Ireland vs Wales Six Nations preview as the sides meet in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin for Round 4 of the Six Nations.
Ireland sit on nine points after three matches, where they have picked up two wins but only one bonus point. This leaves them sitting third behind France and Scotland, who will meet in round four.
Wales have lost all three matches of the Six Nations this year, but were minutes away against Scotland. A late maul try conceded saw them lose 26-23, having been 20-5 ahead with less than half an hour to go. This gave them their first bonus point of the tournament so far.
Ireland vs Wales confirmed lineups and team news
Ireland (1-15):
O’Toole, Kelleher, Furlong, Ryan, Beirne, Conan, Timoney, Doris, Gibson-Park, Crowley, Stockdale, McCloskey, Ringrose, Baloucoune, Osbourne
Replacements (16-23):
Stewart, Milne, Clarkson, McCarthy, Van Der Flier, Doak, Farrell, Frawley
Some interesting changes by Farrell, and he has added some Ulster focus to the lineup. O’Toole starts at loosehead, having played for most of his professional career as a tighthead. Jacob Stockdale returns to the starting lineup after a tough night in Paris. Dan Sheehan has been rested from the 23 entirely, and Nathan Doak will collect his first Ireland cap off the bench.
Wales (1-15):
Carre, Lake, Francis, Jenkins, Carter, Mann, Botham, Wainwright, Williams, Edwards, Adams, Hawkins, James, Mee, Rees-Zammit
Replacements (16-23):
Elias Smith, Griffin, Beard, Cracknell, Hardy, Evans, Hennessey
Tandy has made three changes from the side that faced Scotland. Dan Edwards comes in at 10 for the injured Sam Castellow, and James Botham starts for the injured Taine Plumtree. Ellis Mee starts ahead of Gabriel Hamer-Webb.
Recent Form:
Ireland (Home team): W-W-L-L-W
Ireland produced a standout performance as they picked up a record win at Twickenham. Along with their home win against Italy, they are in a strong position to finish second in the Championship. Their defeat on the opening day of the championship means that they would struggle to catch France, even with a perfect end to the Six Nations. Their home form hasn’t been massively convincing with losses to France and South Africa in their last five matches in Dublin. Two years ago, they won the Grand Slam, which included three wins in their home games against Italy, Wales and Scotland.
Wales (Away team): L-L-L-L-L
Wales have been on an extremely difficult run, now going five matches without a win since they beat Japan in the Autumn. In 26 games since their 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat, they have only won twice. Both wins came against Japan, with the latest Japan win coming by one point, coming from an 83rd-minute penalty. Wales’ last Six Nations win came in 2023, when they won away to Italy.
Ireland vs Wales head-to-head record (last five matches):
| Date | Competition | Winner | Score |
| 22/2/25 | Six Nations | Ireland | 18-27 |
| 24/2/24 | Six Nations | Ireland | 31-7 |
| 4/2/23 | Six Nations | Ireland | 10-34 |
| 5/2/22 | Six Nations | Ireland | 29-7 |
| 7/2/21 | Six Nations | Wales | 21-16 |
Ireland have had a stronghold over this fixture, and Wales haven’t won at the Aviva since a World Cup warm-up game in 2015. This is seven games at the Aviva without a win for Wales. Ireland have won the last four matches against Wales in a row. They have also won eight of the last nine games against Wales.
How to watch Ireland vs Wales?
The Ireland vs Wales game will be broadcast live on ITV1 in the UK and RTE2 in Ireland. For those who want to watch in the Welsh language, it will be broadcast on S4C.
Streaming will be available on both ITVX and the RTE player.
Radio commentary will be provided on BBC Radio 5 Live in the UK and on RTE Radio 1 in Ireland.
Highlights will be provided shortly after the conclusion of the game on the Official Six Nations YouTube channel.
