ROB Howley says that he has given his Wales players a shot at redemption after picking an unchanged side for Friday’s Six Nations clash with Ireland.

The head coach named the same XV and bench that lost 29-13 in Scotland, a defeat that leaves their title hopes in tatters.

The management have resisted the temptation to bring in former Newport Gwent Dragons forwards Taulupe Faletau and Luke Charteris, leaving the pair on the bench along with fly-half Sam Davies, while once again there is no place in the matchday squad for promising Scarlets wing Steff Evans.

Howley has stressed the importance of finishing the Championship strongly to avoid another World Cup group of death, so has stuck with experience.

“As coaches, we discussed giving the opportunity to the side to redeem themselves for the second half performance against Scotland,” said the former scrum-half.

“There were too many unforced errors in our game from 40 to 55 minutes, after a really dominant first half, on the back of one of the best games in the Six Nations against England.

“Obviously I know things have been said in the week about some players’ performance. But as a coaching team, we have talked about the opportunity just to go out again.

“There’s an opportunity to go out at home in front of our own supporters and deliver a performance which the players are proud of and for the supporters to support that.

“It will be a huge game on Friday night.”

Faletau and Charteris, who missed the start of the tournament with knee and hand injuries respectively, both played for Bath last weekend to press their claims.

“They played against Wasps on Saturday, which means a six-day turnaround to our game on Friday,” said Howley.

“If you notice, the Bath pitch is pretty heavy. I watched the game, I watched Taulupe play.

“We think his impact coming on has been good and we have decided to stay with status quo.

“Luke came off in that Bath game and had concussion. He has gone through the HIA process and wasn’t able to train over the weekend.

“So, because of that lack of preparation time we have decided, with a six day turnaround, it’s common sense for him to be on the bench and come on if needed. It’s about the 23 man team.

“Luke passed the HIA on the day, he has done checks up until this point. He just has his contact protocol to go through and he will be fine.”

Howley’s selection is conservative but he believes his side has the big-match knowhow to get back on track.

“Every player has a point to prove when you pull the national jersey on. That’s the challenge of international rugby,” he said.

“It’s about handling the pressure from one minute to 80 minutes. That’s the challenge for all of us.

“Winning is pretty important on Friday, as everyone knows. International rugby is about winning. It’s the same in cricket, football or rugby. That is the same consistent message to our players.”

Wales: L Halfpenny (Toulon); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Scarlets), S WIlliams (Scarlets), L Williams (Scarlets); D Biggar (Ospreys), R Webb (Ospreys); R Evans (Scarlets), K Owens (Scarlets), T Francis (Exeter), J Ball (Scarlets), A W Jones (Ospreys, captain), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), J Tipuric (Ospreys), R Moriarty (Gloucester). Reps: S Baldwin (Ospreys), N Smith (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Bath), T Faletau (Bath), G Davies (Scarlets), S Davies (Ospreys), J Roberts (Harlequins).