Can Parisse’s outsiders summon one last stand?

Fear is Italy’s best friend for today’s clash, suggests Donal Lenihan.

Let’s call a spade a spade here. Italy have been shocking for some time now, a pale shadow of the side that Ireland and others found very difficult to subdue over a succession of Six Nations Championships in recent years. However they have been way off the pace in this World Cup to date.

Preparations for the tournament were suspended for a period when the players refused to train due to dissatisfaction over bonus payments. The FIR proposed a one-off bonus scheme based on their overall performance in the tournament, the players wanted a match-by-match scheme. Not exactly a ringing endorsement from the players as to their prospects.