Craig Mitchell has enjoyed a strong Six Nations © PA Photos

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Players/Officials: Warren Gatland | Craig Mitchell

Tournaments/Tours: Six Nations

Teams: Ireland | Wales

Wales coach Warren Gatland has hailed the efforts of tight-head Craig Mitchell prior to Saturday's clash with Ireland at the Millennium Stadium.

The Ospreys prop stepped up to the plate following an elbow injury to British & Irish Lion Adam Jones and has acquitted himself admirably in the Six Nations to date, allowing Gatland to leave Jones to continue his comeback with his region this weekend.

There had been calls for Jones to be reintroduced immediately into the mix after making his return off the bench against Glasgow last weekend, but Gatland has faith in Mitchell.

"Adam hasn't had any rugby, only a few minutes," he said. "It's a vote of confidence in someone like Craig Mitchell and the job he has been doing. I don't think he has had enough credit for his work-rate around the field. He's been absolutely outstanding in terms of the number of rucks he has hit and the tackles he's made.

"We all know what Adam Jones can do, what quality he is, and for us it's thinking long-term with a bit of depth going forward to the World Cup."

Gatland also confirmed that Jones may miss out on Wales' final Championship fixture, against France in Paris on March 19. "It's a possibility but it's quite hard to throw a player in at the deep end who hasn't played for eight weeks, basically," he said.

Gatland has restored James Hook to the fly-half role for a game Wales must win to keep alive their Six Nations title hopes and the Perpignan-bound playmaker has highlighted the importance of the fixture.

"The last two wins were good for us, but this is probably the game we will be judged on," he said. "It's a massive test, and we need to win. It is as simple as that.

"If we lose, it might be judged as a poor Six Nations for us, so we are just focusing on what is a huge game. If we can beat Ireland, it's important for us moving forward as a team. There is a lot more to come from us, I think we have been playing in bursts, but we have won the last two games. At the end of the day, it's the result that counts, and it will be the same on Saturday."