Graham Price: Wales can exploit Ireland’s vulnerability after a disheartening display
Wales and Lions legend Graham Price looks ahead to Friday night’s clash between Ireland and Wales
10:15, 03 Mar 2026
For years, Welsh fans approached a Six Nations duel with Ireland with a blend of hope and optimism. These days, realism takes precedence.
You can’t discuss Wales v Ireland without grounding the conversation in facts. Wales is a team in transition, rebuilding after a run of tough results. They head to the Aviva Stadium on Friday evening with no illusions about the challenge ahead.
Yet, as any true Welsh supporter will tell you, the scoreboard rarely tells the full story. It seldom does in these two proud nations’ matchups.
In time, history may record last week’s Scotland victory as the turning point. Still, nothing can erase Wales’ revitalised display. In the first two rounds they were soundly beaten by England and France, but against Scotland they had a chance to win right up until the final whistle.
There were long spells in that Scotland game when Wales looked like the team they aspire to be.
More importantly, it suggested what the squad could achieve again if they stay the course.
That’s meaningful progress compared with recent years.
For 80 minutes, the Wales team and supporters recaptured something long absent—the sense that the result was in their own hands.
Consider how long it’s been since a scoreboard and a controversial call could have swayed the result with a single decision.
Despite the heartbreak of not closing out a commanding 15-point lead with 30 minutes remaining, Wales rediscovered something missing in recent seasons.
It wasn’t flawless and it wasn’t a complete triumph, but it laid a foundation.
The challenge now is to weave that structured approach into our game plan against Ireland, rather than letting it be a one-off showcase.
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin is the kind of away trip that will test Wales more than Scotland did at the Principality Stadium.
To be honest, Ireland are powerful, settled, and playing on home soil. They’ll be without James Lowe for the rest of the tournament, but as shown against England, their depth out wide means they can absorb that loss.
Ireland’s strengths are well known: precise territorial control, low error rates, and a backline capable of punishing even small defensive lapses. They can create problems for any defence, especially one like Wales that is still regaining confidence.
Clearly, Ireland were highly motivated in the England game, and everyone performed at a peak level to score a record number of points at Twickenham.
They’ll be similarly fired up to prove it wasn’t a one-off.
Likewise, Wales must build on their Scotland showing.
Under Steve Tandy, the rebuild must be pragmatic. Yet speedier progress is required to catch teams who have benefited from longer coaching tenures.
Wales may not have the most explosive creators at the moment, but if the half-back pairing manages the kicking game wisely, they can force Ireland to work hard for every advantage.
Sadly, Sam Costelow will miss the trip after his strong comeback against Scotland. His replacement will come down to a straight fight between Dan Edwards and Jarrod Evans.
To be frank, neither has inspired complete confidence in closing out a result, though that may not be the right aim for this match.
Meanwhile, Tomos Williams and Jamison Gibson-Park will renew their rivalry, which could become a feature of the game. Williams pressed for the Lions test team’s number nine berth before an unfortunate setback, but he’ll need to elevate his game to match Gibson-Park’s current form.
With a wealth of Lions among Ireland’s pack, Ireland can lean on forward power to complicate Wales if they’re loose with errors.
What did intrigue me was Ireland’s scrum trouble with Italy, notably Tadhg Furlong being forced off the scrum—the kind of flaw Wales might exploit with the right selections.
Nicky Smith and Tomas Francis should start, and Keiron Assiratti’s availability provides much-needed tighthead cover.
James Botham deserves to keep his number six role after his strong impact as a substitute for Taine Plumtree. His only misstep was turning his back on Scotland, just as Gabriel Hamer-Webb did before Graham Darcy’s try. After that lapse, I can’t see either of them repeating it.
The bench remains a concern and will likely be an ongoing weakness, as it was against Scotland.
On paper, this game looks like Ireland’s to lose.
A Welsh victory in Dublin isn’t the most probable outcome given current form and Ireland’s depth and confidence.
Yet if Wales play with discipline and keep errors to a minimum, any result will still leave them with an important, tangible foundation for the future.
In Dublin on Friday, Wales’ challenge isn’t to fear Ireland but to earn their respect. Respect is earned by making Ireland fight for every point.
That, in itself, would mark real progress.
