RUGBY/Six Nations' Preview: The sun is shining, the temperatures are in the high teens, and the good folk of Cardiff, as well as the visiting rugby hordes, are dining and drinking alfresco, writes Gerry Thornley in Cardiff.

Even that customary red herring about the Millennium Stadium roof being open or closed wasn't thrown in at yesterday's eve-of-match press conference. The pitch is like a billiard table, the 80,000 all-seater stadium will be full to capacity, and, of course, Ireland are on a roll.

Meantime, of course, Wales are on one of their now customary downers. Walking up the steps inside the underground entrance to the Millennium Stadium, which leads to the dressing-rooms on either side of the corridor and then into the tunnel which leads onto the pitch, the walls are bedecked with paintings of JPR Williams, Gareth Edwards, Gerald Davies and the boys from Wales' halcyon days.

Welsh rugby seems to be forever living in the past, probably because they haven't got much of a present to enjoy, or maybe an immediate future for that matter. But therein lies the danger perhaps.

Having accompanied the place-kickers to the ground yesterday morning, Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll was asked what he saw as the biggest danger come kick-off.

"The biggest danger is that they haven't won yet in this competition. They are a wounded animal, and you have to always be wary of that. That, along with home advantage, means they could really hit it off."

Wales won't be as supine in the first quarter as they were when whistled off the pitch after virtually conceding the match to Scotland a fortnight ago. Far more reliable yardsticks, most probably, are the Welsh performances in their last two home games - especially with Jonathan Humphreys and the old guard back.

Last November they were within a score of the All Blacks until the latter's triple whammy in injury time, and against England four weeks ago they should have been leading at half-time.

Presented with their jerseys by Falklands war hero Simon Weston yesterday, like O'Driscoll said, they are a wounded animal, and like in that latter game, they'll come out stomping.

If they repeat the England performance, they'll seek to put the ball into the air, turning Ireland around and chasing up to put them under pressure, while taking quick taps and looking to play at a frenetic tempo.

As Irish teams used to do in the past, they'll have to bridge the class divide. An early score would give them confidence and get the crowd into the match. Failing that, a fight might be the next best thing.

And eh, our old friend Steve Lander is referee. Enough said.

But Ireland will surely know what to expect, and if the defence holds its shape and its form, it can withstand the pressure - be it earlier or later - and so deflate Welsh spirits.

Three years ago, Ireland came off the famously O'Driscoll- inspired win in Paris to face Wales at home. The day beforehand one of their back-up staff privately expressed concern that the Irish players lacked enough fear. Sure enough, they played complacently, poorly and lost.

To that threat this time can be added the distraction of a showdown with England.

Yet this group of players and this management are incomparably stronger mentally.

"For the last year we've never looked beyond the next hurdle," said O'Sullivan yesterday matter-of-factly, and you don't doubt him for a second. "Psychologically, in any sport, to look beyond the hurdle you're about to jump means you usually catch your toe in the one you're going over."

The freshness which Leo Cullen, Alan Quinlan - straining at the leash - and Justin Bishop bring to the equation may no bad thing. The one concern is who'll make the hard yards? Figuratively and literally, Victor Costello has been carrying a heavy load thus far.

Think about all Ireland's dynamic ball-carriers - Keith Wood, Rob Henderson, David Wallace, Kevin Maggs, and even Paul O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan - and only Maggs offers this proven route over the gain line. For that reason it might have been comforting to have Henderson on the bench.

True, John Kelly might cover more positions, and it would have been a further blow to his morale to eliminate him from the 22 altogether, but Henderson is more of an impact player to spring from the bench in the last half-hour.

So most likely it will have to be more of a cumulative effort, with Quinlan, Anthony Foley and Maggs the main target runners, while there are impact options off the bench in Eric Miller, O'Callaghan and O'Gara.

Maggs hasn't made too big an impression with ball in hand thus far, primarily because he hasn't been launched that much, and not from close enough to the gain line.

Though it would have been harsh and utterly out of keeping with selection policy to omit David Humphreys after the French match, he needs to produce another big game today by launching his backs productively.

O'Sullivan concurs with the view that Wales have the best counter-attacking game "by a mile" in the championship, and cites the try from their own half against Scotland which Dwayne Peel finished off (probably the try of the championship) as evidence.

So, presuming the policy of kicking for territory is repeated - especially in the first quarter - touches will need to be found more accurately, and the chasing game had better be effective. But wet days don't suit Ireland any more, be it Cardiff or a car-park, and more effective still would be Ireland playing truer to type and keeping the ball in hand. And with the better setpieces and a better maul, they'll surely have the durability to pull through in the second-half. After all, the aggregate score is 90-16 over the last two games.

As an aside, the Welsh RFU's guest of honour today will be 103-year-old Maria Eley, who played in an illicit under-17 girls match during the first World War on November 5th, 1917, between Cardiff and Newport. They obviously wanted to make sure it was someone who had actually seen Wales beat Ireland in Cardiff.

Wales v Ireland: Played 106, Wales 60 wins, Ireland 40 wins, 6 draws.

Betting: (courtesy of Paddy Powers): 7/2 Wales, 20/1 Draw, 1/6 Ireland. Handicap odds (= Wales +13pts) 10/11 Wales, 16/1 Draw, 10/11 Ireland.