With a Championship, Grand Slam and Triple Crown still on the cards, Wales arrive in Dublin in buoyant mood for this weekend’s RBS Six Nations clash at Croke Park.

Three wins from their opening three games, against England, Scotland and Italy respectively, have catapulted the Welsh to the top-of-the-table. Confidence is clearly running high within the squad and it shows through their on-field exploits.

Since winning the Grand Slam in surprising fashion in 2005, playing an exciting brand of high-risk running-rugby, Wales have failed to capitalise on the apparent talents at their disposal. Off-field distractions have hampered their game, but their ability to still successfully complete the improbable makes them one of the most exciting sides in the game today.

New coach Warren Gatland has enjoyed a meteoric start since taking over the reins following the sacking of Gareth Jenkins after a disastrous World Cup campaign. It will be Gatland’s first time coming face-to-face with Eddie O’Sullivan, his former assistant in the Irish job. Following his acrimonious departure from the Irish set-up in 2001, Gatland appeared to lay a portion of the blame at O’Sullivan’s door and their impending collision is just one of several interesting encounters to keep supporters interested this weekend. 

One of the more intriguing head-to-heads at Croke Park on Saturday will be the conflict between the respective number eights. Ryan Jones is an integral component to the Welsh game. As well as captaining the side, he provides a large portion of their go-forward attacking possession.

The newest pretender to that throne will be directly opposite in the shape of Ireland’s Jamie Heaslip. His performances for Leinster over the past eighteen months have rightly justified his inclusion in this season’s Six Nations squad, however it’s Heaslip’s obvious improvement over the past five months which has elevated him into the starting line-up.

The Leinster back-row has been the in-form number eight throughout this year’s European Cup and this weekend’s game will offer him the perfect opportunity to gauge just how far his game has come on.