So that’s that.. Match report and reaction from Gerry Thornley and John O’Sullivan in Rome are incoming so keep an eye on the sports homepage for those. Until then, thanks for joining us.
FT Italy 20 Ireland 34
FT Italy 20 Ireland 34 - Ireland secure their bonus point before half time and their third win from three with maximum points, but that was far from comfortable. A superb end to end game wherein Italy really went for it. The Irish bench proved crucial in seeing out the win, and there’s plenty to improve on ahead of the final two games. So a good day all round for Andy Farrell and his team.
Mack Hansen (man of the match): “Italy are a team that keep coming, we knew it was going to be a tough battle and it was. They play with so much emotion and you can get caught up in it.
“Edinburgh will be a tough one next so we are pumped for that.”
Italy 20 Ireland 34 (79′) Into the final minute and Ireland secure their lineout and work their way into the Italian 22. But their final attack comes to nothing, giving Italy one last play... but their attempts to run out from deep only end in an Irish turnover and Lowe almost grabs another Irish try.
Bundee goes in over the top, he’s furious at himself, and Italy kick the resultant penalty into the corner. But Baird reads the lineout and steals it. Italy gather the Irish clearance and work their way back into the visitor’s 22... this time though they knock it on. Some let offs there for Ireland. Jack Crowley is on for Byrne who played well.
Italy 20 Ireland 34 (72′) Ireland are made to work for every inch but they keep on picking and going from halfway to the Italian 22. Doris makes a break and it takes a few Italians to ground him, Murray scoops it up and sets Hansen free with an over the top offload. He gets his second try and Ireland really needed that. Byrne adds the conversion.
Fabulous rugby from Italy off a scrum for an Irish knock on, but they absolute butcher an overlap on the left wing. Superb offload followed superb offload before Brex opted to kick instead of going through the hands. There were three blue jerseys outside him.
Italy 20 Ireland 27 (65′) Brilliant work by Baird to claim an Irish turnover just inside the Italian half. Byrne with the pressure kick, slots it! Conor Murray is on for Casey and Ireland will need his experience to close this out. Dave Kilcoyne joins the action too. 65 minutes gone.
Ireland are denied a second try. They overload the blindside as they enter the Italian 22 and attack the right corner. Hansen offloaded to his Connacht team mate Aki on his inside shoulder but the centre knocked it on as he made contact with the ground. Italy try to run it out from their own 22 but are forced to clear their lines to halfway.
Italy 20 Ireland 24 (56′) A big turnover from Ireland as Italy work their way into the Irish 10m line but then Andrew Porter is adjudged to have taken a man out off the ball. Giving the hosts the chance to close the gap further. Garbisi nails the penalty. Peter O’Mahony, Dan Sheehan and Ryan Baird are all on.
Another penalty follows and Ireland go to the corner but Italy win the Irish lineout. The crowd loved that!
Italy 17 Ireland 24 (50′) Aki punches a hole but the rest of the Irish pack are making little ground with a lot of direct running. Italy then go in over the top and an Irish penalty is incoming, bit of a harsh call on them there. Italy are penalised again at scrum time. Ireland tap and go...
The first scrum of the second half is an Italian one but ends with an Irish penalty. The resultant kick finds touch on halfway and Henderson claims the lineout. Italy gather the Garryowen but Irish pressure leads to another penalty. And with it Ireland’s first scrum of the game. It’s a good one (Tom O’Toole to the fore) and Ireland are in possession in the Italian 22...
Italy 17 Ireland 24 (41′) 20 first half missed tackles for Ireland, Andy Farrell will be expecting a big improvement on that front in the second half. Which is now underway. McCloskey gathers the restart and Ireland clear their lines but Italy are awarded an early penalty on halfway as Van der Flier failed to roll away.
A look at Ireland’s four tries ...
HT Italy 17 Ireland 24 - The final play of the half. An Irish lineout on the Italian 10m line. It’s worked into the centre and a sloppy pass from Aki out the back is intercepted by Pierre Bruno who takes the opening with both hands and sprints half the length of the field and under the Irish posts. The conversion cuts the deficit to seven at half-time! What a half of rugby. Six tries in all. Bonus point secured already for Ireland but they have plenty to do still to secure the win!
Italy 10 Ireland 24 (36′) Ireland are awarded a penalty for an Italian offside on a kick chase. Ireland kick into the Italian half and work their way into their 22. Another offside is called and Kelleher opts to tap and go. Casey gets it out wide quickly, McCloskey feeds Hansen with a lovely weighted pass for the Connacht winger to get Ireland’s bonus point fourth try! No joy from the conversion and Tom O’Toole is on for Finlay Bealham who limps off with a knee injury.
Italy 10 Ireland 19 (29′) Nothing serious in it. Back to the action and Byrne kicks the penalty into the corner. The lineout goes to the back and Ireland go through a few phases at pace but Italy get the penalty decision as Van der flier is adjudged to have interfered with the Italian tackler.
Ronan Kelleher with a turnover just inside the Italian half. Byrne chips inside but it’s back for an Irish penalty for offside. Casey is receiving treatment for a knock to his throat as he chased an earlier kick. The TMO is having a look...
Lowe fumbles under no pressure in his own 22 to give the hosts an opportunity but the Irish defence is solid and Doris makes the turnover before the Kiwi native makes amends with a booming clearance. This game has been end to end (understatement). Four tries in 24 minutes!
Italy 10 Ireland 19 (21′) Aki grabs Ireland’s third try. Their second in the left corner. Van der Flier makes an important offload, Lowe - who made the initial interception - pops it to Aki coming on his inside and the powerful centre shows massive strength to get over the line and touch down one handed. Byrne’s conversion from the sideline is excellently struck!
Italy 10 Ireland 12 (19′) Tommaso Menoncello skins Byrne, kicks and chases into the corner but Craig Casey does well to gather. It’s back for an Italian penalty though for a late tackle on the kicker from Hansen. Garbisi nails it from 32m.
Ireland 12 Italy 7 (15′) It’s like watching a Sevens game and Ireland’s former Sevens player grabs their second try. Off a lineout around halfway, Aki does well again, Ross Byrne and Mack Hansen both offload in the tackle. Hugo Keenan then breaks through, changes direction a few times and spins off the last tackler before diving in under the posts. Byrne adds the conversion.
Ireland 5 Italy 7 (11′) Lorenzo Cannone, off the back of a well worked lineout makes another powerful break right through the heart of the Irish defence and Italy are five metres out. But this time Andrew Porter does brilliantly to secure a turnover and Lowe clears his lines. Italy are playing with such confidence and energy!
Ireland 5 Italy 7 (7′) What a try and Italy strike back straight away. Stephen Varney spots the gap after a superb move. Lightening quick recycling of ruck ball and a superb break by Lorenzo Cannone creates the opportunity. The conversion from Paolo Garbisi squeezes in.
Ireland 5 Italy 0 (3′) What a crazy start! 45 seconds later and Ireland have their first try. From the restart, Bundee Aki does brilliantly to offload to Lowe who feeds James Ryan in the left corner for his fifth try in green. Byrne misses the conversion.
NO TRY! Lowe knocked it on whilst grounding!
Game on! Ireland kick the action off, Ross Byrne’s first touch on his first Six Nations start. Italy gather in their 22 and clear their lines. Hugo Keenan fields it for his first touch and Ireland’s first attack ends in a try!! Josh van der Flier makes the initial break and James Lowe touches down in the corner... TMO is having a look...
Conditions in Rome as the teams come out - 18 degrees and dry. Five minutes until kick-off!
Andy Farrell’s pre-match thoughts...
Andy Farrell has made six changes to his Ireland team for today’s match in Rome. Halfbacks Craig Casey and Ross Byrne come in for what will be just their second and third Test start, while Iain Henderson replaces the injured Tadhg Beirne. Jack Conan, Ronan Kelleher and Bundee Aki also rotate in from the start.
In a late change on Friday, Leinster centre Garry Ringrose was ruled out due to injury with Stuart McCloskey (who started in the wins over Wales and France) replacing him.
[ Mike Catt expects Garry Ringrose to return for Six Nations final stagesOpens in new window ]
No longer the team of Sergio Parisse, the Bergamasco brothers and Martin Castrogiovanni, Italy’s 21-year-old Italy scrumhalf Stephen Varney is a Gloucester graduate
Johnny Watterson looks at the Italy team, as the days of moral victories are now insufficient for ambitious and new-look side. Read that here...
Craig Casey makes his first Six Nations start this afternoon. Gerry Thornley looks back at the young scrumhalf‘s career to date…
[ Craig Casey’s chance to shine latest chapter in heart-warming story of resilienceOpens in new window ]
A look back at Gordon D’Arcy’s column from midweek…
“Saturday’s game doesn’t operate in a vacuum, it has context for the Six Nations, the World Cup and the inner workings of the squad, in terms of the pecking order.”
Ireland have won the last dozen meetings since losing here a decade ago, the last three by an average of 51-11, yet this Azzurri side do not look as ripe for the plucking, and the 22-point handicap looks a little steep in Ireland’s favour.
Check out Gerry Thornley’s preview in full here
Here’s an all you need to know guide for Italy v Ireland, Stadio Olimpico, kick-off 2.15pm...
STARTING TEAMS
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Mack Hansen (Connacht), Bundee Aki (Connacht), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), James Lowe (Leinster); Ross Byrne (Leinster), Craig Casey (Munster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); Iain Henderson (Ulster), James Ryan (Leinster, capt); Caelan Doris (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan (Leinster), David Kilcoyne (Munster), Tom O’Toole (Ulster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Conor Murray (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster).
ITALY: Ange Capuozzo; Edoardo Padovani, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Pierre Bruno; Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari; Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (capt), Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Tommaso Allan.
Hello and welcome... Ireland take on Italy this afternoon in Rome, with Andy Farrell’s team looking to make it three Six Nations wins from three. It’s an opportunity too for the six players who come into the team from the win over France, some due to injury and the others in rotation. World Cup squad and starting places are up for grabs. So lots to play for, and after Italy’s encouraging start to the championship, there’s no room for complacency.
We’ll keep you up to date with all the match build up and action as it unfolds. Be sure to get in touch with your comments - Twitter: @DonoghueEamon - for now though, let’s get started!!
