Ruddock had no hesitation in sticking with the side which ran riot at Murrayfield last Saturday, and he is hoping for a similar outcome as Wales look to finish their championship campaign in the grand manner.

The coach said: We are changing nothing - the tide is the same and our preparation is exactly the same.

This mentality has worked for us so far - we focus on the opposition, the construction of our gameplan and on delivering performance.

We are sticking with what has worked so well for us so far, and that is concentrating on the opposition's strengths and weaknesses, preparing our gameplan in the right way and focusing entirely on the task in hand.

The Irish are the current Triple Crown holders, and they have the experience.

With nearly 900 caps between them and side which has been settled for the past five years, they are coming to the Millennium Stadium for one thing only, and that is to win.

But this Welsh team have special qualities - we are confident in the way we play and we give ourselves a licence to express ourselves no matter who the opposition are.

He added: We will stick to our gameplan, be bold, be expressive and take the opposition on in the same way we have done throughout the championship and maintain our strong, aggressive defence.

It has worked for us so far, so there is no way we are going to change now.

Number eight Michael Owen, who took over as captain from an injured Gareth Thomas against Scotland, will lead Wales for the first time in a Test Match on home soil.

And the statistics scream loudly that Wales face a considerable task, with Ireland unbeaten in Cardiff since 1983.

Owen said: It is a massive honour to be leading this side, and I am just looking forward to Saturday, when hopefully, we can achieve a fantastic result.