'He's his own man' - Simon Easterby wary of a Warren Gatland gamble

While it's 12 years since Ireland were last beaten by Wales in a Six Nations game in Dublin, it's hard to remember the last time one side was so overwhelmingly favoured in a meeting of the pair.

A quick look at the odds makes for alarming reading from a Welsh perspective, with Ireland an unbackable 40/1 to make it three wins out of three this Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.

Warren Gatland's side have nothing to lose when they come to Dublin this weekend. With two defeats from two, and their opponents starting with a pair of bonus-point wins, the form book points towards another Irish win.

The Wales coach is no fool though, and his decision to gut his ageing squad last year and back his younger, more inexperienced players to play now rather than later is a long-term strategy, but one that will see them learn some costly errors along the way.

The New Zealander has an unfair reputation for conservative rugby, with the 'Warrenball' pejorative rather insulting for one of the game's most decorated coaches.

His game style may be conservative, but has a history for taking big gambles, as Ireland's defence coach Simon Easterby remembers fondly.

Just over 24 years ago to the day, Easterby was one of five players thrown in at the deep end by the then-Ireland head coach, who responded to a heavy defeat to England at Twickenham with a raft of changes for their meeting with Scotland.

Along with Easterby, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, Shane Horgan and John Hayes were all put in for their debuts, and the gamble paid off. Not only did they win 44-22, but his five debutants would go on to form the spine of the team that would go on to win a pair of Triple Crowns in 2004 and 2006.

"My memory might be a little vague on what happened that week but