Wales team to play Ireland: Tandy forced into two changes as Prem star set for debut

Wednesday, 04 March 2026 at 09:02

byHarry Tovey

The Wales team to play Ireland at Aviva Stadium on Friday evening has been announced, with Ellis Mee returning to the starting XV in place of Leicester Tigers's Gabriel Hamer-Webb.

The Scarlets winger, Mee, who started in Wales’ opening two matches of the Six Nations against England and France, was dropped for the meeting against Scotland.

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That meant Hamer-Webb made his international debut, but it turned into a day to forget for the 25-year-old. The winger was involved in the brutal game-changing moment, which saw Darcy Graham react the quickest after a restart by Finn Russell.

Mee, who worked incredibly well in his last two international outings, caused France issues, particularly in the air.

Wales head to the Irish capital aiming for a first win in the Six Nations since 2023 and also a win in Dublin since 2012. The contest will also see Bath Rugby's Louie Hennessey potentially make his international debut off the bench.

Elsewhere, head coach Steve Tandy has been forced into two changes following both Taine Plumtree and Sam Costelow going off injured in the 26-23 defeat against Scotland.

In place of Plumtree is Cardiff Rugby’s James Botham, who had a standout performance in the contest against the Scots and will face off against Ireland for the very first time.

Dan Edwards, who started in Wales’ previous seven Tests, prior to facing Scotland, also comes back into the starting XV. The Ospreys player replaces standout Costelow, with Jarrod Evans being used on the bench for the sixth time under Tandy.

Speaking on the selection, head coach Tandy added:

"There are a couple of enforced changes this week due to injury and then Ellis had played well in the opening couple of rounds, so we feel he deserves the opportunity again.

"This week it's about backing up the performance against Scotland. Going away from home is a different type of environment for our group, but the focus for us is really improving on what we did last game.

"I thought the defence against Scotland was much improved so we definitely want to double down on that going to Ireland. You see how they keep the ball in possession, they play lots of passes so we know we're going to have to build and improve from the other week."

On Hennessey, Tandy added: "Louie was unfortunate not to get his opportunity in the autumn, but he's trained really well.

"He had a bit of a bump on his hand at the start of this campaign, but the way he's recovered and put in performances in the training environment has been very impressive. We're all excited to see Louie go out in Dublin."

Wales team to play Ireland:

15. Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears – 38 caps)
14. Ellis Mee (Scarlets – 6 caps)
13. Eddie James (Scarlets – 7 caps)
12. Joe Hawkins (Scarlets – 9 caps)
11. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 68 caps)
10. Dan Edwards (Ospreys – 9 caps)
9. Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby– 70 caps)
1. Rhys Carre (Saracens– 26 caps)
2. Dewi Lake (Ospreys – 29 caps), captain
3. Tomas Francis (Provence Rugby – 80 caps)
4. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs – 29 caps)
5. Ben Carter (Dragons – 17 caps)
6. Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby – 14 caps)
7. James Botham (Cardiff Rugby – 19 caps)
8. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons – 65 caps)

Replacements:

16. Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 46 caps)
17. Nicky Smith (Leicester Tigers – 61 caps)
18. Archie Griffin (Bath Rugby – 14 caps)
19. Adam Beard (Montpellier – 63 caps)
20. Olly Cracknell (Leicester Tigers – 3 caps)
21. Kieran Hardy (Ospreys - 30 caps)
22. Jarrod Evans (Harlequins – 16 caps)
23. Louie Hennessey (Bath Rugby – uncapped)