Wales skipper Jac Morgan wants his team to play with a smile on their faces and to try to right a few wrongs against Ireland in Round Three of the Guinness Six Nations.
Morgan and his men will be playing at home for the first time in the 2025 championship and will be seeking their first win after defeats in Paris and Rome.
Reigning champions Ireland are the visitors and they will arrive with a Triple Crown in their sights.
Wales have not won a Six Nations match on home soil since February 2022, more than 1,100 days ago, and their recent record against Ireland shows seven defeats from the last eight starts.
It would represent arguably the biggest shock in Six Nations history if Wales rip up a form-book that includes their opponents standing 10 places above them in World Rugby’s official rankings.
Wales’ dire defeat against Italy in Rome a fortnight ago proved to be the final one with Warren Gatland as head coach.
Gatland’s departure followed within 72 hours, and Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt was appointed on an interim basis, covering Wales’ final three Six Nations appointments with Ireland, Scotland and England.
They now face an Irish team chasing an historic hat-trick of Six Nations title triumphs.
But Morgan isn’t so much concerned about the big reputation of the Irish side, who will be without their injured captain Caelan Doris, but more with getting the best out of his own team as they seek to end a run of 14 successive defeats and eight in the Six Nations.
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"Everyone is writing us off in a way, so it is an opportunity for us to be confident in ourselves, create an atmosphere within the group and perform to the best we can,” said Morgan.
“Hopefully, we can prove people wrong.
“That’s a big motivation for us. We’ve just spoken about sticking to what we’ve done this week, and there are certain areas in which we’ve tried to improve.
“We want to play a bit and be smarter in certain areas. It was sad to see Warren go, but we have had this game to concentrate on, so it has just been back to the training field and getting ready for this weekend.
"We’ve adapted well as a squad this week and we’re looking forward to the game. We all love playing at the Principality Stadium.
“Every game is an opportunity and while we’re disappointed with the run we’re on it’s not through any lack of effort. We always give 100% and we’ll do the same against Ireland and see how the game goes.
“The fallow week was a week where we refreshed and re-energised. Matt Sherratt has come in with his style of play and the boys have really bought into it - we’ve had a good week of preparation.
“We always want to enjoy playing the game, that’s the reason we started playing when we were young. We need to play the best we can and do it with a smile on our face.”
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Morgan has been switched to blindside flanker, with Leicester’s Tommy Reffell handed the number seven shirt as Wales tackle their biggest challenge in this season’s tournament.
Reffell said: “There has been a lot of change and new ideas, and we have had to try and wrap our heads around that as quickly as possible.
“We have said that we’ve got to back ourselves and be brave. Mistakes will happen, but it is how we rectify those mistakes and move on to the next job.
“Matt has come in with fresh ideas and given us the licence to be brave. He wants us to have a go but doesn’t want us to be reckless.
“There is a plan in place, but we are at the Principality Stadium and we have to go out and enjoy it as well.
“Rugby is a massive part of Welsh culture and everyone definitely wants to see the team do well. We really want to change things and go in the right direction.
“There is obviously outside noise for a reason, so the only way we can change that is through our performances on the pitch. We would like to put an improved performance in.”
