Italians under orders to snuff out O’Driscoll-D’Arcy axis

ANDREA MASI and Gonzalo Canale have been issued with special orders from Italian coach John Kirwan to keep Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy under wraps tomorrow.

Masi and Canale have been given the onerous task of snuffing out the Irish midfield threat and Kirwan believes the outcome of this particular battle will have a big bearing on the result in Rome.

Kirwan lauded the Irish pairing as "brilliant individuals and an awesome unit", adding: "That area is just one of the big issues facing us, but one of the most important. Brian O'Driscoll has been in world-class form over a number of seasons and D'Arcy was magnificent last season.