Ireland eventually find answers to Italy's searching questions

“It’s one of the toughest places in world rugby to go," said Andy Farrell as he looked towards Murrayfield. 

ON TRACK: Ireland Head Coach Andy Farrell. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

It really does not get any better for Ireland as they head into the second of the Guinness Six Nations rest periods this week – three wins from three and the maximum possible match points with the squad set for replenishment in the form of possibly five fit-again frontline players.

That Ireland returned to Dublin on Sunday with a sense of disappointment following this bonus-point victory over a resilient and talented Italian side will do Andy Farrell’s players no harm at all with a potentially even more challenging assignment to come in Edinburgh in 13 days.

The Grand Slam, a first since 2018, is still very much on, of course and expectations of that feat will have remained high among supporters, some 15,000 of whom celebrated this win long into the Roman night on Saturday. Yet the disappointment inside the Ireland dressing room that will be taken into a two-day mini-training camp this Thursday and Friday is not misplaced.

Ireland’s victory at Stadio Olimpico deserves credit, for not many Test teams could operate at such intensity while missing half a dozen frontline players in key positions through injury and still emerge 14-point winners over a dangerous Italian side in possession of a powerful pack and an incisive attacking threat.

As healthy as the championship table still looks, and Farrell acknowledged his world number one-ranked side were “where we want to be” on Saturday night, the head coach also recognises the potential pitfalls awaiting them in Edinburgh on Sunday, March 12 at Murrayfield.

“It’s one of the toughest places in world rugby to go and it doesn’t matter what anyone’s record is there, they’re tough to beat there,” Farrell said. “And it’s fact, they’re going for the Triple Crown, that will mean a lot to them so it has to mean even more to us.” 

Farrell would not be drawn on the particular threat posed by Racing’s Bath-bound fly-half Finn Russell, whose armoury of skills and adventurous ambition make him one of the highest paid players in the world.

“It’s all about speed of ball so we’ve got to make sure that that doesn’t happen. Any good player wants time and space, and he’s able to do what he wants from time to time because of the work that’s done on the inside for him. So it’s a team thing.” 

The Ireland boss will want that team, set to be boosted by the possible returns from injury of Johnny Sexton, half-back partner Jamison Gibson-Park, centres Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose and tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, firing on all cylinders a week on Sunday.

Yet while he praised his understrength side for taming another passionate crowd and finding a way yet again to negotiate the sticky situations they frequently found themselves in on Saturday as Italy kept pace with the scoreboard and the visitors’ lead within seven points for long periods he could not hide the collective sense of opportunities missed.

Ireland had secured their try bonus-point inside 35 minutes, with tries from stand-in captain James Ryan, Hugo Keenan, Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen but also conceded tries to Stephen Varney and Pierre Bruno in a helter-skelter opening half. It took Hansen’s second of the game on 71 minutes to finally see off the Azzurri yet Farrell was clearly frustrated by his team’s inaccuracies at crucial moments. 

Two early kick-offs were fumbled and James Lowe lost his grip on the ball as he attempted to score after just 90 seconds, before Ryan did open the scoring three minutes. Hansen also dropped a ball in a dangerous position and Aki stumbled and knocked on with the tryline begging as well as throwing the pass intercepted by Bruno for his try on the stroke of half-time.

It allowed Kieran Crowley’s side to stay in the contest and even rue some blown chances of their own, notably on 66 minutes when his side was trailing 27-20 and Juan Ignacio Brex chose to kick to the corner with his backline cohorts lined up and ready to run through a stretched Irish defensive line. 

“That’s the type of pressure that you want to see people under,” he said. “And understanding that it’s not all going to go your way and still trying to find a way and coming away with a 14-point victory is very pleasing.

“At the same time, they know it was a good win but they’re disappointed with certain aspects because they know they’re better than that as well.” 

ITALY: A Capuozzo; E Padovani, J I Brex, T Menoncello (L Morisi, 77), P Bruno; P Garbisi (T Allan, 72), S Varney (A Fusco, 67); D Fischetti (F Zani, 60), G Nicotera (L Bigi, 31-41 HIA & 60), S Ferrari (M Riccioni, 46); N Cannone (E Iachizzi, 65), F Ruzza; S Negri, M Lamaro, L Cannone (G Pettinelli, 65).

IRELAND: H Keenan; M Hansen, B Aki, S McCloskey (J O’Brien, 72), J Lowe; R Byrne (J Crowley, 76), C Casey (C Murray, 65); A Porter (D Kilcoyne, 65), R Kelleher (D Sheehan, 56), F Bealham (T O’Toole, 36); I Henderson (R Baird, 52), J Ryan; C Doris, J van der Flier, J Conan (P O’Mahony, 56).

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)