Tougher challenges ahead but Joe show back on the road with rampage in Rome
No longer a means to an end, it presented the first available opportunity to set the record straight, to erase the bitter stench that still hung in the air after that hugely disappointing defeat to the Scots and a platform to issue a statement for the remainder of the tournament.
The fact that Ireland had the tournament’s first try-scoring bonus-point in the bag by the 32nd minute said everything about their dominance. By that stage, Ireland had already made 222 metres, Italy a paltry 24.
