wales flatter to deceive, not adding up to the sum of their parts, and all of a sudden they are seen as flaky and disinterested.

And so it goes. Bowe would be keen to follow his national coach Declan Kidney in attempting to change such perceptions and as an Irishman plying his trade in Wales for two-and-a-half years, he is more than qualified to challenge prevailing mindsets about both teams heading into this evening’s Six Nations clash at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.