FORMER Hendy RFC player Josh Adams will start on the wing for Wales as they face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Warren Gatland has made one change to the team that lost late on at Twickenham, with Sam Costelow returning at fly half.

Adams will make his third start of Wales’ Guinness Six Nations campaign, while Pontyberem’s Kieran Hardy could make his second appearance of the championship from the bench.

Among the replacements, back-row Mackenzie Martin could win his first senior cap this weekend. If he comes on in Dublin, he would become the 1,200th Wales men’s international.

Tight-head prop Dillon Lewis could also make his first appearance of this championship as he returns the bench.

“We are excited to go out to Dublin and test ourselves against one of the leading sides in world rugby. It’s a challenge we are relishing,” said Gatland.

“We’ve made steps in the last couple of games and now it’s about building on that, learning from those experiences and taking that into this weekend.

“It’s about continuing to work hard, looking for accuracy in our performance across 80 minutes and also keeping our discipline.”

Ireland are currently top of the Guinness Six Nations after a 38-17 win in France and a 36-0 win over Italy.

Ireland v Wales will be shown live on ITV and S4C. Kick off is at 2.15pm on Saturday, February 24.

Wales XV:

15. Cameron Winnett (Cardiff Rugby – 2 caps)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby – 56 caps)
13. George North (Ospreys – 119 caps)
12. Nick Tompkins (Saracens – 34 caps)
11. Rio Dyer (Dragons – 16 caps)
10. Sam Costelow (Scarlets – 9 caps)
9. Tomos Williams (Cardiff Rugby – 55 caps)
1. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys – 27 caps)
2. Elliot Dee (Dragons – 48 caps)
3. Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby – 4 caps)
4. Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs – 14 caps) Captain / Capten
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys – 53 caps)
6. Alex Mann (Cardiff Rugby  – 2 caps)
7. Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers – 15 caps)
8. Aaron Wainwright (Dragons – 45 caps)

Replacements:

16. Ryan Elias (Scarlets – 40 caps)
17. Corey Domachowski (Cardiff Rugby – 8 caps)
18. Dillon Lewis (Harlequins – 54 caps)
19. Will Rowlands (Racing 92 – 30 caps)
20. Mackenzie Martin (Cardiff Rugby – uncapped)
21. Kieran Hardy (Scarlets – 19 caps)
22. Ioan Lloyd (Scarlets – 4 caps)
23. Mason Grady (Cardiff Rugby – 8 caps)