Ireland and Wales clash at Lansdowne Road on Sunday in what could prove the most delicately balanced match of their respective Six Nations championship campaigns.
Both teams would expect to beat Scotland and Italy in this year's competition and both know they will struggle against France and world champions England.
That leaves this weekend's encounter at Lansdowne Road as a key test for both teams as they strive to assert themselves as the Celtic challengers to the might of the English and the French.
True to form, Ireland lost 35-17 in Paris in their opening match while Wales beat Scotland 23-10 in Cardiff. Ireland have home advantage on Sunday but coach Eddie O'Sullivan knows his men face an unrecognisable Welsh side from the one they beat 25-24 in an epic tussle in Wales last year.
"We have to respect the fact that Wales have turned a corner," O'Sullivan said. "They are a different side than they were even 12 months ago, and 12 months ago we just got out of jail in Cardiff.
"We shouldn't have any belief that we have a divine right to beat Wales, just because we've had it over them in the past few years."
Defeat for Ireland would leave them with two losses from as many matches ahead of their daunting visit to Twickenham on March 6th. Their campaign would effectively be dead before they take on the tournament's weaker nations.