{"id":18694,"date":"2017-03-10T12:05:17","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T12:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=18694"},"modified":"2017-03-10T12:05:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T12:05:17","slug":"wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/10\/wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales v Ireland: The definitive head-to-head ratings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>WALES\u00a0welcome Ireland to Cardiff tonight knowing that a win is vital if they are not to fall down the world rankings to ninth &#8212; even if an Ireland defeat hands England the title.\u00a0We&#8217;ve pitted\u00a0the two starting line-ups against each other before the real action kicks off at 8.05pm, and selected our composite XV.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">15 Leigh Halfpenny v Rob Kearney<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The usually metronomic Halfpenny had a crisis of confidence with the boot against Scotland, while the attacking prowess that saw him burst on to the international scene has been AWOL for a while. The 30-year-old Kearney is possibly beyond the peak of his powers, but he\u2019s still a quality operator, especially under the high ball. <\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Kearney<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">14 George North v Keith Earls<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">North needs a big performance, with Shaun Edwards having hinted in the warm-up that his place in the team will come under serious threat if he repeats his anonymous showing against Scotland. Earls has acquired 57 caps without ever being a box-office performer, but he seldom lets his country down these days.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Earls<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">13 Jonathan Davies v Garry Ringrose<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Davies came into the tournament in the most wretched of form, but his performances so far have been among the best in the Welsh line-up (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">kick against England notwithstanding). Ringrose is regarded as the next Brian O\u2019Driscoll, and in his six caps he has shown that the tag may not be unbecoming of him.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Davies<\/b><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18697\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18697\" style=\"width: 426px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-18697\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Jonathan Davies at his running best for the Scarlets\" width=\"426\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18697\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18697\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Jonathan Davies at his running best for the Scarlets\" width=\"426\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/noscript> <strong>Jonathan Davies at his running best for the Scarlets<\/strong> (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/deed.en\">Eoin Gardiner<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">12 Scott Williams v Robbie Henshaw<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Williams has done the business against Ireland before, scoring the winning try off the bench in 2015\u2019s rearguard victory, but now is his chance to show that he can ignite a Welsh back-line from the off. Henshaw is pencilled in by many as a Lions tourist, and Williams will have his work cut out against the strong-running Leinster man.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Henshaw<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">11 Liam Williams v Simon Zebo<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The man affectionately known as Sanjay has been Wales\u2019 stand-out back of the tournament, serving only to strengthen the clamour for him to don the 15 jersey. Zebo pulled off his famous heel-kick at Cardiff in the 2013 win, and though he is a bit of a maverick renegade on the field he can spring into life at any moment. <\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Williams<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10 Dan Biggar v Jonathan Sexton <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The last two defeats have been Biggar\u2019s career in a nutshell &#8212; combative and steadfast in a titanic tussle against England, but unable to rouse his back-line in the heavy defeat against Scotland. Sexton has no such trouble spurring his three-quarters into life, always offering 80 minutes of subtle invention. \u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Sexton<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">9 Rhys Webb v Conor Murray<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chopsy and fast-paced, Webb seemed to be Wales\u2019 only threat against Scotland, with his eye for a snipe and quick thinking making him one of the front-runners for a Lions call-up. However, he\u2019ll have a tough job taking the nine jersey off his opponent. For the past year, Murray has been the complete scrum-half. \u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Murray<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">8 Ross Moriarty v Jamie Heaslip<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Keeping the world-class Taulupe Faletau out of the starting line-up says it all about Moriarty\u2019s recent form for Wales &#8212; his 53-minute cameo against England was simply earth-shattering. Heaslip is the man who has seen it all in 99 Tests for Ireland and the Lions, but he was at his best a few years ago.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Moriarty<\/b><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_18699\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18699\" style=\"width: 445px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-18699\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Moriarty has kept hold of the number-eight jersey ahead of Taulupe Faletau\" width=\"445\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-18699\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18699\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"Moriarty has kept hold of the number-eight jersey ahead of Taulupe Faletau\" width=\"445\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/Moriarty-h2h.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 445px) 100vw, 445px\" \/><\/noscript> Moriarty has kept hold of the number-eight jersey ahead of Taulupe Faletau (Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/deed.en\">Cl\u00e9ment Bucco-Lechat<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">7 Justin Tipuric v Sean O\u2019Brien<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A real clash of styles. The skilful Tipuric is renowned for his eye-catching work in the wide channels, but his performances in defence and at the breakdown in recent times have been outstanding. O\u2019Brien is one of the best ball-carriers around, and will ask questions of the Welsh defence time and time again.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Tipuric<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">6 Sam Warburton v CJ Stander<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since relinquishing the captaincy, Warburton has been back to his world-class best, proving to be Wales\u2019 star performer alongside Tipuric in the first-half against Scotland. Stander scored a hat-trick in the mauling of Italy, and somehow makes O\u2019Brien look diminutive in the carrying stakes.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Stander<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">5 Alun Wyn Jones v Devin Toner<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody doubts Jones\u2019 brilliance as a lock, but as the captain he will have a lot on his plate to try and galvanise what has been a staid Welsh side in the first three rounds. The giraffe-like Toner is an absolute nuisance at the lineout and at mauls, and if he can stop Wales\u2019 ball at source, they\u2019ll have real problems.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Jones<\/b><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_17823\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17823\" style=\"width: 425px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-17823\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"With the added media responsibilities of captaincy, Alun Wyn Jones has been able to show off his renowned thorny side \" width=\"425\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-17823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-17823\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-1024x766.jpg\" alt=\"With the added media responsibilities of captaincy, Alun Wyn Jones has been able to show off his renowned thorny side \" width=\"425\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-770x576.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-500x374.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/02\/JHAWJ.jpg 1027w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/noscript> With the added media responsibilities of captaincy, Alun Wyn Jones has been able to show off his renowned thorny side<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">4 Jake Ball v Donnacha Ryan <\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ball typified Wales\u2019 huge physical effort against England with a number of big carries, but as with many others seemed to go missing in the capitulation at Murrayfield. Ryan is another experienced head in the Irish pack who you know will never take a backwards step when the sea of red comes pouring forward.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Ryan<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">3 Tomas Francis v Tadhg Furlong<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Exeter tighthead Francis doesn\u2019t offer a huge amount around the park, but he solidifies the Welsh pack at scrum-time. His opposite number Furlong more than holds his own in both facets, meaning he is widely regarded as a front-runner for the Lions front-row.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Furlong<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2 Ken Owens v Rory Best<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Cannonball earned his reputation as a super-sub carrier off the bench, but since grasping the jersey from Scott Baldwin, Owens has shown his all-round skills in a Welsh line-out that functions as well as it ever has. Captain Best led from the front in Ireland\u2019s bumper 2016, but his standards have slipped a little this year.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Owens<\/b><br \/>\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1 Rob Evans v Jack McGrath<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Evans has seen off the stalwart Gethin Jenkins and youngster Nicky Smith with the strength of his performances in the last two tournaments, while an offload is never far away from the Scarlets man. McGrath forms a fearsome Irish propping duo, and will play a huge part in deciding the balance of power at the set-piece.<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Verdict: Evans<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Overall verdict: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales 7, Ireland 8<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WALES\u00a0welcome Ireland to Cardiff tonight knowing that a win is vital if they are not to fall down the world rankings to ninth &#8212; even if an Ireland defeat hands England the title.\u00a0We&#8217;ve pitted\u00a0the two starting line-ups against each other before the real action kicks off at 8.05pm, and selected our composite XV. 15 Leigh Halfpenny v Rob Kearney The usually metronomic Halfpenny had a crisis of confidence with the boot against Scotland, while the attacking prowess that saw him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":18697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[151,4,113],"tags":[1291,1644,154,328,339],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-18694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rugby","category-sport","category-uncategorised","tag-cardiff-2","tag-ireland","tag-rugby-2","tag-six-nations","tag-wales"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Wales v Ireland: The definitive head-to-head ratings - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/10\/wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wales v Ireland: The definitive head-to-head ratings - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WALES\u00a0welcome Ireland to Cardiff tonight knowing that a win is vital if they are not to fall down the world rankings to ninth &#8212; even if an Ireland defeat hands England the title.\u00a0We&#8217;ve pitted\u00a0the two starting line-ups against each other before the real action kicks off at 8.05pm, and selected our composite XV. 15 Leigh Halfpenny v Rob Kearney The usually metronomic Halfpenny had a crisis of confidence with the boot against Scotland, while the attacking prowess that saw him [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/10\/wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-10T12:05:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2017\/03\/JD-h2h.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1027\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cathyduncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cathyduncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cathyduncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/10\/wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2017\/03\/10\/wales-v-ireland-definitive-head-head-ratings\/\",\"name\":\"Wales v Ireland: The definitive head-to-head ratings - 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