Wales face out-half switch for for Ireland Six Nations clash

The defeat to Scotland was Wales' 14th consecutive loss in the Six Nations but the mood is starting to turn in the camp ahead of Friday's match against Ireland in Dublin

With Sam Costelow still recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Scotland, Dan Edwards is likely to start for Wales in Friday's Six Nations match against Ireland. Pic: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Sam Costelow, the catalyst in a much improved Welsh performance against Scotland, won’t be fit to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night in Round 4 of the Guinness Six Nations.

The Scarlets outside half is still nursing the ankle injury that forced him out of the 26-24 defeat to the Scots in the 54th minute. According to backs coach Matt Sherratt, the 25-year-old should be fit to face Italy next week.

It means Ospreys pivot Dan Edwards is likely to be recalled to start against Ireland in the No 10 jersey, with Harlequins’ Jarrod Evans remaining on the bench. Few other changes are predicted in a back division that certainly raised its game against the Scots.

“Sam's not quite ready for this week but we're hoping he will be able to play a further part in the Six Nations,” said Sherratt.

“He is at his best when he lets his instinct kick in and our forwards allowed him to do that against Scotland because they give him ball to go forward onto. It obviously helps as a half-back when you have forwards winning collisions – it helps the whole team.

“I wouldn't say we didn't have an aggressive mentality in the first two games, but we didn't really get a huge amount of ball to show it. We didn't show enough intent at times against England and France.

“But we got gainline and speed of ball from the first play against Scotland and Sam was out the back of things going forward. He was able to see the game a lot more clearly.” 

Edwards played seven Tests in a row for Wales up to Round 3 when Costelow returned and has been building a growing reputation for himself with his performances at the Ospreys since graduating from the Wales U20 team.

Even though Wales lost at the death against the Scots the overall feeling was of a team taking a confident stride forward after a miserable couple of years. It may have been a 14th successive Six Nations defeat, but there has been a bounce in both the mood in the camp and in training ahead of the trip to Dublin.

“We had a good performance against Ireland in Cardiff last year and you could feel a bit of a buzz in the squad. We had the players back in at the latter end of last week, reviewed the Scotland game and there was a fair bit of positivity around it,” added Sherratt.

“It was obviously tinged with a bit of disappointment in the last five minutes, but the resounding feedback from the players was that we have drawn a line in the sand. That performance is now our benchmark and we need to show the same level of intent wherever we are now.

“The players played in a way that resonated with the home crowd and they got behind us. It's easier to do that at home, but the players want to pick that up and transport it to Dublin this weekend.

“Regardless of who we're playing, they want to show the same intent and bravery week-in, week-out. Hopefully the Scottish performance is a stepping stone for us.

“There was probably a bit of the frustration after the first two games because some of the training week wasn't carried over into those games. The things we had been working on before the Scotland game, like the improvement in our first three phases and some of our width defensively, went straight from the training field into the game.

“It was nice for us to actually review a game, and be so much more positive, in showing them that what we're actually trying to work on is coming through. The biggest thing for us is to do it all over again in Dublin.” 

Ireland are unbeaten in their last six home Six Nations clashes with Wales. The Welsh will be massive underdogs on Friday night. Sherratt is well aware of that and is merely looking for the side to build on their Scottish performance.

“Looking at Ireland over the last four or five years, they've had a lot of continuity in both their playing and coaching groups. They are a team that has some cohesion,” added Sherratt.

“There are obviously a lot of players from their provinces who are very used to playing with each other. That's always the challenge against Ireland.

“They're a good all-round team and you can almost close your eyes and see how they play – a tight connected shape, good ball movement, a willingness to play from deep, and look to keep the ball if they can.

“That’s the challenge. We'll have to be good both sides of the ball and around set-piece because Ireland are a very good all-round team.”