A good day for those looking to prove themselves

GAMES Against Italy tend to go exactly to type, especially when you play them in Rome. Always dogged and difficult to break down, they excel in dragging teams down to their level.

In the circumstances it was difficult to escape the feeling Ireland’s win, in trying circumstances given the unwelcome withdrawal of Sean O’Brien a matter of minutes before kick off, was a game Joe Schmidt just wanted to win and get out of the way before the challenges that await over the next three weeks.

The primary objective of the exercise was to get out of the Stadio Olimpico relatively unscathed with the spoils in the bag and the potential to reintroduce three key squad players — Jamie Heaslip, Eoin Reddan and Johnny Sexton — for the two back-to-back home games against France and England.