Help for Harris close to hand

Iestyn Harris gets his first taste of Six Nations rugby at Lansdowne Road this afternoon. He can be sure of a fiery baptism against the rampaging Irish but he has a few really big factors in his favour.

The high expectations which greeted his arrival in Wales from rugby league have calmed down into a realisation that it was never going to be an easy transition. That will take some pressure off him. Overnight successes between the codes are rare and that is due not only to the difficulty a player in a key position finds in adapting to a new game but also to how his new team-mates adapt to him.

Henry Paul is finding this in his struggles to establish himself at Gloucester. The acclimatisation process should work both ways.

This is where Cardiff's young centre Jamie Robinson could play a crucial part. More than any other player at Cardiff, Jamie understands Iestyn and reads him well. That could make them very good centre partners today.

Iestyn moves to inside centre because Stephen Jones takes up the outside-half. This I like because, since the start, I have said that Iestyn should play at No 12 and Jones is on top of his game at the moment at No 10.

I cannot understand why they delayed a decision on which of them was going to take the kicks at goal. There couldn't be any doubt that Jones was the man. He has not missed a kick at goal for Llanelli in two vital games over the past fortnight.

Iestyn would appreciate having that responsibility removed while he concentrates on making his mark in the middle of the action. Jones will also take decision-making off his shoulders.

One of the new man's difficulties is that he still has the league inclination to take the tackle and go to ground instead of driving to get over the advantage line. Trying too hard is another understandable problem. He must be patient and wait until he gets quick ball. If he tries to do something with slow ball today, the Irish will mangle him.

But if he gets quick ball his deceptive speed and strength will enable him to play a full part in opening up gaps for the forwards.

Speed of ball is the key because this is going to be an advantage-line game. The Irish will go for a quick tempo, quick distribution format and try to move the Welsh forwards around to unsettle them.

I fancy that the Welsh forwards will try to stifle that game and slow it down, using Rob Howley and Jones to help them dominate. It will be a battle of contrasting styles; in many ways like Llanelli's pattern of play against Bath.

They both have speedy backs. The Irish have the more proven unit but Wales have highly promising youngsters in Craig Morgan and his namesake Kevin and have the experience of Dafydd James to break the line.

In the end, whoever creates quick ball from second-phase play will have the edge.

Ireland will undoubtedly miss the inspirational Keith Wood to counter the charges of Scott Quinnell. His brother, Craig, has more than earned his recall to the second row where his partner, Chris Wyatt, has rediscovered his form with Llanelli.

Wyatt can expect the Irish to be climbing all over him in the line-out so it is good that the choice of Nathan Budgett in the back row gives the Welsh another line-out option. The other thing the Irish won't like is being favourites. All the expectations will be on them and, all of a sudden, I think Wales have a good chance of causing an upset.