Six Nations 2026: Ireland v Wales – The visitors aim to show they are no joke in Dublin

It was common for Wales players and coaches to liquidate the Irish in Dublin.

Trimble himself was left to the ground by Shane Williams in Wales’ Triple Crown win in 2008 as the impressive winger scored the decisive try at Croke Park.

Four years later, Trimble was left floundering in the face of a rampaging Jonathan Davies who raced wide to cross for two tries in the 2012 victory that put Wales in a Grand Slam title.

Relations between Wales and Ireland have in the past been tense, especially in Warren Gatland’s first spell as head coach.

Gatland, the former Ireland coach, stated that Wales players hated the Irish players the most in 2009, while you would often see the likes of Mike Phillips, Liam Williams and Gethin Jenkins clashing with Paul O’Connell, Rob Kearney and Ronan O’Gara.

This edge has disappeared in recent years.

Ireland’s dominance in this competition has not helped, as Wales have not won this fixture since 2021 and have not tasted victory in the Six Nations in Dublin since 2012.

The rivalry is crying out for some positions.

Wales captain Dewey Leck offered some of that by saying he believes his side can overcome their opponents on Friday, while attacking coach Matt Sherratt expects them to be able to give fear to their Irish opponents.

These are the boldest sentiments some Welsh supporters have been calling for.

Others prefer a simpler approach, and Coach Tandy is intentionally more cautious in his messaging.

This is perhaps understandable, as they face their eighth match with six defeats and a one-point win over Japan in their reign so far.

Asked if he thought this team could go to Dublin and win, Tandy replied: “We’re at a point where we can go there and be competitive.

“That’s the way it is. If we’re competitive and give a good portion of what we did against Scotland, I think we’ll be in the game to get the result we all want.”

Tandy was asked again later if Wells believed he could win. His response?

“I absolutely believe in this group,” Tandy said. “I believe in what we are building, the players believe in it and their confidence has increased.

“We’re starting to understand more about what’s needed. I think we’re going to have a competitive performance on Friday night.”

It remains to be seen whether the competitive bid is enough to lend credibility to talk of a mini-Wales revival.

One thing is for sure, Lake, Tandy and the loyal Welsh fans traveling will be hoping no one laughs at this Wales team after their performance in the home of Irish rugby on Friday night.