Joe Schmidt braced for strong Welsh challenge

Consecutive defeats to England and Scotland have heaped pressure on interim coach Rob Howley.

Wales may be out of the race for the Six Nations title but Joe Schmidt is expecting pride and unpredictability from the hosts when Ireland take to the field at the Principality Stadium on Friday night, writes Brendan O'Brien.

The Welsh have been dismissed as a predictable outfit with a number of individuals scrambling for form but the Ireland coach begged to differ on Wednesday afternoon after both sides named unchanged starting line-ups.