Toner: Ireland ready to avenge 2013 meltdown

Like the captain he plays beside in Ireland’s second row, Devin Toner may be happy with the way the Irish lineout has improved since the systems meltdown in Rome last March but the locks will be taking nothing for granted as they seek revenge against the Italians on Saturday.

It is 51 weeks since the Declan Kidney era came to an inglorious, injury-hit and unfortunate end at Stadio Olimpico, with a battered Ireland side going down 22-15 in the Roman sunshine to suffer their first Six Nations defeat to the Azzurri in 14 meetings.

The statistics from that game alone paint a graphic picture of the car crash that game became for Ireland and a head coach whose IRFU bosses took less than a month to announce his contract would not be renewed.