Proud Conor O’Shea defends Azzurri players

Italy boss Conor O’Shea insisted there are still big days ahead for his current squad, despite the 63-10 hammering they took at the hands of his native Ireland in Rome on Saturday.

The nine tries to one thumping at Stadio Olimpico made sobering viewing for the Azzurri’s new head coach, who had got his tenure off to a stunning start in November when Italy recorded a first win over South Africa in Florence.

A rampant Ireland performance and the crushing defeat that followed, though, only resurrected questions from the Italian media about where the long-term future of their national side lay, and former Irish full-back O’Shea, sitting alongside his captain Sergio Parisse, dealt with them head on, making a passionate defence of his players and instead focusing on the support structures that needed to be put in place to bring the best out of them.