Conor Murray has warned Alex Cuthbert and George North that Ireland's less imposing wings will withstand the Welsh assault.
'Interesting battle'
Murray also has his own duel to worry about as he prepares to face the vastly more experienced Mike Phillips for the third time.
A series of strong performances during the 2009 Lions tour identified Phillips as one of the game's finest scrum-halves, but Murray is confident he will trouble a player who is seven years his senior.
"Mike's someone I looked up to when I wasn't in the Irish set-up and I've taken a few things from his game," the 23-year-old said.
"It will be another interesting battle. Hopefully I've gained a bit more experience now and it will be a close one.
"The main reason people compare is because of our similarities in height and the way we look. But we're both physical scrum-halves."
The rivalry between Ireland and Wales, who possess a similar playing philosophy, has escalated throughout the Six Nations following a string of tight games and the fixture has become one of the most eagerly awaited in the calendar.
The Irish endured controversial defeats in the last two championship meetings, including a nerve-jangling 23-21 loss at Aviva Stadium in 2012, but it is the outcome of the 2011 World Cup quarter-final that rankles most of all.
Toppling the Grand Slam champions, who have lost their last seven matches, has turned into something of a crusade for Ireland, not least as it will ignite their own title hopes.
"We have lost to Wales the last three times we've played them, so we owe them one over there," Murray said.
"They probably feel the same because we had a few good tussles before I came into the team. They're great games and we're pretty familiar with each other.
"They won't be happy with how the autumn went, but they're champions and will be defending their title.
"There will be backlash and a much stronger performance than we saw in November. It's a huge game for both sides."
