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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

Ireland v Wales start time, TV channel information, tickets and more for the Six Nations opener

Ireland host Wales in their opening Six Nations game this weekend.

Andy Farrell is expected to have a full squad to choose from when he names his team for the clash on Thursday.

Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan and Iain Henderson are expected to return to training on Tuesday, while Keith Earls, Josh van der Flier and Joey Carbery have all returned to full training already.

Wales are the defending champions, but will be without their captain Alun Wyn Jones for this year's tournament, and the bookies seem to think that the competition is between Ireland, France and England this time around.

Here's what you need to know about the match:

Date

The match takes place on Saturday, February 5.

Time

The game will get under way at 2.15pm.

Venue

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin hosts the clash.

TV information

RTE Two will show the game live, with their coverage starting at 1pm.

Quotes corner

Ireland coach Andy Farrell: “This is a new competition, the Six Nations is like no other, the autumn has gone.

“Yes, there were some decent performances but we want to be better, we want to kick on, we want to see who is hungry enough to be in that frame of mind.

“We want to deliver a trophy every single time we enter a competition and this year is certainly no different.

“But ultimately we want to kick on as a group, we want to kick on with how we want to play the game, we want to push new boundaries for ourselves.

“There is a good foundation that’s been built and there is a real belief in how we’re trying to play the game.

“It came together in parts pretty well in the autumn and the aim is 100 per cent to kick on.”

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell (©INPHO/Billy Stickland)

Wales' Dan Biggar on Johnny Sexton: “Whenever I get asked who has been the most difficult person to play against of the last 10-12 years, there is no doubt Johnny’s name would be very near the top.

“He is very similar to myself in terms of the drive, the will to win, scrapping for absolutely everything on the field.

“It’s a testament to him in how he has managed to handle himself and keep his form going into his mid-30s. I don’t think anyone is sure how old he really is!

“He is going really strong, and I’ve got a huge amount of time for Johnny. There are very few people more deserving of 100 caps in international rugby than Johnny.

“It is always a challenge playing against him. We may not be the best of friends for 80 minutes on the pitch and quite narky at each other.

“But away from the field, he is an absolute pleasure to deal with and I have a huge amount of time for him.”

Tickets

Tickets for the Six Nations are distributed through the four provincial branches to rugby clubs and schools. Thereafter, any remaining tickets are sold through the Irish Rugby Supporters Club on ticketmaster.ie

Betting odds

Ireland win: 1/10

Wales win: 6/1

Draw: 30/1

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