We've reached the halfway house of the Guinness men's Six Nations, as Ireland look to clear the third of five hurdles in their bid for an unprecedented three-in-a-row.
Heading into round three, Simon Easterby's side are the only team who can still win a Grand Slam, and they will be considerable favourites to bring that record into the penultimate round against France. If they do that, they can bank a Triple Crown at the very least for 2025.
With Wales now on a record 14-game losing run and under the supervision of interim head coach Matt Sherratt - following Warren Gatland's departure last week - it would be one of the all time Six Nations shocks if they end Ireland's Grand Slam hopes in the first of this weekend's games.
After their dramatic win against France last time out, England have settled into the Irish slipstream, ready and waiting for the defending champions to slip up. Steve Borthwick's side host Scotland in the marquee game of the weekend, looking to win the Calcutta Cup back for the first time since 2020.
Sunday's fare in Paris pits France against Italy, as Fabien Galthie's side look to get back on track after their defeat to England. Twelve months ago Italy almost pulled off a famous win against Les Bleus, drawing 13-13 and missing a kick to win it with the final play of the game.
TV
Wales v Ireland (Saturday 2.15pm) and France v Italy (Sunday 3pm) are both live on Virgin Media One.
England v Scotland (Saturday) is live on RTÉ2 and RTE Player, with coverage from 4.15pm. Highlights of all of the weekend's games are on Against the Head, Monday, 8pm.
ONLINE
Follow a live blog of Wales v Ireland on RTE.ie/sport and the RTÉ News App followed by report, reaction and player ratings.
RADIO
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