Ireland captain Johnny Sexton will suit up against Wales for the 18th time when the two teams open this year's Guinness Six Nations at the Principality Stadium on February 4.
A colossal clash in Cardiff comes at a difficult time for the hosts, who reinstalled Warren Gatland as coach after firing Wayne Pivac just two months prior to the tournament's kick-off. With one eye on the 2023 Rugby World Cup later this year, it's enough to convince Wales may struggle at the Six Nations during a period of transition, but Sexton has suggested the opposite may in fact be true.
"We have massive respect for Wales," the Leinster fly-half told Mirror Sport and other outlets at the Guinness Six Nations launch in London. "To go to the Principality Stadium, it's not somewhere we've got too many wins over the last 10 years.
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"So it's going to be a huge challenge for us, and [it] makes it even harder with the fact that they have new coaches coming in in their attack and defence. So we're going to be guessing a little bit what they might bring to the game."
While it's true Ireland have triumphed in only one of their last four trips to the Principality, the odds are stacked heavily in favour of the world's top-ranked side ahead of next month's visit. Sexton's recovery from cheekbone surgery earlier in January is a particular boon for the four-time champions, with the 37-year-old set for what's likely to be his last trip to Cardiff as a player.
Gatland, 59, has made a number of surprise decisions with his first squad since returning to Wales, whom he left in 2019 to re-join the Chiefs in his native Hamilton. He's returned having answered the WRU's plea for aid in the wake of a disastrous 2022 under Pivac, who led the team to shock losses against Georgia and Italy.
Four uncapped players bring some mystery to the squad, with the selections of Cardiff centre Mason Grady, 20, and club team-mate Teddy Williams, the 22-year-old lock, earning particular attention. Gatland became the first coach to clinch three Six or Five Nations titles during his first 12-year tenure with Wales, with the rugby world watching to see if he can work his magic once again.
Sexton has won eight of his 17 showdowns against Wales to date, but only three of his eight visits to the Principality Stadium have ended in victory. What's more, he missed Ireland's most recent win in Cardiff during the 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-ups, meaning Sexton's last away win over Wales was a decade ago (Feb. 2013).
With a great deal of enigma working both for and against Wales, it's difficult to forecast what kind of challenge they'll present when the Six Nations finally gets underway. Only two years removed from their most recent title win in the competition, however, Sexton's Ireland won't take anything for granted as they lift the curtain against Wales for the third consecutive tournament.
Getting underway on February 4, Round 1 of GUINNESS SIX NATIONS 2023 will see Wales host Ireland in the first head-to-head of the series, before England host their Scottish rivals in a battle for the Calcutta Cup.
