O’Kelly wary of Italian threat and expecting a real nail-biter

AFTER the World Cup debacle, Irish supporters and critics alike will judge Eddie O’Sullivan and his team on the basis of their performance as much as the result this Saturday.

The side’s last two experiences against Italy have been polar opposites in that respect and Malcolm O’Kelly expects Saturday’s clash in Croke Park to resemble Ravenhill rather than Rome.

Ten months ago, Ireland gave a virtuoso display in defeating the Italians in the Six Nations but the team’s plummeting fortunes were all too clear by the time the pair met next in Belfast five months on.