Ireland must be mindful of another upset

Few places have been the source of more history lessons than Rome, and an Ireland side heavily favoured to retain their Six Nations crown will travel to the Eternal City later this week mindful of their demise at Stadio Olimpico two years ago.

A campaign that started in such style with a defeat of Wales in Cardiff in 2013 had already dissipated into something to be endured rather than enjoyed by the time Declan Kidney’s team visited the Italian capital for their last engagement.

Yet the end note to an injury-hit spring was the lowest of them all with the visitors losing to the Azzurri for the first time, three more players being confined to sick bay as well as Brian O’Driscoll to the sin bin.

Mick Kearney was team manager at the time, as he still is, and it was perhaps no surprise to hear him remark yesterday that the side’s last trip to Rome was one which hadn’t been allowed sully his memories for some time.

“At the time I remember it being very surreal,” he recalled. “I think we started off by losing Luke Marshall and then very quickly after that we lost Luke Fitzgerald. It was a very nice spring day in Rome, 70,000 people there.

“(Andrea) Lo Cicero was making his 100th and last appearance for Italy so there was massive hype in the crowd. There was a great atmosphere there and I suppose we became quite disjointed.

“We lost our way a little bit and came out the wrong side of the result, what was it, 22-15? Yeah, so it wasn’t one of our better days. It was one of those days where anything that could go wrong did go wrong.”

Tommy Bowe added another cautionary note when pointing out it took a late Ronan O’Gara drop goal to secure victory on Ireland’s previous visit, in 2011, but he also admitted that competition for Irish places has never been stronger than now.

This is a game Ireland should be winning.

Last Friday’s Wolfounds v Saxons game in Cork was always going to throw up the odd casualty, but the list is perfectly manageable as is and the news in general on that front mostly positive. Not just for the weekend, but beyond as well.

There is “some small doubt” over Jamie Heaslip who has been training despite the ongoing after-effects of an AC injury suffered against Ulster a month ago. The next couple of days will be crucial for the Leinster captain.

Heaslip’s loss would be considerable but not catastrophic given the back row resources.

Conor Murray’s availability is a more singular issue, however, but the Munster scrum-half is taking reassuring steps back from his neck injury.

Murray took a full part in the open training session at the Aviva Stadium last Friday and has bagged some minor contact work after seeing a specialist.

Jonathan Sexton, meanwhile, will see his neurosurgeon on Thursday.

The Racing Metro out-half is due to complete his precautionary 12-week concussion stand-down period post-Italy and should then be available for the second round business when France visit Dublin a week later.

Fergus McFadden (ribs) may well be fit for that first home game, likewise Cian Healy (hamstring) for whom the Italy game is a week too soon, while Mike McCarthy (concussion) is somewhere in between right now.

Sean O’Brien has reported nothing other than bumps and bruises after his run-out against England’s second-string four days ago and the flanker looks a live contender to feature against the Italians having sat out all of last year’s Six Nations.

Bowe knows how that feels.

The Ulster winger has actually sat idle through the last two runnings of the tournament so he wasn’t all that interested in discussing the perceived importance which results against Italy and France, two World Cup pool opponents, may have down the road.

For Bowe and Ireland, this is all about the now.

“Missing the last two Six Nations has been tough. I’ve been fortunate enough to play in November internationals, which is super. With the southern hemisphere’s teams coming to Ireland, there’s always that buzz (but) it doesn’t compare with the Six Nations.

“It’s what you grow up watching, the excitement of it and the buzz around the country shows that. I’ve missed being involved in it. It’s tough having to watch it. Fingers crossed, I will get some game time over the next couple of weeks.”