Wales are a long way from sunk

the big name players returning while Hugo Keenan’s knee injury provides Ciaran Frawley (below) with his first Six Nations start as he fills in at fullback.

Coming off the bench, Oli Jager will make his Test debut less than four months after joining Munster from Crusaders.

Farrell added: “It’s a Test match, it’s a war of attrition and they’re going to give it absolutely everything they’ve got.

“We’ve got to manage ourselves in the best way possible, really, because if we don’t we’ll come unstuck.

“You know it’s always going to be a scrap every single time – Wales against Ireland, it probably means a little bit more to them, I’ve been told certainly over the years.

“We’re aware of that. We also know as well that Wales historically have got better through the competition.

“We know what they’ve been talking about, coming out of the blocks and causing chaos. We know they’re going to make it as tough as possible for us.

“But what we always concentrate on is ourselves. We have full respect in regard to what Wales are going to bring – we expect them to be chomping at the bit.

“The two performances that they had, they could be coming here with two wins and no losses so we know exactly what we’re up against.” Meanwhile, Farrell hailed Jager’s ambition as he described the prospective Ireland debutant as a “proper man’s man”, adding:

“The ‘tache says it all!”

Farrell revealed that he met Jager during Ireland’s tour of New Zealand in 2022 to scope out his future plans.

“It’s always a pleasure to give someone their debut and this is a special one because it’s a special story in Oli,” said Farrell.

“He was content enough because he was building a really nice life for himself and doing unbelievably well for the Crusaders.

“But he showed his ambition to come back and make a claim to playing for his country.

“We’ve had him earmarked and he deserves this chance.”