Dominic Crotty: Coaches' clash adds to occasion

Former Ireland and Munster full-back Dominic Crotty casts his eye over Ireland's clash with Wales this weekend in the 2008 RBS 6 Nations

The forecast is for cold weather over Croke Park tomorrow, but at pitch level it will be a different story.

The stakes could barely be higher for Saturday’s game against Wales at Croke Park. In addition to the opportunity for the rugby-mad Welsh nation to claim a Triple Crown, the intense rivalries between the players extends to the coaches. Most of the time, the rivalry between coaches exists only at arm’s length - tomorrow, it’s personal.

In many ways, it’s sad that bad blood exists between two great Irish coaches; God knows there aren’t too many of them around, never mind two of them in the same generation. In the same way that Declan Kidney and Niall O’Donovan were synonymous with Munster’s success, Warren and Eddie were the brains behind Ireland’s return to the upper tier of international rugby in the new millennium. But it is the way it is and it all adds to the drama of tomorrow’s occasion.

On the playing front, Ireland’s back three will have their work cut out for them. For a young player like Rob Kearney, having to change position midweek before a major international is a big ask, I can only hope and presume that Ireland trained with that switch in mind from early on.

Having said that, the inclusion of Shane Horgan is a huge boost to both Kearney and Bowe and they will be relying on him and his experience in the cauldron of Croke Park. Facing them will be an exciting Welsh back three that are playing with a huge amount of confidence and have a game winner in the form of Shane Williams.

The battle out wide will, as always, depend on what happens inside at the out-half and center area. Here, I think Ireland will have an edge here with Ronan O'Gara who has been outstanding and is a real big-game player and Brian O’Driscoll who, against Scotland, showed a hunger to run at defences that was not evident in recent months. His improving partnership with Andrew Trimble will come under scrutiny from a Welsh midfield that boasts huge experience, creativity and hard running. If Wales can manage to probe and find cracks in this area of the game, it could be along day at the office regardless of what happens elsewhere on the pitch.

Up front, the return of Paul O'Connell to the second row will hopefully be a boost to the team though I’m disappointed for Mick O’Driscoll whose form warranted a longer stay.

Despite a show of strength and return to form in getting one of Munster’s tries last weekend, O'Connell must be lacking match practice so I wouldn’t be surprised to see an early inclusion from the bench for Micko; in any case, Ireland can be confident in having three excellent players at their disposal. Even with Martyn Williams and Ryan Jones, I think Ireland should have the edge over their Welsh counterparts elsewhere in the pack.

The Irish back row looks incredibly strong and nicely balanced, equally able to rough it up and play flash if needs be. The key to winning may actually come down to the outcome of the battle of the scrum halves where I think Eoin Reddan, despite the reputation of Mike Phillips, holds a small but distinct edge in terms of ability and maturity on the field. In addition to this, his in depth and up-to-date knowledge of Shaun Edwards and his defensive tactics could be a major coup for Ireland.

Assuming the weather holds off, I think tomorrow has all the ingredients of being one of the best games yet in the Six Nations. The taste of revenge only adds zest to an already spicey dish.

I think Ireland should win, mainly on ability but importantly also on the back of a home crowd willing them to hammer home the progress seen in the last two games.