Rusty Irish finally find momentum

Thank goodness for that frozen Parisian pitch.

If the first-half performance Ireland produced against Italy on Saturday is a guide, one can only imagine what catastrophes would have occurred during an opening 40 minutes at Stade de France.

That Ireland ran out with a five tries to one victory over the Italians, ending a sequence of three home defeats at the Aviva Stadium, was vital to Declan Kidney’s hopes of gathering momentum ahead of another French trip on Sunday.