Head coach Ioan Cunningham says Wales "have got to believe" they can do a job in Ireland as they look to get their Six Nations campaign back on track.

They have also slipped down to eighth in the world rankings following three losses at WXV1 last autumn.

But preparing for Saturday's trip to Cork, Cunningham says there have been positive signs.

"In patches we have shown how threatening we can be, the way we finished against England was really encouraging," he said.

"The impact off the bench is really good and we are creating opportunities, we've just got to be a bit better when we get them."

Wales will be desperate to end a five match losing streak this weekend, which Cunningham admits "can be a negative cycle".

"The most important thing that we do is focus on the positives in games, focus on ourselves, keep energy high and back ourselves," he said.

"If we get things right we should cause a lot of trouble to teams."

A bonus point win could see Wales move up to third by the end of the weekend if other results go their way, something Cunningham is all too aware of.

"It is a pretty massive swing this third round. England play Scotland, France play Italy, so a swing in the table could happen if we get our area of the game right.

"We have got to believe that we can go over there and do it. They [Ireland] have got confidence in their camp at the moment, there's a good feel about them and a buzz around what they're doing.

"It's going to be a tough environment in Cork, it's enclosed with fans close to the field, very different to Ashton Gate, but something that we're super excited about and hopefully we can build on what we've done and put in an 80 minute performance."