BRADLEY Davies will be looking to topple the player he once aspired to be when Wales take on Ireland tomorrow.

As a youngster, the Blues lock used to look up to Paul O'Connell as the ultimate role model.

The Ireland and Munster powerhouse has been a totemic figure for country and province for a decade, and Davies is relishing the opportunity to lock horns with him at the Aviva Stadium.

"As a test, it doesn't get much bigger than this," he said.

"He consistently plays well and has done for the past ten years.

"He's been there, done it and when I was growing up he was the leading second row, the guy I aspired to be like.

"And in the last couple of months he's been awesome for Munster in the Heineken Cup.

"He's shown he is still the main lock around."

With injuries to Alun Wyn Jones and Luke Charteris in recent months, Davies has been able to re-establish himself as a prominent Welsh international lock.

And the 25-year-old has also formed a promising second row partnership with the Ospreys' Ian Evans.

"Were getting on well together. He's a bit older than I am but we came through the same kind of academy system," Davies said.

"We trained well together this week. Hopefully, we can take it into the game tomorrow.

"It's great for him that he's coming back to a bit of form, because he's always been a good player."

Another familiar face for Davies tomorrow will be prop Rhys Gill, who will make his first start for Wales and is a close friend of Davies from their youth team days.

"I've grown up with Gilly. He's a guy I played alongside in age-grade and academy rugby, under-16s upwards," Davies added.

"He's always been a very good player, a very good scrummaging prop.

"He's a bit dull and dopey at times — a typical Rhondda boy!.

"But he's a great lad, a very good friend of mine and I'm really glad to see him back in the set-up."

Dafydd Pritchard