Phillips aims to carry Cup form against Ireland

Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips reckons he is living in a soap opera in France but is ready to prove a serial star against Ireland.

British & Irish Lion Phillips is growing increasingly frustrated with life on the pitch at Bayonne.

He said: “There’s never a dull moment at Bayonne. All sorts have happened with different coaches taking over and the in-fighting.

“You just don’t know what to expect next and at times, it’s like a soap opera. But generally I’ve never been as happy in my rugby as I am now.”

He will be a marked man after his controversial winner in Cardiff 11 months ago denied Ireland the Six Nations title.

And his stunning solo effort at the World Cup set up a thrilling quarter-final win for Wales against their Celtic rivals.

Phillips said: “Ireland are confident boys. I got to know them doing the Lions set-up and they’re confident, very good rugby players.

“We have to be equally confident in ourselves. It has gone well against them in the last couple of years but you can’t think about the past games, it’s all about what happens next. They will want to win but we will do everything in our power to go out there and get the result.

“The World Cup could not have gone much better for me. As a team we were superb in that quarter-final and made very few errors. We will need to produce something similar to win out in Dublin.

“It’s a massive game, the first game and a must win game. I just hope we can carry on our World Cup form.”