Williams is enthusiastic as ever

The Wales flanker says the prospect of opening their campaign against the Irish in front of 72,500 predominantly Welsh fans will be a huge boost.
Wales Coach Gareth Jenkins will name his side on Thursday as they wait on the fitness of wings Shane Williams and Mark Jones, who face fitness tests on Wednesday.

Ex-Captain Gareth Thomas will discover his fate on Thursday when he appears before an ERC Disciplinary Committee after allegations of aggressive behaviour towards Ulster fans in his club Toulouse’s Heineken Cup clash.

Williams says the crowd will have their part to play against the Irish: “To have the first RBS Six Nations game at home really gives you a head start, it’s hard to go away first time out.

“Hopefully it will help us against Ireland, but regardless of the result, there is still a heck of a lot of rugby to come after that. I can’t wait for it to start, I have just as much enthusiasm for this as ever, I’m really looking forward to this one.

“Our preparations are going well and this RBS Six Nations will be one of the most open for the last five or six years. I am really looking forward to it. It would be nice to do what we did two years ago, but it’s getting harder and harder to achieve a Grand Slam because sides are getting more and more even.”