North West Wales

Image source, Inpho

Ireland's Jack Conan has predicted the team's back row will be under a "huge amount of pressure" to fill the void left by Caelan Doris' injury when they face Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday (14:15 GMT).

Simon Easterby's side have won their opening two games of the championship against England and Scotland, but they have been forced into changes for this weekend's trip to Cardiff with captain Doris and Ronan Kelleher both ruled out.

Doris, who has played in every one of Ireland's Test matches since the 2021 Six Nations, will miss out because of a knee injury sustained in training.

"How do you fill that role? It's very difficult," said Conan.

"He's played 42 in a row which is a testament to how professional he is, how durable he is, how consistent he's been as a player.

"There'll be a huge amount of pressure on the entirety of the back row, whoever is on the bench and the lads that are starting, to keep on pushing from where he left off because he's been unbelievable."

Conan, a 2021 British and Irish Lion, has performed well off the bench in the opening two games and will fill the jersey vacated by his Leinster team-mate Doris.

"We get on very well. We compete hard against each other and I think we've spurred each other on to be at a really good level," said the 32-year-old.

"He's someone who sets the standard for the rest of the back row and without him we're going to have to push on and make sure we're at that level."

Wales will be under the charge of interim head coach Matt Sherratt for the first time, having lost their past 14 Tests, a run dating back to the 2023 World Cup.

"I've no doubt it's been unbelievably tough for the Welsh lads," said Conan.

"They'll be galvanised by a new coach coming in, everything that's gone on the last few weeks.

"They're a nation that gets behind Welsh rugby incredibly well, and playing over there with the roof closed is going to be special."

Image source, Inpho

Wales against Ireland in the Six Nations has traditionally been a battle between red and green.

But on Saturday, Ireland will swap green for white as they look to secure the Triple Crown in Cardiff.

It comes after World Rugby introduced a directive to assist supporters who are affected by colour vision deficiency (CVD) by limiting the amount of kit clashes in the sport.

It can be difficult for those who have CVD, also known as colour blindness, to differentiate between colours, including red and green.

One in 12 men and one in 200 women worldwide are colour blind.

The last time Ireland wore a white jersey was against Tonga, who played in their home red shirt, at the 2023 World Cup in France.

Ireland have defeated England and Scotland in their opening two matches and can win the Triple Crown against Wales, who are winless in 14 matches and will be led by Matt Sherratt after Warren Gatland left his role as head coach.

Image source, Inpho

Robbie Henshaw believes competition for places is helping Ireland's players get "the best out of each other" in their Six Nations campaign.

Led by interim head coach Simon Easterby, the back-to-back champions remain on course for a third title in succession after opening wins over England and Scotland and will secure the Triple Crown with victory over Wales on Saturday.

Henshaw started against Scotland after coming off the bench against England with Easterby also able to call upon Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose for his midfield spots.

The trio have rarely all been fit for the duration of the same Test window but the 31-year-old says the switches in personnel have been "seamless" so far.

"We know each others' strengths inside out at this stage," he said.

"A lot of work goes on to make sure everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet.

"Everyone is delighted to have contributed in the first games. We're always pushing the bar to keep improving each other and keep getting the best out of each other."

Ireland will be without captain Caelan Doris due to a knee injury, but Henshaw thinks the side have an able replacement in the shape of Jack Conan who excelled off the bench in the first two games.

"It's unfortunate for Caelan to be missing this week, hopefully he'll be back soon," said Henshaw.

"To have someone like Jack coming in, it goes to show the talent we have across the board in terms of the competition for places, the strength and depth.

"It's great that we have people of that talent to step in."