Wales excited to take on Ireland - Adam Beard

Ospreys lock Adam Beard admitted that Wales will be relishing the challenge of facing Ireland in the upcoming round of the Six Nations at Aviva Stadium.

Wales had two close encounters in the competition until now having lost the game against Scotland with a one-point margin followed by a two-point defeat against England in the second round.

The Wales squad has been hit by retirement of Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny while Liam Williams is unavailable as he headed to Japan to join Kubota Spears. They also suffered a setback when Louis Rees-Zammit announced his move to NFL.

Despite the setbacks, Warren Gatland's men have been competitive in the tournament but now they will be locking horns with an in-form Ireland team, who have convincing wins against France and Italy in the opening two games.

"Physicality is going to be one of the key components of the game," said Beard.

"You see the way Ireland play their rugby. It is all about speed, winning collisions and the breakdown.

"Defensively, we have to match up with that physical battle, and in attack it’s about being clinical and physical. It will be a tough game, but one we are looking forward to.

"Ireland are a team that are playing with confidence, and it helps when a lot of them play club rugby together. We are excited to get stuck into them."