The Principality Stadium roof will be open for Saturday's Six Nations clash between Wales and Ireland. Despite a weather forecast for Cardiff on Saturday of strong winds and torrential rain, Ireland have requested that the roof remain open. Wales' preference is for it to be closed, but both teams must agree on that, or - under Six Nations regulations - it stays open. "In the end we made the decision on playing a game of rugby in the outdoors," said Ireland captain Rory Best. "There was a lot made of it, and more outside of our camp, but we felt that was the best decision to be made. "And whether indoors or outdoors, it's the same for both teams." Wales trained with the roof closed at their traditional eve-of-game captain's run on Friday. Asked about the roof situation, Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones said: "We know, as players, that it's going to be open. "You would have to ask the Irish guys about what their mentality is. "We've trained here on a few occasions with it open and closed. At the end of the day, the pitch and conditions are the same for both teams." Wales will win the Six Nations title and claim a first Grand Slam since 2012 if they beat Ireland. Ireland received the final say on the roof but Schmidt refused to be drawn on the subject earlier this week, simply insisting his team would cope one way or another. "There's been a request from Wales that in the interest of the quality of the game and the very poor weather forecast that the roof be closed," said Schmidt. "So they've said to the Six Nations directly, 'can it be closed?"' When it was put to Schmidt that normally the visitors would be asked to decide on the roof, Schmidt replied: "Yes, normally, normally." And when asked what Ireland want, Schmidt continued: "We'll adapt, we'll adapt. At the moment I'm not sure about the roof." We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Follow Wales v Ireland on Saturday (kick-off 2.45pm) via the live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the News Now App, or listen live on RTÉ 2fm, with commentary from Michael Corcoran and Donal Lenihan.<doc-sep>Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has debated the call made for closing the roof of the Principality Stadium. Wales are aiming for another Grand Slam with a victory over Ireland. The Boys in Green aren’t out of the running, as a win for them (and England failing to win) means they win the Six Nations. The Welsh rugby union have submitted a request for the roof to be closed due to expected rain, Schmidt has taken issue with this. ‘There has been a request into the Six Nations that it be closed. Last time we said, ‘we don’t mind, you choose’ and they chose closed and then made the field incredibly wet,’ he said. ‘We arrived there and a lot was said about making it good for spectators and the sprinklers were on for 30 minutes and it was very damp. Which closed is it going to be? Closed and wet, or closed and dry? If it’s closed and wet we might as well leave the roof open. ‘We would probably be happy enough if it is open but we will adapt to the conditions and if the Six Nations decide it is closed we adapt to those conditions and if they decide it is open we play in those.’ Schmidt is of course referencing the last time the sides met in Cardiff two years ago. Ireland have been given a welcome boost in preparation for the game as Rob Kearney is expected to start. The Leinster man was left out of the win over France with a calf strain. Iain Henderson has been ruled out with a knee injury but Munster man Tadhg Beirne comes in to partner James Ryan making his Six Nations debut.<doc-sep>Want the latest from the world of GAA, horse racing, football, rugby and more straight to your inbox? Sign up to our FREE newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Yes please! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Rory Best has defended Ireland's decision to keep the roof open at the Principality Stadium for their big Six Nations clash with Wales tomorrow. With bad weather forecast, the decision hasn't gone down well with the Welsh players or Welsh public, but Best insisted it was an issue that hasn't distracted Joe Schmidt's side. "I think the end really we made a decision on playing a game of rugby in the outsoors, if you like," said the Ireland skipper, ahead of his last-ever Six Nations fixture. " A lot has been made of it, more outside our camp. We felt it was the best decision to be made and we focused on playing the match. "Because it's such a big stadium, the wind swirls a bit...it's something we thought a little bit about, but ultimately we wanted to forget about it, get it parked and get on with it." Earlier, Wales skipper Alun Wyn Jones criticised the decision, which is traditionally made by the visiting team to Cardiff in the Six Nations. “We know, as players, that it’s going to be open,” said skipper Wyn Jones. “You’d have to ask the Irish guys about what their mentality is. We’ve trained here on a few occasions with it open and closed". If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.<doc-sep>
The stadium in Cardiff will be open to the elements as Wales chase a Grand Slam Principality Stadium roof will be open for Wales v Ireland In a small victory before the main event, Ireland have been successful in their bid to have the roof of the Principality Stadium open to the elements on Saturday. Heavy rain is forecast for the afternoon, as Wales chase their first Grand Slam in the Six Nations since 2012. The decision comes after Ireland coach Joe Schmidt had publicly suggested Wales had broken protocol by asking Six Nations bosses to allow the roof to be closed for the match that could decide who wins the Championship. Related: Six Nations title race explained Under Six Nations rules, both teams must agree to the roof being closed. Yesterday, Schmidt said: “There’s been a request from Wales that in the interest of the quality of the game and the very poor weather forecast that the roof be closed. So they’ve said to the Six Nations directly, ‘can it be closed? '” On the eve of the contest though, Six Nations officials upheld a demand from Ireland, filed yesterday, for the roof to be open. There was more from Schmidt yesterday, as he also discussed other tactics used within the stadium when the roof is closed. “I think the last time it was closed, we arrived there and there was a lot said about making it good for spectators and the sprinklers were on for 30 minutes and the ground was very damp before the game started,” he said. “That probably enters into our mind – which ‘closed’ is it going to be? Closed and wet or closed and dry? If it is closed and wet, you might as well have the window open and let the rain come in.” According to weather forecasts, there is 100% chance of rain in Cardiff, and things could be a little worse than previous days. As Storm Gareth takes its toll, Wales is expected to see plenty of the rain with up to 100mm in some places, according to the Met Office. Strong winds are also expected to hit. Follow Rugby World on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.