After the final whistle in the Ireland v France match a couple of weeks ago, I watched the Scotland v Wales match on TV and at first I thought there must have been something wrong with the speed of the film, such was the contrast and pace between that game and the one which I had just attended.

The weather at Lansdowne Road had dictated to a large extent the pace of the Ireland v France game but the calm conditions at Murryafield were probably more important to both Scotland and Wales because of their rather light forwards have to commit themselves to a fast open style of play based on quick ruck ball rather than the rolling maul, kicking style used notably by the Ulster team.

This leads to the prospect of a fascinating encounter this afternoon because there is no doubt that Ireland should have the advantage up front whereas the scoring potential of the Welsh backs is greater.

I remember thinking after last year's game, that if you had swapped the back lines around, the Irish pack with the Welsh backs, we would probably have won the match by 30 points against the other combination. The Irish forwards had completely outplayed their Welsh counterparts last year but the ability of the Welsh backs to capitalise on their opportunities was the deciding factor in that game. I hope it will not be the same this afternoon. I have no doubt that the Irish forwards will have the upper had, particularly in the scrums, line-outs and mauls. The Welsh management's concerns about their scrum is clearly obvious when they have decided to start the game with a question mark over David Young. It would surprise me if he lasted the pace against an in-form Irish front row, and without him the Welsh look very inexperienced in that area.

In the line-out they do not have the options that we have and I only hope that Jeremy Davidson's thigh injury does not cause him any trouble.

I must confess that I was surprised at the decision to leave Victor Costello on the substitutes' bench. If he is fit enough to sit on the bench, then he would surely be fit enough to start the match, so I suspect that the management have in fact decided to go with the other combination for this game. It may very well be that Warren Gatland expects the Welsh to try and move the ball around the park, especially earlier on as they did against South Africa and he would be more comfortable with the three players that he has selected who would all be considered more wide ranging in their style of play than Victor.

I would be surprised if he does not introduce Victor into the game when it has settled down to give us the punch we need in carrying the ball forward, as he does give us a distinct advantage in that area.

The back line which was selected was very much as expected and I am very glad that Warren Gatland did not give into the temptation to recall Eric Elwood for his place-kicking, because I felt David Humphreys played very well in all the other aspects of his game. It is interesting to note that they have decided to continue with him as a place kicker, though perhaps now sharing some of the kicks with Niall Woods who has come in due to the injury to Girvan Dempsey. The Irish midfield who gained a lot of ground against the French particularly through Rob Henderson (who is back on the bench today) will not find the Welsh midfield so accommodating. The tackling power of Scott Gibbs is well known and there could be some interesting clashes between himself and Jonathan Bell in this match. The real dangermen from the Irish point of view, however, are the half backs, Robert Howley and Neill Jenkins - Howley for his leadership and skill and Jenkins for his points kicking ability.

What worries me this afternoon however, is that I have always believed that a team with an advantage in the back line, if it is used properly, will win matches far more often than teams with an even greater advantage in the forwards.

The amount of energy required to manufacture a score through the forwards is considerable whereas in the back line, one skilful movement, sleight of hand or quick thinking can result in a try.

Gerry Thornley wrote after the last game that Irish victories were `hewn out of granite', and that is very accurate. Teams have often done a lot less and stolen victories. This side certainly deserve a victory this afternoon due to the enormous effort they have put in, but it does not always work out that way. They will have to be extremely vigilant against conceding breakaway tries from loose ball situations and also not to concede kicking opportunities by being over enthusiastic.

All international teams seem to be badly affected by injuries these days. There is no doubt that the game is far more physical than it used to be and that added to this is the increased number of competitive games which the players are playing.

Fortunately on this occasion, it would appear that our strength and depth up front means that we are less affected by injuries for this game, and that this may ultimately prove to be the vital factor.