Six Nations/Previous Encounters: Johnny Watterson hears former fullback Hugo MacNeill recall how in 1985 Ireland, inspired by Mick Doyle, finally tasted victory in Cardiff

Hugo MacNeill remembers entering the Dragon's Den for the first time over 20 years ago. More of an overwhelming sensation than a coldly realised experience, the details have dimmed but the overriding impression of Cardiff Arms Park in 1981 has never left the former Irish fullback. A collage of swirling noise and a background of great swathes of red defined the Cardiff experience.

"My abiding memory was the wall of music building around the ground. I remember thinking, 'This is what you actually play rugby for. This is what it is about. This is sensational.' Then I thought, 'I wonder what the guys in the red shirts are thinking.' "

Yes, the guys in the red shirts. MacNeill knows well the road to Cardiff and the occasional incendiary of a thought that may travel with a team, specifically when there is the need for a result to salvage a season. The red shirts can gum up just about any script and for decades they did just that.

Two years after MacNeill's debut the Trinity College student arrived with the team in 1983 in the hope of beating Wales in Cardiff, then finishing off England in Dublin to complete a Grand Slam.

Not unlike Eddie O'Sullivan's current squad, the side had been weighted with expectations several months before the international season had even started.

Having won the Triple Crown the previous season in 1982, Ireland's currency was strong in the Five Nations Championship. Beating Scotland 15-13 in Murrayfield followed by a 22-16 defeat of France in Lansdowne Road set up the Cardiff party. But Wales breathed fire that day. Ireland coughed up the match 23-9 and as if to emphasise how much they had lost, went on to beat England in the final game of the championship.

"My overriding sense in '83 is that we were incredibly disappointed because we blew the Grand Slam," says MacNeill. "We really went to Cardiff very confident and gave away a few soft tries. We were getting our lines wrong. We felt we were good enough to win a Grand Slam that year and thought that we'd beat England in Dublin in the last game. But the sense after Cardiff was that we really blew the chance."

Two years later the stakes were higher but the recurring theme of defeat in the principality had assumed biblical proportions.

The seasonal story would begin sometimes well, sometimes not so well, but the narrative would always wind towards Cardiff and there every two years Ireland would befriend failure regardless of what was at stake or the strength of the team.

At that point no Irish team had won in Wales since long hair and questionable sideburns shot across the fashion skyline. A 3-0 win in 1967 was all Ireland had to show for almost 20 years of effort. Two years later in 1969 the team arrived back in Cardiff with France, England and Scotland beaten. But the Welsh closed the door 24-11, just as they had done in 1965.

Then Ireland had carried a 3-3 draw with France, a 5-0 win over England and a 16-6 defeat of Scotland with them into the den only to crash out 18-14.

But if anything definitive can be said of the team of 1985, it is that it was nothing like the team of 1984 that depressingly shot, staccato like, through the season: defeat, defeat, defeat and defeat.

That grim run of results prompted change and Mick Doyle was brought in as coach to replace Willie John McBride under somewhat controversial circumstances. With an evangelical spirit Doyle told Ireland to play a passing and running game. The forwards would supply, the back line would deliver. Doyle also instilled belief.

Paul Dean and Michael Bradley provided a new halfback pairing. Willie Anderson came in to partner Donal Lenihan in the second row and there was a fresh face behind the scrum, centre Brendan Mullin. The team also had a new backrow of Philip Matthews, Brian Spillane and Nigel Carr.

"Under Doyle there really was a feeling that now is the time. I remember the national anthem and the guys started to link arms. There was nothing premeditated. It just happened with that group," says MacNeill. "Just a group of guys that came together. We had played a brutally tough match against the French and felt we could go at Wales.

"He (Doyle) said 'Just believe in yourselves'. We wanted to believe it. But I think we said to ourselves 'Yeah, maybe we do actually believe it.' "

Belief combined with luck. Trevor Ringland and Keith Crossan touched down for Ireland while Michael Kiernan kicked three penalties and two conversions. That day too, the Welsh kicker Mark Wyatt failed to hit the right space from six penalties.

That was Ireland's last Triple Crown before 2004's effort, Wales's most recent victory coming in 1988, their last Grand Slam 10 years before that.

But Cardiff's bite has not travelled well from the Cardiff Arms Park to the Millennium Stadium. Wales, disorientated by the rush of professionalism, may have a greater win-loss count over Ireland since records began in 1882 but their recent run of scores should afford Ireland the sort of belief that Doyle once instilled.

Having lined out 109 times, the Welsh have won 60 of the matches, their last victory coming in 2000 (23-19) with Ireland winning on 43 occasions. More tellingly, Ireland have turned out eight wins and a draw in their last nine visits to Cardiff.

With Wales now on the brink of a completely unforeseen Grand Slam success, should Ireland again go to Cardiff expecting to keep their almost bulletproof modern run of results intact?

The record, which any statistician will tell you, is like a lamp post - there to illuminate and not to lean upon - suggests that the Millennium Stadium, unlike Cardiff's Mary Street at closing time, is no longer a scary place to go for visiting teams.

Ireland have also outscored Wales by 23 tries to 10 in their six meetings since the 1999-2000 season with Shane Byrne (2), Brian O'Driscoll (2), Ronan O'Gara and Anthony Foley all touching down in last year's meeting at Lansdowne Road.

"I think the attitude for this match is very, very important," says MacNeill. "Eddie O'Sullivan and Brian O'Driscoll have set their standards very high and they are uncompromising. This is a good Welsh side but one that is in transition. I don't think they are capable of exerting the same type of pressure on us as France did and I think we can put them under pressure."

The one thing that will keep O'Sullivan occupied is the margin of Ireland's victories, something Welsh coach Mike Ruddock will likely seize and use to his advantage today. In March, 2003, at the Millennium Stadium Ireland won by just one point, 25-24.

At Wembley Stadium in 1999 it was six points, 29-23. In Cardiff in 1997 again just one point separated the sides with Ireland winning 26-25, and in 1995 the difference was just four points, 16-12. No more than a converted try in each.

O'Sullivan is now faced with a season that could sink or swim based on one result as again Ireland travel to Cardiff with a Triple Crown in mind while Wales contemplate their recent lost years and hope to do to Ireland something that in their golden years was once such a predictable occurrence.