As for players still sweating a place in the World Cup squad? Hallam Amos almost certainly didn’t do enough to force his way in ahead of Cuthbert, who was steady. Bradley Davies was very impressive and should be in, too. The especially good news for Warren Gatland though is that George North came through 80 minutes without so much as a scare.
For Ireland, Dave Kearney looked incredibly solid and surely will be part of the squad now even though back three is such a hotly contested area. The biggest question for Joe Schmidt is over the fitness of so many players: Tommy O’Donnell is already out, Cian Healy is a concern and there were injuries today to Peter O’Mahoney, Luke Fitzgerald and Keith Earls. Even for a squad with as much depth as Ireland, this could be concerning.
Anyway, that’s all from me. Thanks for reading. Bye!
Well I’m exhausted just watching that. We use the word “absorbing” to describe a lot of matches, perhaps too many, but this time it was as though the headline using that word was written already and the teams played to order*.
Wales very deserved their win on the back of the kind of fierce defence that you’re more likely to see in a Grand Slam decider than a summer friendly. Ireland battered away relentlessly, as you’d expect from a team led by Paul O’Connell, but there was barely a chink in the Welsh wall, which was marshalled brilliantly by the man of the match, Tipuric.
Wales will be glad of a win, Ireland won’t be too disheartened by defeat. There may be some concern on both sides about the lack of creativity, ideas, penetrations... you know, the pretty stuff. Still, there’s just about time to improve that yet and on that showing you’d say both these sides look better placed than England right now.
*Note: this is not actually the case.
No try! Full-time Ireland 10-16 Wales
Jarvis has rolled Cronin on to his back and Halfpenny has managed to wedge himself brilliantly under the ball. That’s it! Wales win!
TMO referral
Reddan pops it to Henderson, who goes close. It’s recycled to Cronin who bursts over! Did he get it down though?! Joubert thinks it was held up, so conclusive proof is needed.
80 min Henderson takes the throw and Ireland get that driving maul going. Tipuric is in there looking to disrupt it, but Cronin peels off the back. Ireland hammering away at that red wall now and the ball goes loose, but POC seizes it back. Back right we go and the clock is red. Still they come and Wales try to hold O’Brien up. They don’t and there’s another penalty for clearing out by the neck...
Jackson prods it into the corner. Big roar from the crowd as O’Connell marches up...
78 min O’Connell steals the lineout midway inside the Welsh half and will have one more chance to win this. Through the phases they go and Wales are penalised for taking out the half-back.
77 min Gareth Davies, the replacement nine, throws a dodgy pass to nowhere that has Priestland in trouble. The crowd aren’t happy though, as Ireland are ruled to be up too fast and Wales get a penalty for offside.
76 min Ireland go for the maul, but it’s held up and Wales get the scrum! Tipuric, obviously, gets the plaudits for that. What an understudy to Warburton Wales have in him. I’m wondering if they might consider him over the less dynamic Lydiate on the blindside.
75 min Penalty to Ireland as they look to run it out of the 22, for obstruction. Jackson kicks to touch well, deep into Welsh territory on the left. With the ball resembling a bar of soap, Cronin finds Henderson well.
74 min From a scrum in the middle of the pitch, Wales get a scrum. I think that both benches have been emptied now, by the way. Right it goes as Wales creep forward down the short side, before Priestland goes high but too deep.
73 min AWJ’s hard day is done, with James King coming back on.
72 min The ball carrying from Wales’ locks and back row today has been outstanding. From the restart, they recycle it easily enough and, with Ireland sucked into the rucks, North is away! He gives it left to Amos on the overlap, but the youngster shows his naivety and immediately grubbers ahead when he should keep it in hand. Kearney dots it down safely.
Penalty (Halfpenny 71) Ireland 10-16 Wales
Even with the rain pouring down as it is now, he won’t have many easier than this.
70 min Ireland go offside, on the 22, right in front of the posts.
69 min Kick, kick, kick, kick but then Amos collects Priestland’s garryowen. Scott Williams go on an arcing run into the 22 but then Henshaw knocks Faletau (!) back. Wales move it right, not gaining much ground but keeping the ball at least.
68 min Fitzgerald and Alun Wyn Jones are both hurt. This is going to prompt a reshuffle, as Fitzgerald is replaced by the lock Donnacha Ryan. Incidentally Priestland kicked ahead a few minutes ago, but Dave Kearney touched it down for a 22 drop-out. This has been brutal.
67 min Jackson chips over the top, but Halfpenny takes. He kicks and Dave Kearney, who has looked very solid today, carries it back. Back it goes to Jackson in the pocket and he tries the drop goal from all of 45 metres, but it’s charged down by Charteris. He was never getting that.
66 min Another high kick, another Kearney underneath it before Kilcoyne carries it up over the gainline. Ireland move it right and go through the phases, slowly. So slowly.
Penalty (Halfpenny 65) Ireland 10-13 Wales
Halfpenny slots the first points of the second half.
64 min Earls is taken off, replaced by Jones, with a head knock and this really doesn’t look good. Reddan is also on, for Murray and Jackson for Sexton. Earls raises his arm to let the crowd know he’s OK, which is really good to see. In the meantime, Halfpenny is lining up a penalty from the 10m line, just to the right.
Oh dear, Sexton has ice on his arm too.
Jamie Roberts is the man replaced by Amos, who is usually a full-back.
63 min These players must be knackered. The ball has barely been out of play. Wales go left, but Amos – who appears to be on for someone – sends a poor grubber straight to Rob Kearney. We’re going back for a penalty to Wales, while the motorised stretcher comes on for Earls.
62 min Another poor lineout, something that has let Wales down today, and Ireland win it. But then Sexton’s kick is poor and fielded in the middle of the pitch by Halfpenny. He offloads to North and Earls does himself a mischief stopping the wing. Wales retain it, but they’ve gone back to halfway.
61 min Lydiate returns from the blood bin as Dave Kilcoyne replaces Jack McGrath.
60 min Ireland in possession, going patiently through the phases in the middle of the pitch. Sexton picks up scrappy ball and hits a wonderful snap kick immediately into the corner. We’re going back though as there was a clearout by the neck by O’Connell on Tipuric. It’s just a penalty, for the exact same offence that Calum Clark was sin-binned for when England played France at Twickenham.
59 min An exchange of kicks, then a very long looping pass looks like it might send Cuthbert away. He gets on the outside of Earls, but the smaller man is able to drag him down. More kicking back and forth follows.
Updated
58 min Through the phases we go, but Wales are struggling to generate the momentum needed to get over the gain line. Webb looks to dart, but he’s caught and the lack of scrum-half means the ball is loose, seized upon by Ireland and cleared.
57 min Ireland win the lineout, albeit not in the most convincing manner, and Murray gets it clear, out of the 22. From the lineout though, Wales take it back in with North coming off his wing to take a nice popped inside pass.
56 min A new lineout combination as Baldwin and Charteris are on. From midway inside their own half, Wales take it off the top, win the up-and-under and Roberts goes on the charge, bursting up, over halfway and into the 22. It’s recycled and Halfpenny stabs it through on the left for Roberts to chase, but into touch it goes.
55 min This won’t be a popular decision: Wales are under pressure, but McGrath is wheeling it says the referee and it’s a penalty Wales. Unpopular, but correct, I’d say.
Scrum five to Wales, is the result of that.
54 min Heaslip takes it at the front and SOB drives for the corner. Joubert consults with Wayne Barnes, his touch-judge; “Definitely held up,” says Barnes, “so yeah we’ll check.” To the TMO we go, but Tipuric has ripped the ball from O’Brien right on the line. Outstanding work.
53 min Sean Cronin, on for Strauss, makes ground with an arcing half-break. Then North is in trouble as a Sexton kick, which looks to be too deep, bounces awkwardly and forces the Northampton wing to turn twice before gathering. Dave Kearney does well to drag the big man into touch five metres from the Welsh line.
52 min Wales win the lineout but lose the turnover on the Irish 22. An exchange of kicks sees Rob Kearney run into King on halfway.
51 min Blood replacement for Wales as Biggar kicks to touch, with James King coming on for Lydiate. O’Mahoney has been replaced by O’Brien.
50 min 30m from his own line, Webb goes high and Dave Kearney does a perfect impression of his brother, winning it in the air. Right it goes, Henshaw gets outside Tipuric but it’s another brilliant tackle from the flanker! Ireland shift it left, but that man Tipuric is, somehow, there again to win the penalty on the floor. What a performance this is.
49 min O’Mahoney is down injured as Ireland spin it left and Earls spins and jinks inside off his wing. Scott Williams wins the turnover brilliantly on the floor though!
48 min Henderson nabs another lineout and Ireland carry it up through midfield, almost to the Wales 10m line. Sexton comes round on the loop and nearly dummies his way through a gap, which closes at the last minute.
47 min Gethin Jenkins, who today became the world’s most-capped prop, passing Jason Leonard’s record, is replaced by Paul James. The former Bath man’s first job is to face a very solid scrum, off the back of which Sexton runs and dinks into touch just past halfway.
46 min From the lineout, Roberts crashes through Murphy and over the Irish 10m line. It’s slow ball at the breakdown though for the Welsh. Henderson makes a good grab on Webb’s arm at close quarters and forces the knock on.
45 min Back inside it comes, with O’Connell trying to inject some momentum. It doesn’t work though as Wales drive them back out of the 22. This is great defence and Jenkins wins the turnover and, with it, a penalty!
44 min Taken quickly by Earls and Dave Kearney, into midfield off his wing, carves through the defence. Henshaw carries it up and Ireland are being patient, but they’re drifting towards the right touchline.
43 min Never mind that. Sexton spots that Cuthbert has stepped up and kicks perfectly into the corner. Davies takes the throw under pressure and Biggar clears it.
42 min Solid scrum from Ireland, Sexton goes on a dummy loop and Henshaw crashes up to the 10m line. A dodgy pass though goes behind Fitzgerald and Ireland, while still in possession are on the back foot.
41 min Sexton restarts with a deep kick into the 22, which Wales carry up out of it. Webb kicks high to Earls, who is immediately met by the very impressive Tipuric. Ireland retain it though, 40m from the Welsh line. Ah no, now Williams rips it out the tackle but loses it forwards.
Updated
Here we go again. No changes at the break, as far as I can see.
Over at Murrayfield, Scotland lead Italy 10-0. I must admit I completely forgot that Wales do play Italy next weekend, although they’ll have named their final squad by then.
Half-time Ireland 10-10 Wales
That’s yer lot for a very entertaining half, with Wales’ outstanding defence breached at the last.
Converted try! (Henderson 40) Ireland 10-10 Wales
Penalty Ireland as the scrum goes up. Ireland take it quickly and Murphy then Heaslip carry it up to within five metres of the line. Left it goes but Lydiate makes a heroic tackle charging out the line to stop Henshaw. Webb then goes in and stops Earls. It’s recycled and Sexton chips across, but North takes. Back we go for another penalty though. Again it’s quick and after some patient work, Henderson bursts through the tackle of Biggar and stretches for the line under the posts!
40 min A chance! Wales defence creeps up and Sexton chips over the top for Earls to chase to the corner. It sits up, but the angle of the bounce is slightly too awkward and the makeshift wing can’t quite hold on to it. Scrum Wales with the clock red.
39 min It’s a poor throw from Owens of halfway and Strauss charges forward 10m. Murray and Sexton on the loop around and Kearney then sprerads it wide to his brother. Dave kicks ahead and Halfpenny sweeps up, but Ireland win the turnover on the 22!
38 min The pressure exerted by both defences today has been outstanding. Ireland concede another penalty at the breakdown as Tipuric wins the turnover and seals the ball off. Sean O’Brien would be proud.
37 min Sexton goes to touch on the left, just outside the Welsh 22. Inside it comes and it’s Fitzgerald of all people to carry it up into the 22 on the crash.
@danlucas86 lovely preamble to the game. Though spoiler alert indeed. Another spoiler: Wales to win #RWC15, heard it here first. #IREvWAL
— Dr. Gavin S. Davies (@daviesga) August 29, 2015
Oh Gav. In the words of Prefab Sprout, guess this world needs its dreamers.
36 min Another garryowen from Biggar, but Rob Kearney is safe as... I think “safe as Rob Kearney” can enter the rugby lexicon now. Ireland carry patiently up to their own 10m line, then Scott Williams goes offside.
35 min Free-kick to Wales for “hit and chase” by Ireland. That’s a new call to me, I’ll admit.
33 min Ireland relive the pressure with the penalty. Sexton does well, in fact, to find touch well inside the Welsh half without much angle to work with. Ireland win the lineout and it’s moved inside, Earls taking it up. A few more phases as play crabs right, but Murray fumbles it.
32 min Murray’s clearance is well caught by Halfpenny, then Biggar’s up-and-under a few phases later is tapped back and won inside the 22 by Roberts. Lydiate fails to release it on the floor though and Ireland can relieve the pressure with the penalty.
31 min Cuthbert comes into midfield and smashes up to the 22, but a few phases later it’s lost on the floor.
30 min Ireland look to run it out of their 22 from the restart, but, after O’Mahoney is stopped, they’re being driven back. It’s carried back in and Rob Kearney slices his clearance straight into touch, but gets away with it thanks to a forgetful touch judge. Welsh lineout, five metres outside the 22 on the right.
Penalty (Sexton 29) Ireland 3-10 Wales
From around 38m, just to the left, Sexton gets three points much-needed by his team. That’s the first penalty Wales have conceded all match.
28 min Ireland regain the front foot thanks to a strong thrust from Henderson through the middle. Sexton is then driven back by Roberts, but we go back for a penalty for not rolling away against AWJ.
27 min Ireland get the ball back from the restart and the two Kearneys make carries down the left. Sexton switches it back inside to O’Connell, who is surprised and does well to keep possession, but Ireland lose the front-foot advantage.
Conversion (Halfpenny) Ireland 0-10 Wales
Aaron-Dessner-from-The-National lookalike Halfpenny curls his conversion over from wide on the left.
I think Tipuric has been awarded the try.
Try! (Tipuric 25) Ireland 0-8 Wales
Well someone was at the bottom of that pile of bodies. Not the foggiest who though. The maul takes it over the line.
Updated
24 min “That’s the third collapse in a row, I have to believe it’s a deliberate tactic, next time someone goes to the bin.” Not my words, but those of the referee. Into the corner again, but this time the throw is to Davies. Still, it’s another maul with North, Roberts and Williams all joining in...
23 min Into the corner again and Joubert must have warned Ireland about the penalty try or yellow card? AWJ takes it again, the maul carries it up again and the referee awards a the penalty again.
22 min Wales stick it in the corner and Alun Wyn Jones takes the lineout in. Here comes the maul, with North and Williams adding their ballast to it. Down it goes just a metre short of the line. It comes inside and Owens goes low. Inches from the line now... and it’s another penalty.
21 min Six, seven, eight phases and Wales are pummelling away patiently. Ireland come offside and the whistle goes – a touch quickly, if you ask me, as momentum was with the Welsh.
20 min A high ball from Biggar and Rob Kearney knocks it on! Tipuric is on it in a flash and Wales move it right, with Roberts carrying it up into the 22 after a brilliant loop around! On come the Welsh, moving it left but, more importantly, forwards. Five metres out on the left now...
19 min Faletau collects the restart and Biggar hits a middling clearance into touch on halfway. Not the greatest kick and he apologises to his teammates, but Ireland make a right horlicks of the lineout and Wales have the ball back.
Penalty (Halfpenny 18) Ireland 0-3 Wales
It’s about five metres in from the right, 35m from the line. Halfpenny, who has actual gold studs – Christ – steps up and drills it straight through.
17 min Right it goes to Cuthbert, who is tackled, but then Ireland go off their feet and this will be the first shot at points today, I would think.
16 min Davies takes the lineout this time, at the front, about six metres outside the 22 on the Welsh left. Wales spin it into midfield, but that brilliant Irish rush defence is knocking them back every time.
15 min Taken in by AWJ and a tiny maul forms and rolls forward. It crabs inside, but Wales are rumbling slowly over the gainline... until Iain Henderson drives over the top after O’Connells tackle and wins the turnover! Murray completes the clearance.
14 min A total mess as the scrum disintegrates, but Joubert says the ball is out. Ireland fail to roll away and it’s a penalty to Wales, which Biggar fires into touch about seven metres inside the Irish 22. This is a chance.
13 min A poor throw from Owens and Murphy steals it at the back. Immediately knocked on though and this is disappointingly disjointed from both sides.
12 min Wales win the lineout, kick it high and Ireland take possession, still inside the Welsh half. That’s not great from Biggar, but this is poor from Sexton too as hie slices his kick into touch on halfway.
11 min Sexton gets too cute this time and Tipuric charges his chip down and secures the ball. Brilliant work. Wales go right, but Cuthbert is turned. After an exchange of kicks, Sexton boots it from his 22 into touch on Wales’ 10m line.
Updated
10 min A very solid scrum then Sexton kicks ahead into the 22. Halfpenny collects and clears to Rob Kearney, who runs it up to halfway.
A breather now while Biggar gets looked at after that collision. I think he’s just been winded.
@DanLucas86 PO'C a giant of a man in every sense of the word, he'd put the fear of God into a platoon on T-1000's. What a warrior & a gent!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) August 29, 2015
9 min Another chip over the top from Sexton in the middle of the pitch and Gethin Jenkins does very well to turn and fall down on it. Biggar goes high again, Rob Kearney takes solidly again. An exchange of kicks follows, then Kearney collides with Biggar in mid-air. It’s a fair collision, as it were, and a scrum to Ireland as Biggar knocked on after ripping it from Kearney.
8 min Again it’s quick lineout ball for Wales and again they go right, then left. Ireland’s rush defence is outstanding as you’d expect, so there’s no way through. Biggar sends it up high, but Kearney goes up and wins the ball expertly. As you’d expect.
7 min Wales fling it left and take it up into the 22 out wide. It comes back the other way and Scott Williams, standing at inside centre, steps past Murphy and Sexton and through the gap. He pops it inside but the ball goes loose and Ireland boot it clear to touch.
6 min Victory for Francis. McGrath stands up and it’s a penalty to Wales. Biggar finds touch on the right, midway inside the Irish half and Wales get it from the lineout.
5 min A scrappy minute or so, this. Biggar’s clearance misses touch from behind his own goal line, but the kick chase is excellent from Wales and Earls knocks on in contact after cutting back inside from halfway. First scrum for Tomas Francis.
Updated
4 min Ah nope, it went into touch and it’s scrappy ball. Wales get it but the ball goes loose in the middle of the half and Fitzgerald hacks ahead into the 22! Wales are stretched, but Wales recover well.
3 min So it’s Ireland in possession again, with a lineout on the left on the Welsh 10m line. It goes long and they retain it, but then Muray’s inside ball is spilled by Earls and Wales rumble into the Irish half for the first time. It’s knocked on at the breakdown though.
2 min Jordi Murphy takes at the front of the lineout and Ireland drive it up into the 22. A couple of phases, then Sexton chips from midfield for Earls to chase, but the ball goes into touch 5m out. Owens hits his man at the lineout and Webb box kicks clear. Nice bright start, this.
Peep! Craig Joubert blows his whistle and Dan Biggar gets things underway, kicking left-to-right. It’s a shallow one and Earls takes it up to the 10m line before Ireland spin it right. Nice slick hands across the line and there’s an overlap as Sexton wraps around! Rob Kearney chips ahead for Dave to take, but it’s shepherded into touch.
Here we go...
Quick quiz: whose record as the youngest player to reach 50 caps is North beating today? If I believe that you didn’t google the answer, you win a prize*.
*Something metaphysical that I don’t have to actually do any to award you.
Of course, it would have been an even better reception if the stadium was even close to full. This is a very good question:
Why did @IRFURugby not reduce ticket price and fill @AVIVAStadium #IREvWAL #COYBIG
— Bridgette (@BridgetteBkeane) August 29, 2015
The teams are heading out. O’Connell leads the way and gets quite the rapturous reception. Rather frustratingly, there are needless fireworks – in the bright sunshine – to “augment” (read: diminish) it.
George North leads Wales out on the occasion of his 50th cap.
This is an outrage. My credentials being called into question from within Guardian Towers (New York edition):
@DanLucas86: Does your handle mean you were born in 1986? Shocking if so. I think we should be told.
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) August 29, 2015
@DanLucas86 Today in New Advances in Science: a foetus live blogs the rugger. Shocked, I tell you. Also, old.
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) August 29, 2015
Ahem. I’ve been going to watch the sport for 21 years now. That’s almost as long as George North has been alive. Which leads me neatly to this question:
@DanLucas86 George North should not be playing rugby #concussion. What do you think? #irlvwal #ireland #rugby
— Brendan O'Connell (@triggerfinger) August 29, 2015
Another one from New York, according to Brendan’s Twitter profile. Anyway, concussion is a risk to all players and it seems unfair to single North out, despite his record. I’m no medical expert and I’m obviously not privy to the Welsh medical teams’ assessment of his progress since the spring. If there’s any sign at all of an ongoing problem then absolutely, he shouldn’t be playing and shouldn’t go to the World Cup. If he is 100% better though then it wouldn’t be fair to deny the guy a place at the big table.
One man who could claim a World Cup spot today is Wales’s Exeter prop, the enormous Tomas Francis. He was outstanding every time I saw him in the Premiership last season. Don’t take my word for it though; here’s what Paul Rees has to say.
A career in professional rugby, never mind at Test level, was not even a distant dream for the student who enjoyed the social side of the amateur game. After a season in the Premiership with Exeter, however, the slimmed-down 23-year-old – Yorkshire-born but Wales qualified through a grandmother who was born in Abercrave – is one performance away from being named in Wales’s World Cup squad on Monday.
Francis makes his debut for Wales against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday having shed four stone since his university days. With Samson Lee recovering from an achilles tendon operation at the end of last season’s Six Nations and Adam Jones dropped from the squad last November, the tight-head has an opportunity he did not envisage a year ago.
So how do we see this one going? Wales won’t – can’t, surely? – be as utterly feckless as they were in Cardiff, but this Ireland team looks far too strong for them to me. POC might just be focused on the match, but you can bet your life that this crowd is going to be one of the loudest in a long time at this stadium and they should roar their team to a comfortable-ish victory.
On a completely unrelated note, happy wedding anniversary to my mum and dad.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. 24 was great, wasn’t it? OK it was dumb and implausible, I’ll grant you that, but dear god it was fun. Non-stop thrills and twists and characters getting bumped off quicker than George RR Martin can write “Red Wedding”. It was a televisual adrenaline rush and it felt like a season was all over in the blink of an eye.
I miss 24. But, to justify tenuous allegories, that’s kinda how these World Cup warm-ups have gone too. They got underway just three weeks ago, with a reverse of this here very fixture; now, for Wales at least, this is the end of the line before plunging into the terrifying headlong rush that is Pool A in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Thinking about it, the MGM Studios Tower of Terror ride that scared the crap out of me when I was 11 might have been a better metaphor, but it’s too late to turn back now!
Terri Bauer. Nina Myers. David Palmer. Richard Hibbard. Mike Phillips. James Hook. Simply being a big name won’t save you in this Wales team, as showrunner Warren Gatland has been ruthless in culling players many of us thought safe at an early stage. Now we’re through to the season finale, going face-to-face with their most formidable foe yet. Charles Logan Ireland are near-enough at full-strength and, while most of this Wales XV are probably already nailed on, the likes of Bradley Davies and Alex Cuthbert could become the latest casualties unless they do something awesome.
Like that bit in Season Four, when Audrey and Jack are pinned down in a garage, there’s a comeback today too for a fan-favourite badass, with George North returning after a five-month absence with concussion. George North is 23 years old, six-foot-four tall and weighs over 17 stone. He runs like the wind and has scored 22 tries for Wales. Today he becomes the youngest player ever to reach 50 caps for his country. Thinking about it, he’s less Tony Almeida, more the Terminator.
Wales got absolutely stuffed three weeks ago, by a nowhere-near full-strength Ireland team. This Welsh side is much stronger, but then this is a near-full-strength Ireland team. They have one more warm-up match, next week against England, and today give first run-outs of the summer to the big guns Rob Kearney, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Jonathan Sexton. There’s also a start for the great Paul O’Connell, playing his final home game for Ireland. Forget 24 for a minute, this is going to be more emotional than that episode of ER where Goose from Top Gun cops it.
You would think that Joe Schmidt probably just about knows his squad by now. Still, there are a few final things to get straight, especially given the uncertainty around Cian Healy’s neck injury. Nathan White will be the main man to watch today as a good performance could see him take advantage of Healy’s misfortune at prop, but Dave Kearney, Keith Earls, Paddy Jackson and Felix Jones are, you would think, still auditioning.
Kick-off is at 2.30pm BST. Here are your teams, dammit:
Ireland
Rob Kearney (Leinster); Dave Kearney (Leinster), Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), Keith Earls (Munster); Johnny Sexton (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster); Jack McGrath (Leinster), Richardt Strauss (Leinster), Nathan White (Connacht); Iain Henderson (Ulster), Paul O’Connell (Munster) capt, Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Jordi Murphy (Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (Munster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Sean O’Brien (Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Leinster), Paddy Jackson (Ulster), Felix Jones (Munster).
Wales
Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon); Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues), Scott Williams (Scarlets), Jamie Roberts (Harlequins), George North (Northampton Saints); Dan Biggar (Ospreys), Rhys Webb (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Ken Owens (Scarlets), Tomas Francis (Exeter Chiefs), Bradley Davies (Wasps), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, capt), Dan Lydiate (Ospreys), Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), Taulupe Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Replacements: Scott Baldwin (Ospreys), Paul James (Ospreys), Aaron Jarvis (Ospreys), Luke Charteris (Racing 92), James King (Ospreys), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), Hallam Amos (Newport Gwent Dragons).
Oh, right. Spoilers. Sorry.
