Mark Phillips: As much as I want England to romp the Six Nations, I've got a feeling it's Wales year. Hope I'm completely wrong though.

Andrew Priestley: Wales' injury nightmare continues with Gareth Anscombe being ruled out before a ball has been kicked! Awful timing too.

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Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales

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Ireland v Wales is the match the home team does not want to win.

In the past 35 meetings between the teams in Dublin, Cardiff  or  Wembley, the home team has only come out on top 11 times. 

Wales did not beat Ireland at home for 20 years between 1985 and 2005.

Rob Jones
Former Wales scrum-half on BBC Radio 5 live

"Dan Biggar is key to Wales and he makes things happen. He has grown so much in terms of his stature in the world game.

"He is an incredibly confident man and he makes things happen in terms of his kicking prowess."

Denis Hickie
Former Ireland winger on BBC Radio 5 live

"Ireland have been ravaged by injuries to key players and leaders so they are carrying a lot of players that have not played a huge amount.

"We have got so used to the battle of the titans between Alun Wyn Jones and Paul O'Connell so that is now a huge void for Ireland.

"Mike McCarthy has been around for a long time, but there's a reason why he doesn't have 90 caps."

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Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt talking to ITV: "We're trying not to feel any pressure because of the injuries, we have worked hard to avoid vulnerability and we have put together the best group of players we can. 

On whether he thinks Wales' late switch at full-back is 'gamesmanship': "Undoubtedly. But it is one of the things that sometimes happens. We have to adjust and be ready to go no matter who the opposition are."

Image source, Getty Images

Wales head coach Warren Gatland talking to ITV: "I don't know about us being considered the favorites today. If you look at the history between the two sides, the home team doesn't win a lot. 

"We come here with confidence, we have a settled side, a bit of experience and they all know how important it is to start the tournament with a win."

On Gareth Anscombe's late withdrawal through injury: "He had a slightly tight hamstring, but he hasn't pulled it. He ran in Captain's Run, but we made the decision last night that it is not worth risking him. If his hamstring goes, then he's out for six weeks. It is the mature decision."

BBC Radio 5 live Sport Extra's Conor McNamara will be sat behind the mic at the Aviva Stadium and earlier stood on the banks of the River Dodder to re-acclimatise to the breezy Dublin weather. 

Oh, and while he was there, Conor produced this neat stat-tastic video ahead of the crunch match....

5 live sports extra's coverage begins just before 15:00 GMT. You can tune in at the top of this page by hitting the big old play button.

Image source, Getty Images

"Probably, out of all the teams in the Six Nations, the Welsh players dislike the Irish the most."

Warren Gatland's words may be seven years old, now but there is still a certain spicy tang around this fixture.

The bad blood first bubbled to the surface in the 2005 Grand Slam decider - a match that featured Gethin Jenkins throwing a ball at Ronan O'Gara in celebration and Gavin Henson accusing Brian O'Driscoll of gouging in print.

Since then dodgy, but decisive, quick line-outs and controversial Lions selections have stirred the pot.

BBC Wales Sport's Richard Williams has unpicked the knots in a fixture as tense as piano wire.

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales

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In a bar close to the ground staff are wrapping a baby grand piano in a combination of tissue and clingfilm.

"Is that to protect it from the beer," asks a bemused onlooker.

"Aye."

"I suppose there'll be a lot of beer drunk today?"

"Aye, there will," replies the man with the Dublin brogue. "But there'll be a lot spilt too, and this is an expensive piano!"

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales at the Aviva Stadium

There's no sign yet of the high winds and rain which the Wales management seemed so concerned about in the week.

But it's grey and cold and the weathermen insist that later on it will be "blowing a hoolie".

Little surprise, then, that both sides are giving it some air in the warm-up.

Image source, PA

How will that late change at full-back affect Wales? Former scrum-half Rob Jones doesn't think it will hinder them...

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It isn't just his all-action attack-minded style that fans love about Liam Williams.

It is also his throwback hair. When teamed with a Mo-vember tache, it was like Wales' seventies glory days never ended.

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales

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After a week which has seen Irish players falling like flies, it was Wales' turn hours before kick-off in Dublin as full-back Gareth Anscombe succumbed to a tight hamstring.

Travelling substitute Liam Williams comes in.

The Scarlets man would most likely have started ahead of Anscombe had he not played just one hour of rugby since limping out of Wales' match against Australia in October.

The fans love Williams' all-action style, but coach Warren Gatland said in the week that he felt the player lacked sharpness and needed some conditioning work.

We'll find out soon enough.

Richard Williams
BBC Sport Wales

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Ireland are attempting to win the Six Nations tournament outright for a third consecutive year - something that has never been done before.

But that is a record which comes with caveats.

It's worth remembering that in the days of the Five and Four nations championships going back to 1910, if two teams won the same number of games the title was simply shared.

Under those rules last season's epic final day would have resulted in a three-way tie between Ireland, England and Wales which, if we're being honest, would have been something of an anti-climax!

Wales: Liam Williams (Scarlets); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Harlequins), T James (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets); R Evans (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing 92), A-W Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons). 

Replacements: K Owens (Scarlets), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), T Francis (Exeter), B Davies (Wasps), D Lydiate (Ospreys), Lloyd Williams (Cardiff Blues), R Priestland (Bath), A Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues). 

First up, the hosts.

Ireland: S Zebo (Munster); A Trimble (Ulster), J Payne (Ulster), R Henshaw (Connacht), K Earls (Munster); J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster); J McGrath (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), N White (Connacht), D Toner (Leinster), M McCarthy (Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), T O'Donnell (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). 

 Replacements: S Cronin (Leinster), J Cronin (Munster), T Furlong (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), R Ruddock (Leinster), K Marmion (Connacht), I Madigan (Leinster), D Kearney (Leinster). 

Image source, PA

Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards already expected a Gaelic footy style aerial barrage for his back three on a windy day in Dublin.

With Liam Williams coming in in a late swich for Gareth Anscombe - it looks like they will need tin hats rather than scrum caps today.

Here are the day's teams in full then...

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There is a late change to the Wales line-up.

Gareth Anscombe's hamstring has tightened up and over the hill has come the cavalry in the shape of Liam Williams.

Williams will be picking up his 27th cap - his most recent coming in the 15-6 defeat by Australia in the pool stage of the World Cup - but has only played once since injuring his foot at the tournament.