IRELAND V WALES (Sunday 3pm)

THE absence of two talismen looms large over this weekend’s Six Nations opener between Wales and Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.

The hosts must make do without influential centre Brian O’Dris-coll, who will be sidelined for the whole tournament after shoulder surgery, while the visitors begin life without wing Shane Williams, so often their go-to man in attack.

Keith Earls’ performances for Munster have earned him the Irish number 13 jersey while Shane’s successor will be revealed when the Welsh team is named tomorrow, with Leigh Halfpenny likely to move from full-back.

Replacing the pair of British and Irish Lions is a daunting task given that they boast a combined total of 214 Test caps, a point not lost on Wales attack coach Rob Howley earlier this week.

“It is like us with Shane, Brian O’Driscoll is a big miss for Ireland and we have to take advantage of that,” said the former scrum-half.

“I was fortunate to play alongside him in 2001 for the Lions and he influences play with or without the ball.

“He is a great defensive player and having a senior player missing would be felt by any side.

“He is one of the great centres over the last decade – look at the tries he has scored in the championship.”

Shane has had just as profound an influence and wing George North insists the only way to fill the void is through a group effort.

The expectation is now on the giant Scarlets speedster to lead the Welsh attack given his record of nine tries in 16 Tests but the 19-year-old believes that Williams’ boots are too big for one man to fill.

“Shane is a huge loss but we have to move on and as a back three we have got to share the load,” said North, who is likely to join forces with Halfpenny and full-back Lee Byrne.

“There is some exciting talent in the back three and there are a few new faces in the squad, like Alex Cuthbert and Harry Robinson, who are quality players.

“They’ve both stepped up to the mark and everyone is putting their hands up in training.”

Meanwhile, North is keen to maintain the rapid ascent that saw him become one of the game’s hottest properties thanks to his heroics in New Zealand.

“As a team we did put a marker down at the World Cup, we want to push on from there and progress,” he said.

“Ireland will throw everything at us and their provinces have been playing well in the Heineken Cup and Pro12.

“The win against them in the quarter-final was massive for us and we all performed to the best of our abilities.

“That’s where we want to be again come Sunday because the first game is always key and a win could really set us on our way.”