Focus on victory, not points

IRELAND’S Eddie O’Sullivan was the latest coach to sing Italy’s praises yesterday and he clearly meant it when he admitted that he very much feared the Azzurri in today’s final match of the RBS Six Nations Championship at the Stadio Flaminio.

Amazingly, and much to the annoyance of the Italian federation, Irish fans will outnumber the Italians something like 3 to 1, so there is likely to be a strange atmosphere in the small but atmospheric stadium 3km north-west of the city centre.

“The Fields of Athenry” will dominate today and that’s a big plus in Ireland’s favour as they go in search of a first championship since 1985. Many believe they should throw caution to the wind and go all out for a big victory margin given that the opportunity of capturing the title comes around so rarely.