Johnny Sexton has dismissed Warren Gatland's claim that Wales have a 'free hit' against Ireland in Saturday's Six Nations opener.
After announcing a team brimming with experience, Gatland started the mind games as he suggested that despite a very good recent record against Ireland, Wales were the big underdogs against the world's top ranked team.
“I suppose it is a free hit for us in that the expectation and pressure is on them as favourites to win," said the returning Wales boss.
"It hasn’t always been the easiest tag to carry for Irish and Welsh teams in the past. You can get an upset because there is a huge amount of history and rivalry between those two nations, and there’s been a lot of close games.
"The secret, and I’m sure Andy Farrell will be talking about this, is that you don’t run away from that; you look to embrace the expectations of being the No 1 team in the world.
“That’s definitely the attitude I’d be taking in if I was in the Ireland camp. I’ve had that experience in the past with Wales."
However, speaking at his captain's press conference at Ireland's warm weather camp in Portugal, Sexton was having none of it.
"Maybe that's what he's saying but he certainly hasn't picked a team that would suggest it's a free hit because he's picked such an experienced team," the 37-year-old stated.
"He has brought back some older guys that would suggest he's targeting this game. If he was looking at a free hit, he'd pick all the young lads, give it a lash and see if they can get through to the World Cup.
"We're definitely not preparing like that. We're preparing for a full-on Test match in the Principality Stadium which is an incredibly tough place to go and win. That's all we've been talking about and preparing for."
Sexton confirmed that he was ready for action after undergoing cheekbone surgery last month.
Today was the first day he trained without a face mask at The Campus in Quinta do Lago, and the veteran out-half is set to lead out Ireland in Cardiff for what is expected to be his last championship before hanging up his boots after the World Cup later in the year.
He said: "All good, got through a couple of tough sessions in the last few days. So, all good.
"A few years ago we came here before we played England at home and we had a bit of PTSD - but the few times we've been back we've managed to get better results so we enjoy coming here.
"We get to spend time together, on your day off you sit down together and there's no option to go home. You sit down and watch video together.
"It's been good in the last 10, 11 days to be together, then we get a bit of time off after the Wales game. It's a good balance.
"Having that extra time together is good, you're trying to get on the same page, get the calls back in your head, get used to playing with different guys again that you don't normally play with.
"So, for those reasons it has been good. Getting that atmosphere back, it's a special environment to be part of.
"We have our Netflix friends in as well, they get to experience a bit of it. It's a good place to be."
Ireland will have to hit the ground running if their ambitions to win a first Six Nations title in five years doesn't suffer a grievous blow in Cardiff, where they haven't won in the championship in their last four visits.
"There were close calls in 2015, 2017," he recalled. "In 2019, they were going for the Grand Slam and we were going for the championship, I remember that day it was terrible weather-wise.
"They got an early score and we had to chase the game on a horrible day, it was one of the worst days we've had in green for a lot of us.
"Then the last time, with Pete (O'Mahony) getting the red card, that made things difficult but we could have snuck away with a win.
"It's amazing to look back at all of these games and remember them so vividly, they're all so special.
"But it's a tough place to go. Ask any nation, England, Scotland - no-one has that good a record. Even when we won there in 2013 we went on to finish last in the tournament, it doesn't guarantee you anything to get the win."
The Dubliner was also full of praise for Jamie Osborne, his young Leinster colleague who is one of only two uncapped players in Ireland's Six Nations squad and is on the European Player of the Year shortlist.
And Sexton said that he had identified early that the 22-year-old was a player with a big future.
"He's been training very well," commented Sexton. "Obviously, you saw today that he got nominated for European Player of the Year.
"At that age, it's pretty impressive. Only a couple of appearances and he made such an impression. That's the calibre of player he is and he's been in here training really well opposite Garry (Ringrose) and mixing in at 12 as well, so he's been impressive.
"He'll be ready if he's called upon. That step to international rugby is a step up but I think he's ready for it.
"I saw it two years ago. I said to Faz (Andy Farrell), 'This young guy, I've never seen a player with the feel for the game that he has'.
"Obviously, at that stage he was a bit smaller than he is now, he has filled out a bit, but he had that physique he could grow into. I said to the Leinster coaches, 'This is the best guy we've had since Garry.'
"Garry's an alright player, isn't he, so he's in good company. The two of them will be the cornerstone of that Leinster backline for the next five, six, seven, eight years."
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