Penalty to Wales at scrum time.

And debutant Tomas Francis earns a congratulatory slap on the back from the rest of the pack.

A clever kick forward by Luke Fitzgerald spins the Wales defence on its heels. 

George North wins the race to gather up the loose ball. Mind his head! All OK for the Wales winger - playing his first game for months after concussion - as his team-mates get back to help him out.

Wales get a little untidy around the breakdown - the ball popping out quickly and catching Rhys Webb by surprise - and Paul O'Connell is onto it like bloodhound sniffing his quarry.

John Haughey
BBC Sport NI

"Paul O'Connell picks up a blade of grass as he leads out the Ireland team at the Aviva Stadium to rousing cheers. I'm sure the groundsman will forgive him as it's his final home international."

Ireland immediately on the front foot.

They suck Wales in around the fringes with a couple of forward rumbles, before Johnny Sexton gets his head up and punts for the corner.

It is a fine bomb, floating tantalisingly, but is just out of the reach of the chasing Keith Earls.

Referee Craig Joubert peeps his whistle and Dan Biggar gets us up and running...

Out come the two teams.

There are a few patches of empty green seats to greet them in the Aviva, but considering this is only an hors d'oeuvre to the main event of the World Cup, it is not a bad showing.

Wales holding nothing back at anthem time. Do they ever? It is practically a Pavlovian response to the opening bars of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. 

Ireland follow suit with their two national ditties.

John Haughey
John Haughey

Image source, Inpho

A sparse enough crowd at the Aviva Stadium so far but Paul O'Connell still receives a rousing cheer as he jogs out for Ireland's pre-match warm-up. 

The Munster legend, who will join French giants Toulon after the World Cup, is earning his 103rd cap in today's game against the Welsh.

Image source, Getty Images

Glasgow prop Ryan Wilson is making his first international appearance since serving an international ban in the wake of an assault conviction.

In February, while dressed as Batman, Wilson punched Glasgow Hawks captain Ally Maclay.

Maclay was dressed as Tweedledee during the incident at Barbeque Kings in Glasgow's west end.  The court heard that a minion, a red crayon and others in fancy dress were nearby as the incident unfolded.

Image source, Getty Images

The big guns are included for Scotland as well.

Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Jonny Gray and captain Greig Laidlaw are among those making their first appearances of the summer.  

Scotland: Hogg; Lamont, Bennett, Horne, Visser; Russell, Laidlaw (c); Dickinson, Ford, Nel, Gilchrist, J Gray, Wilson, Barclay, Denton

Replacements: McInally, Reid, Welsh, Harley, Cowan, Pyrgos, Jackson, Scott

No Sergio Parisse for the Italians, but Tommaso 'Tommy' Allan - who qualifies for Scotland through his father - is at fly-half.

Italy: McLean; Esposito, Campagnaro, Morisi, Sarto; Allan, Palazzani; Vunisa, Zanni, Minto;  Furno, Fuser, Castrogiovanni Ghiraldini, Aguero

Replacements: Manici, Rizzo, Chistolini, Geldenhuys,  Bergamasco, Violi, Canna, Masi  

If the emotion of his last Test appearance in Dublin is weighing on Paul O'Connell he is wearing it lightly.

Or maybe one of his team-mates has left a surprise for him in his kit bag...

Image source, Inpho

John Haughey BBC Sport NI
John Haughey

World Cup selection hovers over both Joe Schmidt and Warren Gatland’s squads, but there are a number of other intriguing issues and sidebars to the Aviva Stadium contest.

Wales wing George North plays his first game since March after concussion absence while Ireland icon Paul O’Connell has his final home match for his country. The big man has been playing down that issue down all week.

Johnny Sexton, Rob Kearney, Conor Murray, Robbie Henshaw and Peter O’Mahony return after being rested for Ireland’s opening two warm-up wins while Luke Fitzgerald and Nathan White are among those looking to give Schmidt a nudge ahead of Monday’s final cut.

Exeter prop Tomas Francis is handed a Wales debut with Alun Wyn Jones captaining the visitors in Sam Warburton’s absence.

John McEnerney: , externalHoping Luke Fitz has a big game some player, blighted by injury getting back 2 the form that saw his selection for The Lions 09  

Image source, Getty

Jonny Sexton, Rob Kearney, Conor Murray, Robbie Henshaw and Peter O'Mahony all return to the Irish team with Leinster winger Luke Fitzgerald given a run at outside centre.

Ireland: R Kearney; D Kearney, L Fitzgerald, R Henshaw, K Earls; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Strauss, N White, I Henderson, P O'Connell, P O'Mahony, J Murphy, J Heaslip . Replacements: S Cronin, D Kilcoyne, T Furlong, D Ryan, S O'Brien, E Reddan, P Jackson, F Jones.

George North, out with concussion since March, returns for Wales. Alun Wyn Jones leads the side in Sam Warburton's absence while Exeter tight-head prop Tomas Francis will win his first cap.

Wales: L Halfpenny; A Cuthbert, S Williams, J Roberts, G North; D Biggar, R Webb; G Jenkins, K Owens, T Francis, B Davies, A-W Jones, D Lydiate, J Tipuric, T Faletau. Replacements: S Baldwin, P James, A Jarvis, L Charteris, J King, G Davies, R Priestland, H Amos.

Right. Enough frivolity. Down to business.

These are the men who will be attempting to nail down their World Cup spots over the next couple of hours.,,,

Image source, PA

Video that appeared from inside the Wales training camp this week showed Warren Gatland's men pushing cars, taking each other on in tug-of-war contests and lugging 35kg bags around the pitch.

All of this has been taking place either at oxygen-light altitude in Fiesch, Switzerland or in the toasty heat of Doha, Qatar.

We are after your tales of pre-season lunacy today. 

I seem to recall one drill that involved running through backs moves using a golf ball after being flogged through a bleep test. 

Fore!

Let us know via #bbcrugby, external, on 81111 on text from UK phones and via the BBC Facebook page., external

BBC Sport

As well as these words, there will be live radio coverage of both matches today.

BBC Wales, BBC Cymru and BBC Radio Ulster will all be on the scene at the Aviva, while BBC Radio Scotland is at Murrayfield.

Click on the audio icon at the top of this page to have your pick of those.