Dan Lydiate insists if the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour is anything to go by, the presence of both Paul O’Connell and Alun Wyn Jones will make for some spectacle when Wales clash with Ireland next weekend.
The Welsh flanker toured with both O’Connell and Jones with the Lions on their triumphant 2013 series Down Under and witnessed firsthand the respect and wisdom both men posses.
Ireland captain O’Connell, a veteran of three Lions tours, and Jones, himself having been on two tours, will be looking to get the better of one another at the Millennium Stadium on March 14.
And 27-year-old Lydiate believes while his Welsh side have started to put together some momentum, the task of defeating O’Connell and co will be a particularly challenging one.
“They are both people I look up to,” said Lydiate. “It’s not how often they talk, but when they do talk they just sort of command the room and everyone listens.
“It goes quiet and ears prick up and everyone listens to what they have to say because it’s usually words of wisdom. I have got huge admiration for both of them.
“The momentum is starting to build again for us. There is a good feeling in the camp and we are looking forward to the next game.
“We are under no illusions about how tough it is going to be. Ireland are performing under pressure. They have got a really good group of players all playing for one another. They are going from strength to strength.
“But we all want to play in the big games, so we are looking forward to that.”
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