Foolish to write off Italy, warns powerful Parisse

Ireland have not been the only ones to have changed immeasurably since that March day in Rome two years ago.

Sergio Parisse and his Italian team have also been through an awful lot since they delivered the fatal blow to Declan Kidney’s tenure as Irish head coach by handing his side a first Six Nations defeat to the Azzurri.

That 22-15 debacle for Ireland was a watershed moment, when the national side hit rock bottom in a flurry of injuries and yellow cards, prompting the IRFU to change tack and usher in Joe Schmidt as the man to take things on and turn it around.