Irish need passion to kill Welsh dream

EVANS: Wales are putting the ball up in the air knowing that a player will be in support.

LEONARD: The wins Wales have got have given them real confidence. The ball-in-hand stuff was superb with the backs popping it up to the support men. They knew someone was going to be there to take the pass.

WOOD: If you are looking to stop that kind of play from Wales then you have to tackle man and ball and then hold on to them. You just want to slow things up and allow your defence to get back into the pattern.

LEONARD: Any team can cope with most things in defence except genuine pace. If you play at pace you will always find a gap or the guy who isn't the best defender. All of a sudden you are on the other side of the defensive line.

EVANS: The three tries conceded against Scotland may have been the kick up the backside they needed. It was too easy in the first half. If Wales had carried on with their first-half performance they could have put the title out of everyone's reach on points difference.

WOOD: I'm still waiting to see Ireland-play this season. I don't believe we had to play at the top of our ability to have beaten France. We needed to fight toe to toe with them for the first 20 minutes and we didn't.

EVANS: I played in two Grand Slam games where we didn't adapt and we were overwhelmed by the expectation, the occasion and the atmosphere and that happened to Ireland in Dublin. This time the Welsh management have a critical role to play. They have to ensure the players are not over-exposed. It's an open secret that Wales never coped with professionalism and weren't aware of what was needed. That became obvious on the 2001 Lions tour when they saw how the England boys approached professional rugby.

WOOD: I remember in 1997 I was in a struggling Ireland side and recognising the Lions were a new level. Some of the Irish players reacted very well in 2001 and others wanted an extra bite of the cherry. Malcolm O'Kelly didn't enjoy the tour of Australia four years ago and didn't come to terms with it at all. He has performed well all season. Mal wants that red Lions jersey on again and he deserves it.

EVANS: On a Lions tour you want to benchmark yourself against your peers and if you come up short then you want another chance. LEONARD: I agree. The Lions allow you to take a close look at guys you face in the championship. You see how they train, work and play at first hand. The players won't be thinking about the Lions before this final round of matches but once they are over, thoughts will turn to the squad for New Zealand. One of the big Lions debates is do they take Jonny Wilkinson? The Lions will be taking 44 players to the one place in the world where they want to knock lumps out of you in the midweek games and lumps out of you in the Saturday matches. If you put Jonny in there then they will look for him.

WOOD: There are players who know how to get back from serious injury and I would put Richard Hill into the squad before Jonny. You want to have Jonny back but it's going to be nearly two years since he played Test rugby and we are probably putting too much pressure on him.

EVANS: I think Jonny puts too much pressure on himself. Talking about the Lions, there are some big questions to be asked; Are we going to play a loose back row or three big guys? Are you going to take on Richie McCaw, the brilliant All Blacks No7?

WOOD: What you need most is a goal kicker and that brings Jonny back into the frame.

LEONARD: With 44 in the party you can take him and a few others you gamble on being fully fit. We did take too many in 2001 and one of them was Lawrence [Dallaglio]. It came too quickly for him but I would definitely have him on this tour. He has been there, done it and, in the harshest environment, you will find him standing up to be counted.

WOOD: You need big ball carriers like Corry and Dallaglio in New Zealand to get over the gain line and I was glad to see Simon Taylor back for Scotland.

EVANS: Jason White of Scotland will have to go as well, along with Gethin Jenkins of Wales.

LEONARD: In the front row you need one guy to clean people out and another to carry the ball.

WOOD: Yes, and we know that you never carried the ball and I never cleaned anyone out!

LEONARD: Well, it's cards on the table time and I believe if the Irish forwards turn up in Cardiff then they have the experience to win the game. If there isn't a committed, passionate and torrid game from the Irish up front then Wales will win because of the game they are playing and the confidence it has generated.

WOOD: I couldn't say it any better myself. We have threatened to play to our ability and many of the guys in the Irish team won't be around next season. They now have a chance to do something special - back-to-back Triple Crowns - which may not be as important in England, but it is for us. There is no pressure on Ireland, it's all on the MT's (Mad Taffs).

EVANS: The Welsh have a chance to end a run of 22 years without beating Ireland at home. You just feel they are on a wave and playing a kind of rugby other teams cannot produce. If Ireland take their eyes off the ball and are not as aggressive as they need to be, Wales will score tries. The team have lit up the tournament.

WOOD: The games in the championship have not been of the highest quality, but excitement has made it more of a tournament. At least Wales have been the shining light and there are three possible championship winners, which is great - unless you are the guy who has to get the trophy to the right place!