Wales vs. Ireland: Date, Live Stream, TV Info, Six Nations 2017 Preview

Wales and Ireland will reignite one of international rugby's oldest rivalries when they collide at Cardiff's Principality Stadium this Friday in what will be the only evening fixture of the 2017 Six Nations.

The two European heavyweights will get Week 4 of this year's competition underway, and Ireland coach Joe Schmidt knows his side have a chance of climbing to the summit if they leave with a win under their belts.

As things stand, Ireland sit second in the standings and trail unbeaten leaders England by three points, while Wales sit fourth following their third-round defeat to Scotland and are eight points off the pace.

Coach Rob Howley will know his hosts are all but done in terms of a title challenge, but many will nonetheless wait to see what kind of fight this Welsh team can conjure up with an almighty amount of pride at stake.

Read on as we preview a titanic Week 4 encounter, complete with all the essential viewing details and a breakdown of the top headlines. 

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	BP	Pts
1	England	3	3	0	0	76	47	1	13
2	Ireland	3	2	0	1	104	46	2	10
3	Scotland	3	2	0	1	72	57	1	9
4	Wales	3	1	0	2	62	57	1	5
5	France	3	1	0	2	47	54	1	5
6	Italy	3	0	0	3	32	132	0	0

Date: Friday, March 10

Time: 8:05 p.m. GMT/3:05 p.m. ET

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff

Live Stream: BBC Sport website (UK)

TV Info: BBC One (UK)

Coaches Keeping the Faith

Both coaches have named unchanged XVs for the trip to Cardiff this weekend, as both Howley and Schmidt have opted to keep the faith in those players who lined up last time out.

Having lost to Scotland in Week 3, it's undoubtedly Wales' choice to stick that's attracted more attention of late, and Simon Thomas of Wales Online scrutinised the selection of winger George North due to his lack of defensive security:

"

Having looked a Lions Test starter after his solo score against Italy, North now finds his place in the Wales team being questioned after his defensive shortcomings were exposed in Murrayfield, with Steff Evans having built a strong case for selection.

North gets it, but the management have all but confirmed he's in on reputation. He's a lucky man. Howley will stand or fall by the faith he has shown in North.

"

North missed three tackles during that defeat to the Scots, per ESPN Scrum, and looked more of a burden than an asset at times, meaning he could present Ireland with one chink in the armour they look to exploit.

Meanwhile, Ireland counterpart Schmidt has every right to trust his staff following the 19-9 win over France last time out, and rugby writer Alex Shaw has predicted more good fortune for the Boys in Green:

Howley won't want to make too many grave changes to the Wales team as he leads the side in regular coach Warren Gatland's absence, but one gets the sense more drastic change is needed if the team is to bounce back.

With just one win from three thus far, Friday's encounter is a prime opportunity for those in the side to make a statement as to why they're there, or risk falling out of the reckoning altogether.

Watch Over the Wings

As discussed in Howley's selection of North, the wings stand to be a particularly influential battleground in Cardiff this Friday as some of the best high-flyers in Europe make their way to the Principality Stadium.

And one noticeable addition to the Ireland squad has seen Tommy Bowe replace injured wing Andrew Trimble on the bench. Murray Kinsella of The42.ie provided quotes from Schmidt justifying his pick for the Ulster man:

Bowe will need to wait his turn before he can have any impact, though, as Keith Earls starts opposite Liam Williams in what could prove to be an area of the pitch that dictates where the momentum emerges from.

Elsewhere, Simon Zebo prepares to go up against North in another intriguing war of speedsters with other strings to their respective bows, and the former recently spoke of this weekend's matchup with anticipation:

The battle between Zebo and North in particular promises to have a bit of extra spice to it, with the electric Irishman colliding against a Welsh warrior who boasts a considerable three-stone weight advantage.