Wales v Ireland, Six Nations 2023: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction?

Ireland will arrive in Cardiff as the world-ranked No 1 team following a memorable year when they beat New Zealand twice, South Africa and Australia.

But they have lost their last four Six Nations games in the Welsh capital since defeating Wales 10 years ago.

Can they put this developing Cardiff curse to bed?

When and where is Wales v Ireland?

This first-round fixture between Wales and Ireland will take place on Saturday, February 4, with kick-off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff at 2.15pm.

What TV channel is Wales v Ireland on?

Wales vs Ireland will be shown on the BBC.

What happened in this fixture in 2022?

Last year's first-round meeting saw Ireland pull off a comprehensive routing of their guests at the Aviva Stadium, barely breaking sweat as they beat defending champions Wales to complete their ninth consecutive Test win. The visitors had to wait 73 minutes for their first points on the board in their largest defeat of the competition.

Ireland went on to win the Triple Crown for the sixth time in the history of the championship.

Read Telegraph Sport's full coverage here.

What is the latest team news?

Wales

Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny will make his first Test match start for 19 months in Saturday's opener against Ireland.

Halfpenny, who has won 97 caps, last featured in the starting line-up when Wales beat Canada during their 2021 summer internationals.

He is joined in the back-three by Josh Adams and Rio Dyer, while Wales head coach Warren Gatland has selected six Ospreys forwards, plus centre Joe Hawkins, with Saracens' Nick Tompkins missing out.

The Principality Stadium encounter kicks off Gatland's second stint as Wales boss, with his previous reign between 2008 and 2019 yielding four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and two World Cup semi-finals.

Ospreys scrum-half Rhys Webb is set for a first Wales appearance since November 2020 after being named on the replacements' bench, where there are also roles for Exeter lock Dafydd Jenkins, Webb's regional team half-back partner Owen Williams and hooker Scott Baldwin.

Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell is also among the substitutes, with Gatland selecting a starting back-row of Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau.

Gatland said: "We've picked Joe (Hawkins) at 12. He is a lovely footballer with some great skills. I thought for his first cap (against Australia in November) he was outstanding, so we have given him another opportunity.

"There is some real competition in the midfield at the moment, so I am really excited about that. There is a mixture in the team of some experience and some younger players. We were conscious as well picking the bench. We think we've got a bench that can come on and have an impact.

"Ireland are the number-one team in the world, so they're going to be coming here with a lot of confidence.

"You don't become the number-one team in the world without having some pretty consistent performances.

"We know how good they are and we are expecting a really tough contest. It's important for us that we start well, but we need to be in the game at the last 20 minutes.

"We've only had a couple of weeks together, but I am confident that the guys will go out and give a good account of themselves."

Wales XV: L Halfpenny (Scarlets); J Adams (Cardiff), G North (Ospreys), J Hawkins (Ospreys), R Dyer (Dragons); D Biggar (Toulon), T Williams (Cardiff); G Thomas (Ospreys), K Owens (Scarlets, capt), T Francis (Ospreys), A Beard (Ospreys), A W Jones (Ospreys), J Morgan (Ospreys), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Cardiff).

Replacements: S Baldwin (Ospreys), R Carre (Cardiff), D Lewis (Cardiff), D Jenkins (Exeter), T Reffell (Leicester), R Webb (Ospreys), O Williams (Ospreys), A Cuthbert (Ospreys).

Ireland

Andy Farrell's biggest selection poser is who will partner Garry Ringrose at centre. Robbie Henshaw is ruled out through injury, which leaves Farrell with the option of Bundee Aki, Stuart McCloskey or the uncapped Jamie Osborne.

Ireland have brought uncapped Ulster hooker Tom Stewart into their squad after Ronan Kelleher emerged as an injury doubt. Kelleher could miss Saturday's opener against Wales after sustaining a hamstring injury at Ireland's training camp in Portugal.

Who is the referee?

• Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)

• Assistant Referee 1: Angus Gardner (RA)

• Assistant Referee 2: Luke Pearce (RFU)

• TMO: Tom Foley (RFU)

Wales v Ireland latest odds

• Wales 23/10

• Ireland 8/15

• Draw 30/1

Odds correct as of January 31

What is our prediction?

Despite the fact Ireland have lost their last four Six Nations games in the Welsh capital, and Warren Gatand's return will provide Wales with a huge boost, the Irish should prove far too strong.
Predicted score: Wales 13 Ireland 27