Wales v Ireland squad announced

James Hook will move back to fly-half for Wales's Six Nations clash with Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday, with the fit-again Jonathan Davies restored at centre.

Stephen Jones drops to the bench to make room for Hook's reintroduction at 10, while Leigh Halfpenny returns from injury to replace Morgan Stoddart on the wing.

Wales coach Warren Gatland admitted part of the reason Halfpenny was back in the squad was his outstanding performance against Edinburgh for the Blues over the weekend. He said: "He gives us that long kicking option 60 metres, which we did not have in the first of our games."

Hook and Ryan Jones were both nursing calf injuries following their clash against Italy, but despite not being able to train with the squad today, Gatland remains confident they will both be playing on Saturday.

The only other positional change will see Jamie Roberts move from inside to outside centre, where he will partner Davies.

The last time Wales beat Ireland at home was 2005, with Ireland beating Wales on their home turf in 2009 to win the trophy.

Roberts said: "We are still quite frustrated at that result. Everyone remembers them winning the Grand Slam and it was a kick in the teeth.

"Last year at Croke Park we did not click and we did not play to what we were capable of. We had a yellow card and that killed us."

He added: "For the fans and the players Saturday is a chance for redemption and we are hungry for it."

Wales are currently second in the Six Nations table, and a win against Ireland would keep Gatland's men in contention to win the championship.

Welsh winger Shane Williams, who is due to retire after the World Cup and will play his last Six Nations match against Ireland this weekend, remains confident they can clinch the deal.

"We have won two games in a row now. It is all about winning, we know we can play better rugby. Ireland haven't hit fifth or fifth gear at the moment either."

Following a stuttering 24-16 win in Italy, Gatland will hope Hook can bring more fluency to Wales's attacking play.
A key clash will be Roberts against Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, in a battle of two British Lions centres.

On the Ireland great Roberts said: "Defensively he is one of the best centres around. He doesn't miss many tackles. We need to win the collisions on the game lines because he will dent balls for fun."