Wales take on Ireland this Saturday in the Six Nations
Warren Gatland says Wales will target Ireland full-back Ciarán Frawley in their Six Nations match this Saturday. The team will go after the 15 after reviewing statistics from previous matches between the teams.
Frawley has come in for star Hugo Keenan, who is injured for the fixture. Keenan is a player Ireland heavily depend on, he has started 33 of 36 Tests since the start of the 2021 Six Nations, and losing him is a blow for Andy Farrell’s side.
Read more: Six Nations fixtures
“We have looked at some statistics from the previous four games when we have won and when Ireland have won and looked at what stands out,” Gatland wrote in his Telegraph column.
“What is certain is that Hugo Keenan is a huge loss for them. His work-rate is exceptional as is his reading of the game in attack and defence. If you go back to their game against Italy, it was his quick tapped penalty that sparked Ireland into life and put them on the front foot in the first half.
Related: Ten things you should know about Ciarán Frawley
“We can look to put pressure on Ciaran Frawley at full-back. He predominantly plays at 10 and 12 for Leinster and in the two games he played at full-back for them, they lost. He is a tall player and maybe they are thinking we are going to box-kick a lot against them, and while James Lowe has so many unbelievable strengths to his game, aerial dominance is not one of them.”
Warren Gatland: How are Wales doing in Six Nations 2024?
Wales are yet to win a game in the 2024 tournament after narrowly losing to Scotland and England. Ireland, meanwhile, are targeting a slice of history in the competition.
After winning the Grand Slam last year, they are bidding to become the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era.
So far Ireland have beaten France and Italy, both with bonus-points.
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