Wales coach Warren Gatland has wasted little time in stirring things up ahead of Saturday's Six Nations Championship title-decider against Ireland at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Ignoring suggestions that England are the team his side truly love to hate, the New Zealander said: "Probably, out of all the teams in the Six Nations, the Welsh players dislike the Irish the most.

"Players' experiences against Ireland haven't always been the greatest, so they are very motivated to play against them."

Gatland, Ireland's coach for 38 Tests between 1998 to 2001 before being forced out in controversial circumstances, also questioned if his former side had the nerve to win what be only their second Grand Slam in history and first in 61 years.

Recent seasons have seen Ireland's so-called 'golden generation', led by captain Brian O'Driscoll, experience the heartache of often missing out on both the Grand Slam and the Championship title - something Ireland last won in 1985 when the tournament was still the Five Nations.

Wales, by contrast, won the Grand Slam in 2005 and again last year in Gatland's first Championship season as their coach after he joined them from English Premiership giants Wasps.

Gatland's current team need to win by at least 13 points this weekend to retain their title but, trying to shift any pre-match burdens firmly onto the shoulders of the visitors, he insisted: "There is a lot of pressure and expectation on the Irish team to come to our back-yard and perform."

Speaking after Tuesday's team announcement the Wales coach, who needs no invitation to get under the skin of his opponents, added: "After the Scottish game [last Saturday], the Irish players were an hour-and-a-half in the changing room celebrating and singing, so they were clearly happy where they were at."

Quite how Gatland was so well informed about Ireland's post-match routine after their 22-15 win at Murrayfield was unclear but even the most partisan Irish fan would agree the side has not always lived up to its billing.

"It's how they handle that pressure," Gatland said.

"There has been expectation on them over a number of years, and in a couple of World Cups as well. We've won two [Grand Slams] in the last decade, and so all the pressure will be on Ireland to grab only the second in their history."

Gatland, twisting the knife a little further, added: "If you go back to the autumn, they [Ireland] were talking themselves up a lot before the All Blacks game [which New Zealand won 22-3 in Dublin in November] - and they really performed poorly in that game."

But Gatland's decision to make nine changes to his starting side for last weekend's unconvincing 20-15 victory over Six Nations strugglers Italy from the team beaten by France in Paris could yet cost Wales back-to-back Championships.

Ireland thrashed the Azzurri 38-9 at the Stadio Flaminio last month and although Gatland has now all but reverted back to his first-choice team by making nine changes for Saturday's match that may not be enough to undo the damage caused by his Rome revamp.

"I've been criticised for the number of changes I made, and in hindsight maybe we made too many. I am not afraid to put my hand up and say maybe it was the wrong decision."

Gatland risked making himself appear absurd for it is hard to imagine anyone less likely to do any "talking-up" than Ireland coach Declan Kidney, a man for whom the label 'mild-mannered' might have been invented.

In his first Six Nations in charge of Ireland, the former Munster boss's repeated downplaying of expectations has become something of a standing joke.

But that doesn't imply a lack of faith in a side where 11 members of Saturday's starting side will have kicked-off in every round of the tournament.

"We've gone to the well a few times with these lads but they're still good and thirsty," said Kidney, who also announced his team on Tuesday.

Ireland, who saw off France 30-21 in the first round in dazzling style, have become increasingly nervy during recent wins over England and Scotland which have taken them to the brink of an elusive clean sweep.

But Kidney said they had nothing to reproach themselves for and, in what appeared an attempt to insulate Ireland from the emotional damage sure to accompany a loss on Saturday.

"Sometimes the spectacle is not one that pleases everyone but that is credit to the way the opposition play.

"If we are beaten in Cardiff and walk away with nothing as long as we can look at ourselves and say we gave it our best shot, that won't be such a bad place to be."